Grow-a-Frog kits: Is it just me, or do they seem kind of cruel?

[melissel]

Am I being overly sensitive about this? DD9 has wanted one for years. I feel like it's so cruel to keep those poor little things alone in a 4-inch cube for their entire little lives. It's on her Christmas list again this year, and I'm contemplating it, but I'm struggling with the idea. Has anyone had one? Do you feel like it was a worthwhile experience? Should I just suck it up and let my mom get her one?

 

TIA for your thoughts!

Edited December 4, 2011 by melissel

[Jann in TX]

The kit comes with a starter enclosure-- it is nearly impossible to keep the frog alive for a 'full life' in it-- as the frog grows it will need a larger aquarium and proper heat/light/food.

 

We have reptile pets (and hermit crabs too). It WOULD be cruel if we kept them in the small plastic enclosures that most pet stores readily sell...

 

These 'exotic' pets can live long, healthy and comfortable lives in captivity--the owners need to be responsible to research and meet the needs of the 'critter'.

[Alessandra]

Obviously, reptiles and amphibians are different, but perhaps a reptile analogy might help.

 

A few years ago, ds won the lottery in school for who would get to keep the anoles that had been raised in the classroom. He was one of the winners. Before he brought the anole home, I read a lot on reptile/anole care -- ended up spending a lot of money (ca. $500 eventually) on a big aquarium, UVB lights, heat lamps, artificial palnts, etc, etc. I had some of the same feelings you do about caging a wild animal -- wanted to be as humane as possible.

 

We eventually got another anole companion. They both lived healthy lives for several years. Dd ended up taking care of them and truly loved them both. I felt bad that they were in an enclosure, but I rationalized it by thinking that at least they were not being eaten, run over -- whatever might happen in the wild.

 

The biggest plus for our family was the sensitivity and compassion that both my dc developed for these little creatures. Dc also gained a deeper understanding of what habitat means -- that it is an interaction of many factors. They also learned a lesson about priorities -- classmates much richer than us did very little for their anoles, but I always articulated that I would never have agreed to keep the anole if we were not willing to provide properly for it.

 

I wouldn't get another reptile pet, but I am glad we had ours.

 

IMHO, I would get your dd the frog, but only if I could afford to invest in the proper habitat for it. Personally, if one of my dc asks for something reasonable over a long period, I try to honor the request.

Edited December 4, 2011 by Alessandra

[Dmmetler]

It's not just you. The ones that appear to be sealed and supposedly have everything a frog needs in those little boxes really bother me.

[HappyLady]

They're cruel. My sister bought something similar for her kids, even though I told her how awful they were. She ended up spending A LOT of money to put them in a bigger, more appropriate atmosphere and they died shortly after.

 

I do agree that getting a pet teaches a child a lot, but I wouldn't support something like those kits. I'd go to a rescue shelter or check the classifieds to see if anyone needs to rehome an animal first.

[Jennifer3141]

Hermit crab kits are the same. It makes me so sad to see the hermit crabs in stores and that stupid plastic kit for them. They are such neat little critters when housed and care for properly.

 

Get the frog kit but yes, please upgrade the heck out of it. I'm actually shoppting for frogs for DS' Xmas present but they are South American frogs and the aquairum opitions out there are so darn cool!!!

[lailasmum]

Reminds me of these horrible live fish and turtle key rings in China.

[kewb]

I think they are horrid. My sister's boys each have one but she upgraded the frogs into their own aquariums.

[nmoira]

Yes, they're cruel; the adult frogs optimally need at least one gallon of water each. MIL gave each of the girls their own cube two years ago, the most expensive gifts we've ever received. <sigh> Since we didn't have an existing aquarium set up and couldn't find one used on short notice, we ended up spending about $100 on new equipment. She still doesn't understand why we couldn't have left the frogs in the cubes.

