White-lipped Frog

1 Overview

More and more people keep unusual animals as pets, and the white-lipped frog has become a favourite of many hobbyists. It likes to live by mountain gullies, swamps or clear mountain streams — generally right at the water’s edge.

Chinese Name: White-lipped Frog (White-lipped Slender-legged Frog)

Binomial: Leptodactylus albilabris

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Amphibia

Subclass: Lissamphibia

Order: Anura

Suborder: Archaeobatrachia

Family: Leptodactylidae

Genus: Leptodactylus

Distribution: throughout Puerto Rico and northeastern Dominican Republic.

2 Physical Characteristics

It lives at the water’s edge, and its most distinctive feature is a white upper lip that sets it apart from other frogs. Because it favours the water’s edge, it lacks webbed feet.

It has reduced fingers and toes, with black stripes between the eye and shoulder and between the eye and nostril. Adults generally reach about 1.4 inches (3.5 cm), though in Puerto Rico’s Caribbean National Forest adults over 2.0 inches (5.0 cm) are not rare. The back and legs come in various colours — brown, white, reddish-brown, greyish-white, bluish and so on — with a white belly. Some males have many black spots on the throat. Its call, heard from damp places, sounds like ‘bee-uhn, bee-uhn, bee-uhn’.

3 General Care

Hobbyists keeping this frog as a pet must follow some frog-care basics. This amphibian has its own habits, so pay close attention.

Water: use dechlorinated, filtered or spring water. Tap water can be dechlorinated chemically, by boiling, or by leaving it open in a container overnight. Amphibians do not drink — they absorb water through the skin — so provide a large water dish they can easily climb in and out of. The simplest setup is a bare tank tilted so the low end holds about an inch of water. Change the water every two days, or immediately once dirty.

Temperature: it tolerates 70-90°F, feeding less and lighter when cooler. The ideal range is 75-80°F.

Food: it eats small mice, goldfish, earthworms — almost anything that moves in front of it. An adult’s weekly ration should not exceed one medium mouse or two large feeder goldfish. They are always hungry, but overfeeding causes extreme obesity that may undermine long-term health. Offer live food; if dead, wiggle it with tongs in front of them. For mice, use just-killed or thawed ones — safer for the frog and kinder to the mouse.

4 Captive Habitat

For this amphibian the enclosure matters greatly. It does not drink; it absorbs moisture through the skin, so the environment must reflect that.

Build a good land-water setup and control water quality and temperature, giving tadpoles and frogs a comfortable, quiet home with minimal disturbance and fright.

First, green and shade the frog area properly so they have good places to hide — a bare, sun-exposed site is hard to manage. Second, check water quality and temperature often and take effective measures so the pond meets the conditions tadpoles and frogs need to grow and breed. Catch problems early; do not delay or cut corners.

5 Feeding

In captivity you can feed according to frog habits: insects as staple, plus centipedes and snails. Watch feed nutrition and the frog’s health to avoid illness.

Feed must be nutritious and must not be spoiled or mouldy. Rotten or mouldy feed carries many pathogens and toxins that disrupt normal metabolism and cause disease. Also stick to fixed times, spots and amounts so tadpoles and frogs build good habits and avoid ‘overeating’ that harms their health.