Amphibians are classed into three orders:
All three of these groups are characterised by being reliant on water and ectothermic (cold-blooded).
Unfortunately, approximately 40% of all amphibians are in direct danger of extinction.
Mammals are fairly recent additions to the evolutionary chain. Amphibians are an ancient group of animals on the evolutionary chain. Here is a table that outlines some key differences between a mammal and an amphibian.
| Mammal | Amphibian |
| Endothermic (warm blooded) | Ectothermic (cold blooded) |
| Have haired skin | Have bare and moist skin |
| Can adapt to every continent/ environment | Are restricted to moist environments |
| Have four-chambered hearts | Have three-chambered hearts as well as additional ‘lymph’ hearts |
| Rely largely on their lungs for respiration | Some can breathe through their skin, gills, lungs and via a ‘buccopharyngeal’ route |
| Have kidneys that can conserve water when they are dehydrated | Have a limited ability to conserve water and rely on a constant water supply |
At the Unusual Pet Vets, we see two types of amphibians: frogs and axolotls.
The most common frog species we see are the Australian green tree frog and occasionally motorbike frogs. Both can make good pets but are not great as ‘starter’ or first-time pets, as they have very specific husbandry requirements.
The species of frogs seen at The Unusual Pet Vets are primarily nocturnal, which allows them to avoid the hottest, driest times of day. Some of the frogs, such as the green tree frog, are long lived, reaching up to 20 years of age and up to 14cm in length.
An essential part of keeping frogs is understanding their dietary requirements. Both adults and juveniles are insectivores and eat a range of live insects in the wild. Appropriate insects include crickets, cockroaches, earthworms, silkworms, slugs, moths, mealworms and wax worms.
Care must be taken with mealworms and wax worm portions, however, as these insects are very high in fat and overfeeding can lead to significant health problems.
Most insects should be treated with calcium via gut-loading and/or dusting prior to being fed. This is to prevent against nutritional diseases such as metabolic bone disease which results from chronically low calcium diets. This condition is very common in captive frogs.
Feeding of rodents and mince meats should generally be avoided in tree frogs (or only given occasionally), as these animals cope poorly with high protein diets and can develop kidney disease.
In terms of how much to feed, adults should be fed 10-20% of their body weight each week, in 2-3 separate feedings (i.e. offer insects every 2-3 days). Juvenile frogs should be fed more frequently (every day or so depending on their size), but with smaller amounts.
Water access should be provided at all times, but simply using tap water may cause your frog to become sick. Tap water can contain chlorine, chloramine and heavy metal additives that can be dangerous to frogs.
The level of these chemicals can be decreased (or removed) with water conditioners (available at most pet stores). It is advisable to have your water tested to ensure it is of suitable quality. Further information about water can be found in the humidity section.
As arboreal animals, tree frogs require different levels in their enclosure, which can be achieved with fake plants, bamboo, tree branches or PVC pipes.
The walls of the enclosure are best made from glass or Perspex, and where possible it is good to have the roof of the enclosure made from a safe breathable mesh (materials that rust or can injure the frogs should be avoided) as this allows ventilation.
UV lights come in a large variety of sizes and shapes but are essential for captive frogs. Appropriate UV lighting allows frogs to metabolise calcium, and without a good source of UV frogs can develop metabolic bone disease
A frog should be able to bask within 20cms of the UV light for it to be effective, and the UV globe changed every 6-12 months (based on manufacturers recommendations) to ensure your frog is receiving enough light (over time the UV output of the globe decreases).
In terms of what temperature is best for your frog, the water temperature should generally be kept between 20-26oC for most species. The thermal gradient temperature in the cage should generally be between 180C (at the cooler end) to around 35oC at the hottest end, however every species is different. By having a temperature gradient, the frog can then self-regulate its own temperature.
Any heat sources, whether you use a heat mat or heat lamp, should be placed on a thermostat to prevent dangerous fluctuations in the temperature from occurring. Water temperature can be maintained with an external water heater and filter system.
Another important aspect of your frog’s environment is the humidity. Humidity can be increased by using air pumps or bubblers for smaller cages, but often sprinklers, waterfalls and living plants are required and recommended for larger enclosures. The humidity for most species should be kept between 50-70%.
If there are no living plants or filtration system being used, the water in the cage should be changed weekly. This can be extended to fortnightly if appropriate filtration is present. Small percentage (e.g. 20%), regular water changes are better than large percentage, infrequent changes.
As for the substrate (what type of flooring to use), there are a range of products available. In general, avoid those substrates that are abrasive and/or ingestible. Some good substrates include sphagnum moss, foam rubber, large rocks or moist paper towels (for smaller enclosures).
Wild axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) are only found in one lake system in the world based in Mexico, and therefore are classed as an endangered species. Fortunately, Axolotls have become popular pets worldwide, and the captive population is now larger than those that exist in the wild. They can reach 10-15 years of age (although reports of individuals living over 20 years is not unheard of) and reach lengths of 30cms.
Axolotls are unusual amphibians, as they never develop a terrestrial (land-based) form. Normal amphibians such as frogs lay eggs, which then develop into tadpole and mature into frogs for adult life. Axolotls essentially stay as ‘tadpoles’ for their entire life but are still able to mate and breed in this ‘larval’ form. This is known as neotony.
