Customer Reviews

Grow-A-Frog Kit

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

BEWARE!

These frogs grow very large -- bigger than my palm -- and they live for YEARS AND YEARS. (We know one that is confirmed as eight years old, and an internet search on "African Clawed Frogs" shows some people claim to have twenty-plus years...)

If you buy this kit you will need additional space: There is NO WAY you will keep it in the tiny box they give you with this kit. That will become obvious right away.

The frogs (we have two) are very sweet. They play with each other and even sing. We know someone else with just one, and it's very different -- it just sits, even when we put it with ours. It seems however they grow up (with others or alone) is how they stay.

But even for one you will end up getting a full-sized aquarium at the very least. For full-grown adults, even a ten-gallon tank is too small for them to actually swim. Also, they are known to attack and eat anything else in the tank, including fish and even snails. You will end up with a tank of frogs and only frogs. Because of their reputation for escaping from tanks (and drying up and dying before they are discovered), you'll also need a good cover for your tank. They eat a lot, which means a lot of material passes through the frogs, which means you'll have to have a pretty good filter and a member of your household to clean the tank -- we clean ours EVERY WEEK.

You will NOT be able to release them into the wild, either. Even owning African Clawed Frogs is illegal in many states, and some people have had their frogs confiscated by state authorities because of the potential for ecological damage (like eating everything in sight and laying thousands of eggs). As far as we know, releasing them is illegal everywhere.

These kits should not be sold as toys! They are PETS, and you will either spend WAY more than the value of the kit for a suitable habitat, or torture the poor creature for years and years with inadequate space.

Buy with caution. You are not getting a short-term experiment, but rather a baseball-sized frog and a big commitment.

I ordered the grow-a-frog kit for my son's Easter basket. When he opened the box, the food spilled out everywhere! Apparently the bag had busted during shipment and the sand-like food had managed to not only be spilled out into the container and bag, but also into the box and ended up all over the Easter basket and the floor. We were able to salvage most of the food so I didn't bother contacting the company. We're still waiting for the tadpole to arrive, so I'll update my review after we receive it. Update--The tadpole arrived today, just about a week after I sent in the coupon. It came in a little styrofoam cube and appears to be very healthy. My son couldn't be more thrilled! I tried to go back and give it four stars, but the editing system wouldn't let me. July 2008--Our little tadpole has grown into a frog. He (or she) seemed like he needed more room, so we bought an acrylic tank with a snap on lid. It holds about 1 1/2 gallons of water, and we added some gravel and a plastic plant. Looks nice, and I change about 1/2 the water once a week and clean it thoroughly about every three weeks. We also found an albino African clawed frog at a local pet store, so no our little froggy has a friend.

This was great for our project for my home daycare kids. To watch the froglet grow is amazing.

We got a grow a frog and love it! It is truly a pet that will last for years and is guaranteed to live. It will need a larger tank, but it is well worth it. Taddy is one of the favorite pets in our home. He is more than just a science kit he is a friend.

Open the box and it stinks. Really. But that isn't the disappointment. The disappointment is in not receiving a tadpole or anything live for the children to see....week after week. in the mail after we sent in our request.

Tadpole is still growing! Very exciting! Make sure to use crystal geyser and NOT arrowhead! Feed at the same time every day.

This frog is considered an invasive species in several states and is illegal to purchase. Please do your research before purchasing.

Also carries disease which kills other frogs:

The chytrid fungus is the main killer of frogs currently. It is thought it was introduced by the importation of African Clawed Frogs who carried the fungus out of Africa. The African frogs were used decades ago to determine if a woman was pregnant. The african frogs carry the fungus but are immune to it. Unfortunately they continue to be sold as pets. Some are released into the wild and spread the fungus to native frogs. They also eat almost anything that moves including native frogs. (Never release an African Clawed Frog into any body of water or any other place.) Recently it was reported on this site that scientists are working together to save frogs from the fungus.
What Can I Do? 'Consider getting a different type of pet than an African Clawed Frog. If you already have one, never release it into the wild. If you know someone who has one or more, tell them not to release them ever. The frogs of the world could use a break. Donate to the Amphibian Conservation Alliance.

-ecowordly.com