[JennyD]

Ugh, my mother's friend gave those cubes to my children as gifts a couple of years ago. I was caught off-guard and did not say what I should have said, which was, "Oh, thank you, but I'm afraid we can't take on pets right now." After we got home and learned exactly how bad being in such tight quarters is for the poor frogs we went and got a large aquarium to put them in. Finally, thankfully, a friend of my husband's who liked frogs agreed to take the whole shebang off our hands. The last I heard, one frog died quickly but the other was still going strong. What a horrible gift that was. I will NEVER make that mistake again.

[mom2scouts]

I'm not a big fan of anything that makes it seem that keeping a living creature is cheap and simple. My 9 year old son is a likely future zookeeper and he's always talking me into more animals. We just spent several hours today cleaning our fish tank, cleaning our hermit crab tank, cleaning out the bunny cage and giving the bunny play time and taking care of our six cats. He is learning proper care and the time and work it takes to properly care for all kinds of creatures. Even hermit crabs and fish need daily care and I make sure he does it. I agree that you could get the frog IF you (and your dd) are willing to spend the time and money to properly care for it.

[HappyLady]

Not everyone can have a larger pet (maybe they live in an apartment or are allergic). I don't really see the difference between a cat/dog and a frog (so long as you give it a decent environment to live in).

 

 

I'm sorry, I wasn't implying she get a larger pet. I meant that you can find frogs and other small animals that need good homes all the time if you just look. People tend to get them and then want to get rid of them once they see how much work they entail.

[melissel]

Thanks everyone. She and I talked about it last night, and I told her I didn't put it on her list and why. I told her we could talk about getting a full-sized environment for a small pet like that after Christmas instead.

 

Reminds me of these horrible live fish and turtle key rings in China.

 

This makes me to cry :( How can people not be disturbed by this?

[Jennifer3141]

I'm sorry, I wasn't implying she get a larger pet. I meant that you can find frogs and other small animals that need good homes all the time if you just look. People tend to get them and then want to get rid of them once they see how much work they entail.

 

And by "getting rid," they either throw it outside where it either dies or becomes an invasive species or simply kill it. :(

[Teachin'Mine]

It sounds horrendous. A really cool idea - read expensive but worth it - is to instead buy the materials to make your own outdoor pond. Then you can buy tadpoles and let them live inside in a bowl for a while so she can see the development and then release them in your pond. If you get the bullfrog ones, you'll be serenaded at night. :) Happy frogs and lots of good water for microscope exploration. Add in some goldfish and plants, and you'll have something the whole family will enjoy. And no dead frog in a cube!

[scubamama]

I saved and bought my own Grow a frog in 3rd grade. My parents hated it! They thought I should just be content with the "real frogs" outside. Anyhow, it was a big pain - we had to get a bigger aquarium and I had to go to the spring 2x a week with empty soda bottles and get spring water for it - I remember breaking the ice on top of the spring and grumbling about it. My parents refused to buy spring water - we're from a rural place and animals are NOT for in the house. :tongue_smilie:

Anyhow, Croaker lived from 3rd grade until I left for college! My folks refused to care for him so I gave it to a lady we knew who loved fish and he lived in her tank for another 2 years.

He was a Guiness Book of World Records contender for sure!

I say, look before you leap on this one....they live forever and who wants to live in a tiny box (if you can't upgrade your froggy)

 

Michele

 

PS My kids are into the whole critter thing, but they have to catch and release what's outside. There's no way I"m raising a frog for the next 10 years!

[melissel]

It sounds horrendous. A really cool idea - read expensive but worth it - is to instead buy the materials to make your own outdoor pond. Then you can buy tadpoles and let them live inside in a bowl for a while so she can see the development and then release them in your pond. If you get the bullfrog ones' date=' you'll be serenaded at night. :) Happy frogs and lots of good water for microscope exploration. Add in some goldfish and plants, and you'll have something the whole family will enjoy. And no dead frog in a cube![/quote']

 

Oh gosh, how totally cool would that be?! Hmm, I'll have to talk to DH about that. DD9 would love the idea. DH may not, though!

[Scuff]

We had 2 and they lived in a 10 gallon aquarium. They get pretty big; I don't think you could keep them in the little cube, even if you wanted to. We had a girl and a boy and got eggs. It was pretty neat! Then the cat dumped the eggs (you're supposed to seperate them, so that the parents don't eat them.) and our girl died, so we never got to see them grow into tadpoles.