Interestingly, some axolotls have been known to develop into salamanders when exposed to certain thyroid hormones and iodine compounds, but not all axolotls have this ability.
Axolotls are carnivorous predators whose diet ranges from insect and certain types of worms to small fish. As axolotls cannot chew their prey, in captivity they rely on humans to chop their food into small pieces so they can swallow their food whole.
Like other amphibians, axolotls are prone to develop calcium deficiencies on insect-based diets, and therefore any insects fed should be supplemented with calcium and/or a multi-vitamin. The insects can also be gut loaded which helps to increase their nutritional value. Ideally, an adult axolotl should be fed an amount of ‘several mouthfuls’ every second day.
Note: Axolotls are adapted to eat moving prey. Many axolotls will require training or ‘wiggling’ of any still prey items before they recognise this as food.
As axolotls have external gills, they have a requirement to be submerged in water at all times. Drying out or desiccation of their gills can cause axolotls to suffocate, and for this reason, handling axolotls outside of their tank environment should be kept to an absolute minimum.
Axolotls are very susceptible to environmental stress such as bright lights, excessive water movement and external stimuli. It is important to consider these when setting up your axolotl enclosure.
Unlike more tropical amphibians, axolotls are adapted to temperate water conditions and water heating is often not required.
The tank water should be maintained between 17-18oC ideally however they will generally tolerate 14-20oC. The pH should be around neutral (6.5-7.5). The water depth should be at least as deep as the length of your axolotl.
Axolotls should generally be housed separately to each other, as they will frequently attack other members of their species.
Axolotls are oviparous, or egg laying amphibians. Both males and females will reach sexual maturity at 12 months of age but will not reach their full adult size until 2-3 years of age. Breeding between the adults is triggered by a sudden drop in water temperatures combined with a good amount of food on offer.
The male and female can be observed dancing together before the male release’s packets of sperm into the water, which the female will then take in and produce up to 600 fertilised eggs. It is not uncommon for these eggs to be eaten, but if they survive for 2-3 weeks, the eggs will hatch and release larval axolotl young.
| Characteristic | Green Tree Frogs | Axolotls |
| Ambient temperature | 18-34C | N/A: 100% water borne |
| Water temperature | 24-26C | 15-19C |
| Ultraviolet light (UV) | Require a low UV output, 12 hours a day | Require a low UV output, 12 hours a day |
| Humidity | 50-70% | N/A: 100% water borne |
| Average lifespan | 15-20 years | 12-15 years |
| Can they be housed with others? | Yes | In some cases |
| How often should I change the water? | Change 20% of the water every week | Change 25% of the water every week |
| Diet | Gut-loaded calcium insects | Worms, insects, fish |
| Feeding – Juveniles Feeding – Adults |
Every 1-2 days Every 3-7 days |
Daily Every 3-5 days |
| Sexual Maturity | 8-12 months | 12-18 months |
| Reproduction | Oviparous (egg-laying) | Oviparous (egg-laying) |
| License category in WA | 2 | None |
Very nice and informative service. Lovely vet practice, will definitely recommend to others.
Wonderful and knowledgable vet. Took time to thoroughly check over my rabbit and answer all the questions I had. Would recommend to other rabbit owners.
Highly recommend, caring and compassionate no matter how small your pet. Thank you to the unusual pet vets for treating our very sick little mouse Moon, she came back to full health and is now enjoying life in a new home with new cage mates.
Cannot speak highly enough of the caring and lovely staff at UPV Osborne Park. Particularly to Dr Kelly for the wonderful treatment and compassion she displayed caring for my much loved
Bugz. Definitely recommend this practice. Simply the Best.
It’s a great vet for exotic pets, we would like to thank Dr Kiara and the nurses for all the help they have done for the bunnies especially when they have been unwell.
Gretel – Thankyou for all the tips and advice on what and what not to do with the bunnies.
We will definitely be recommending to all our exotic animal friends.
Fantastic vets! Staff are so helpful and friendly. Vet’s are brilliant, they show so much love and compassion to our animals. 5 stars all the way!!
I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to the gang at Murdoch who helped my family and stimmy Cindy. It was a very stressful time and they assisted us with ease! Pricing was also more than reasonable which we were very grateful for. Thank you guys again, my noodle is now on the mend all to you guys.
Excellent service, caring and professional advice, and very good handling for our pet bird, on our first visit today at The Unusual Pet Vets, Jindalee. Very helpful, and they also provided further reading for us via email after our appointment regarding a few things we asked about. All staff were lovely and friendly – from the initial phone booking (you can do internet bookings too) to and including the consult. Thank you very much – we’ll definitely be back! Highly recommend.
Received the best service from Dr Sasha at the Sunshine Coast clinic. She taught me so much in such a kind manner and was very gentle to my Guinea pig. She then followed up by emailing further information on Guinea pig general care. Highly recommend!
Amazing and caring staff at the Ferntree Gully Clinic. Our baby rat was not well, and they always made time to help and support her. Very knowledgeable and compassionate. Would highly recommend and absolutely will use again. Thank you to everyone at Ferntree Gully for being there for us and Tabby.
