3,500 species of frogs are alive and jumping around the world, with approximately 80 of these species USA natives.
These amphibians live in various environments. But you’ll never know where they hibernate during the winter if you don’t continue reading.
How Do Frogs Hibernate?
Terrestrial frogs burrow into the ground and others seek out shelter under logs, peeled bark, or any crevice or cranny they can find. Aquatic frogs spend the winter submerged in the body of water they’re in.
5 Steps to Induce Hibernation in Pet Frogs
1. Fill a plastic container with damp peat or sterilized soft soil.
2. To enable air to flow, drill holes in the container.
3. Place your pet frog in the container outside in the cold. The toad will gladly bury itself in the dirt if the temperature outside hits 38 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Place the box outside but keep it out of the snow’s way.
5. When the temperature rises above 38 degrees Fahrenheit after the winter, your frog will emerge.
If you bought your frog from the local pet store, ask the staff for tips on what your pet frog loves for a habitat.
Make sure that your frog’s habitat is as close to its native environment as possible and assist your frog in preparing for its hibernation by ensuring its needs are satisfied.
Tank Hibernation Preparation
Provide an appropriate indoor habitat for the frog. To care for it throughout the winter, you’ll need to prep a suitable hibernation environment.
A glass tank is an ideal habitat you can use for indoor care. Make absolutely sure your frog has a safe place to hide within the tank, as well as an appropriate substrate for digging and burrowing.
Depending on the species of frog, consider lying down a gravel bed in part or all of the tank. A sterile combination of potting soil and sand is likely to be preferred by tree frogs.
Some frogs will try to consume each other. If you intend on caring for multiple frogs, it’s preferable to put together frogs of the same species and size in the same tank.
Make certain that the frogs have access to food and water. Whether you found your frog in the wild or bought it at a pet store, it has basic requirements that must be fulfilled.
Your frog will require food on a daily basis. It will also require a dish or a pool of clean, non-chlorinated water in which to rest.
Pre-Hibernation Weight Gain
To gain weight before hibernation, frogs eat more than normal. To maintain a good hibernation period, make absolutely sure the frogs have had enough food to consume each day.
Insects and slugs are popular with frogs since they are plentiful in most of their natural environments.
Hibernation Area
Provide a location for the frog to hibernate inside its tank. It’s vital to provide your frog with a proper environment, but that environment should also include a spot for him to hibernate throughout the winter.
The sort of frogs you’re caring for will determine how and where your frog hibernates.
Tree frogs (such as peepers, gray tree frogs, or chorus frogs,) hibernate on land, frequently by burrowing into the earth.
For digging and hibernating, these frogs may require a deep, thicker soil substrate.
Some tree frogs, such as the wood frog and the spring peeper, are unable to burrow in the soil. Instead, these frogs burrow into crevices in split logs or rocks or bury themselves under fallen leaves.
Temperature
Maintain a constant temperature. An overhead heat light may be required depending on the kind of frogs you’re caring for.
Tropical frogs demand humidity, which means you’ll need to spray the tank several times each day and use a hydrometer to keep track of the moisture levels.
Most amphibians in North America, on the other hand, do not require artificial heat.
Frogs in the northern part of the United States like temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. However, temperatures beyond 80 degrees Fahrenheit should be avoided unless the frog is a tropical species.
To live, tropical frogs such as the African Bullfrog, and the Argentine Horned Frog require temperatures of approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat Lamp
Identify what species of frogs you’re caring for and whether they need a heat lamp by speaking with an amphibian specialist at your local pet store.
Do Not Disturb
Refrain from disturbing your frog. During their dormant hibernation phase, frogs may appear to be dead.
It really is better to leave the frog alone at this period, since disturbing it or its environment may shock it and interrupt its normal hibernation cycle.
Aquatic Frogs
Several frogs tend to spend their winters in the water. Make sure your tank’s water dish is big enough to fit a seated frog in.
Make sure you have a deep tank with an area filled with water for frogs who prefer to be totally submerged in water during hibernation.
In lakes and ponds, tree frogs, green frogs, bullfrogs, and leopard frogs hibernate. Hibernation for these frogs will necessitate a bigger aquatic habitat.
In aquatic settings, provide plants. Frogs hibernating underwater take in oxygen through their skin, hence the need for the presence of photosynthetic plants in the tank.
Food
Pet frogs should have lots of food. When frogs first awaken from hibernation, they burn up the last of their fat reserves, but they’ll shortly need to return to their regular diets.
Your frog may not have accumulated as much fat as frogs in the wild since it was hibernating in a milder area.
When your frog initially emerges from hibernation in the spring, make sure to offer it some extra food.
Frequently Asked Questions about How Frogs Hibernate
Can frogs die during hibernation?
The frog’s heart continues to function and produces special glucose that is pumped through their body to keep them alive. If the temperatures drop below abnormally cold temperatures, the frog can die.
Do frogs wake up during hibernation if there is a warm day?
The frogs are cold-blooded, so a warm temperature of 60 during the winter is not enough to “unfreeze” the frog enough to wake up.
Conclusion
Frogs are amazing, just in the fact that wild frogs can find a way to survive in freezing temperatures.
Pet frogs do not have to hibernate but it is ingrained in their DNA, so why mess with genetics…