 

ETA- you can also send them back, though your kid probably wonn't like that idea! We sent our boy back after he'd been alone awhile.

Edited December 5, 2011 by Scuff

[SailorMom]

Uh - we have $150 frogs. And that was just the start up. The food is more.

I asked all the right questions about these Fire-Bellied Toads. I was given all the wrong aswers. Should have come home and Googled before I surprised DS with them.

The (singular) toad that the pet store said needed a small cage, was not poisonous, did not need friends, did not need filtered water, and only lived about 3 years,,,, well -

Needs at least a 10 gallon tank, is poisonous, needed at least two friends or would die - they are the only social amphibians, needs water that is constantly filtered or their own poison will kill them, and can live up to 20 years.

We now have three very expensive little frogs.

[Scuff]

It sounds horrendous. A really cool idea - read expensive but worth it - is to instead buy the materials to make your own outdoor pond. Then you can buy tadpoles and let them live inside in a bowl for a while so she can see the development and then release them in your pond. If you get the bullfrog ones' date=' you'll be serenaded at night. :) Happy frogs and lots of good water for microscope exploration. Add in some goldfish and plants, and you'll have something the whole family will enjoy. And no dead frog in a cube![/quote']

 

The grow-a-frogs are not a native breed and should not be released. If you want to do this, then you should be careful which tadpoles you buy.

[melissel]

The grow-a-frogs are not a native breed and should not be released. If you want to do this, then you should be careful which tadpoles you buy.

 

Thank you, I did think of that. We have some native species around here that I would look for, for sure.

[Alessandra]

I know this thread is getting a bit old, but I wanted to add that many states have extremely strict laws governing the release of reptiles and amphibians. You probably don't want your non-native frog contributing to the decline of some native species. (Local nature centers usually know the laws & calling them can saw you endless web searches.)

[Teachin'Mine]

The grow-a-frogs are not a native breed and should not be released. If you want to do this, then you should be careful which tadpoles you buy.

 

Definitely don't release non-native species!!! The American bullfrog tadpoles sell for about $5 for one or a pair, are easy to raise, and will stick around the pond if they have the right environment. Nothing like that deep resonating sound on summer evenings. :001_smile:

[Farrar]

Can she raise tadpoles in the spring instead? Around here, the nature centers will let you take the tadpoles home. You keep a couple in a little space - if you have a bunch, it can be a kiddie pool or a large tub of water on your porch or backyard. If you have just one or two, it can be a bowl. You get to see them grow their legs and come out of the water. But that's when you release them back at the nature center by the real pond. We've never done it (just benefited from practically everyone else we know doing it) so I forget all the ins and outs, but it's a humane, parks-sponsored process. Sometimes they die, but you're actually helping a native species who is more likely, as I understand it, to die in the wild.

[LaxMom]

Definitely don't release non-native species!!! The American bullfrog tadpoles sell for about $5 for one or a pair' date=' are easy to raise, and will stick around the pond if they have the right environment. Nothing like that deep resonating sound on summer evenings. :001_smile:[/quote']

 

We captured these guys when some friends' farm pond flooded them out into the ditches lining their driveway. They were released back to their natal pond in the early fall. They are, possibly, the most photographed tadpoles/bullfrogs ever. :)

[Denisemomof4]

It's not just you. The ones that appear to be sealed and supposedly have everything a frog needs in those little boxes really bother me.

 

sounds like a calf being doomed to a life in a tiny cage it can barely move in so we can kill it and eat tender meat with no muscle, only the frog is there for us to glance at periodically. :sad:

 

I could never support either.

[Once Again]

Guess I'm in the minority. We have had 2 frogs in a grow-a-frog container for two years now. They are active and healthy and do not appear to be suffering in the least.

Edited December 8, 2011 by Once Again

[Denisemomof4]

They're cruel. My sister bought something similar for her kids, even though I told her how awful they were. She ended up spending A LOT of money to put them in a bigger, more appropriate atmosphere and they died shortly after.

 

I do agree that getting a pet teaches a child a lot, but I wouldn't support something like those kits. I'd go to a rescue shelter or check the classifieds to see if anyone needs to rehome an animal first.

 

:iagree::iagree: the rescues have tons of guinea pigs, rabbits, rats, hampsters, etc. You can rescue an animal, save a life, and teach all about responsible pet ownership.

[Denisemomof4]

Reminds me of these horrible live fish and turtle key rings in China.

 

that is SO sad. Seeing that little turtle's head peering out made me want to cry.

[beaners]

Guess I'm in the minority. We have 2 frogs in a grow-a-frog container for two years now. They are active and healthy and do not appear to be suffering in the least.

 

I think I had one of these as a kid. My husband had the same thing I did, but he said his frog sang. I don't remember mine doing that.

 

We bought similar frogs for my daughter, and set everything up with "real" equipment we already had. I think we gave up when three in a row had died. I've bred all kinds of fish, and owned all kinds of animals. I had more success with those little frogs in a cube than in a nice setup. Go figure.

[msk]

I had a Grow-a-Frog in college (that specific brand, with the see-thru skin), and from what I remember the kit explicitly says you *must* move the frog into a larger aquarium once it passes the tadpole stage. Perhaps that information is on the inside of the package and not the outside, though?

 

Anyway, I really enjoyed the frog as an adult. I liked watching her eat and swim around. Watching the tadpole limbs develop through their see-thru skin is fascinating. Mine was a nice pet and easy to take care of-- buying water and changing the water/cleaning the aquarium was never a big deal for me. This particular frog is fully aquatic, so it's not much different from keeping a goldfish. Just be prepared for it to live for years-- as others mentioned, you can't release them. The Grow-a-Frogs were bred as a laboratory animal and are ill-equipped for life in the wild, in addition to being a potential threat to native species.

 

I just checked the company website (ahh, memories) and it looks like they are committed to taking the frogs back if people are unable to care for them, which I find somewhat reassuring (although it doesn't say what they do with the adults).

[TravelingChris]

I know we bought some grow a frog thing which we got in the mail a long time ago. (My oldest is 23 and this was for him when he was probably around 6 or 7) The one that we had was for a native frog that was in my area (I checked). I don't remember any cube or sealed enclosure for them. We had them in a small tank. They grew and became frogs which we released since they were a local species. Later on, in Florida, we kept getting frogs laying eggs in our bird bath. We put those in a tank too and raised them.

 

I would never get a foreign species of frog or toad unless I was willing to keep them forever.

[Teachin'Mine]

We captured these guys when some friends' farm pond flooded them out into the ditches lining their driveway. They were released back to their natal pond in the early fall. They are, possibly, the most photographed tadpoles/bullfrogs ever. :)

 

They're beautiful!!! :001_smile:

[HejKatt]

Reminds me of these horrible live fish and turtle key rings in China.

*Shudder* OK, now that just brought up a memory, which I had repressed.. I was looking at acrylic paperweights in a department store. These usually have pressed flowers, but I saw one with a real, once-alive goldfish. It took me a minute to understand what I saw, and I was utterly repulsed.

 

OP - sorry to hijack the thread. I'm glad you have received many helpful suggestions.

 

ETA: Found this website which showed that I wasn't hallucinating years ago. Ugh.

http://www.bayead-craft.com/sdp/1012177/4/pd-4956167/6808284-2101327/Real_Red-Eared_Turtle_amber_Paperweights_resin_cra.html

Edited December 8, 2011 by leeyeewah

[reign]

Reminds me of these horrible live fish and turtle key rings in China.

 

Ugh! I am so sad about this. How gross!

 

Op... always thought the kits were starters and people rehomed the animals in real appropriate aquariums.

[zaichiki]

Thank you, I did think of that. We have some native species around here that I would look for, for sure.

 

If you have ponds in the area you can gather eggs or tadpoles in the spring and watch them grow/change at home. When you've had enough you can release them. Better (and cheaper) than the kit!

[Vida Winter]

Those frog kits give me the creeps. I wouldn't get one.