can you recommend a good frog for a 6 year old boy?

[M_surinamensis]

Just curious but are there other toads we should be considering that we haven't already brought up?

I really do like burrowing and spadefoot toads, when you can find them. And there is variety when it comes to north american Bufo species, mostly a question of pattern and contrast, but they can be pretty visually nifty.

I took a look at the KS classified section, just wondering what people were actively selling at the moment; usually the sorts of things that show up on dealer lists for local shops will also show up there. Also a bit on the more sensitive side than the previous ones named, but not terrible; smoky jungle frogs (really cool actually, worth considering), tomato frogs (I'd get a young adult rather than the size-of-a-penny little ones), budgetts seemed common and are pretty sturdy but aren't that handleable, Malyasian leaf frogs are also really, really cool but not that hands on and firebelly toads are readily available everywhere, brightly colored and easy to care for but partially aquatic and more appropriate as a display species.

There were also some Trachycephalus that are totally inappropriate as a pet for a six year old, but have me all sorts of intrigued.

Is he interested in other amphibians too, or is it really just the frogs and toads? There are some pretty neat salamanders that might be worth considering. Tiger and fire salamanders are usually readily available, do alright with some selective handling and make for decent pets.

 

[Dog Shrink]

We had considered salamanders Semus, it's funny you ask that. He does like the bright colors, but I thought they might be too delicate for some one his age. The care sheets seem to make them sound pretty beginner friendly and I think I'll run it past him again, but the boy just is really intrigued with hoppers for some reason (I think it's a shooting tongue thing). He really isn't that interested in my leo so I'm not sure how he'd feel about salamanders. We find a lot of newts on our creek walks and he's just kinda meh about them so I'm not sure.

Tomato frogs were pretty colorful, but I thought they had a temperament like a pacman. yes no? A lot of what I've been seeing on some dealer lists, a lot seem wild caught rather than cb... is that/can it going to pose a lot of issues with transitioning to captivity and possible health issues? I also have been checking KS and fauna to see what's buzzing around.

Trachycephalus... you say these things like I know what they are hon You're certainly increasing my google count which is a good thing...They are pretty frogs and would certainly be considered based on looks alone tho... do you know where a good care sheet might be located? RESINIFICTRIX was the one that seemed to come up most often... can I ask what it is about them that have you intrigued and what makes them totally inappropriate?

ON a side note, the boy saw a youtube video today with a boy a little older than him holding this HUGE cane toad... thing musta been as big as this boys head almost, I was like NO WAY... you could almost see him deflate.

 

[M_surinamensis]

Tomato frogs were pretty colorful, but I thought they had a temperament like a pacman. yes no?

Nah, not really. Similar with regards to their food, but they have a much smaller head and narrower mouth, with very fine teeth (rather than those big chompers of a pac man) and are not inclined to bite. The usual "anything with a mouth can bite" disclaimer goes here, but I have never been bitten by one and back when I was selling animals I probably handled and dealt with about five or six hundred of them at various ages and sizes.

A lot of what I've been seeing on some dealer lists, a lot seem wild caught rather than cb... is that/can it going to pose a lot of issues with transitioning to captivity and possible health issues?

It can. If you like tomato frogs and if you decide to give one a try (they're a little more delicate than the toads you kept before or the species that were mentioned in my first post), you'd want either captive bred or a long term established captive, you'd also probably want to get a subadult or an adult. The juveniles are about the size of a penny and slightly more of a pain to deal with.

Trachycephalus... you say these things like I know what they are hon You're certainly increasing my google count which is a good thing...They are pretty frogs and would certainly be considered based on looks alone tho... do you know where a good care sheet might be located? RESINIFICTRIX was the one that seemed to come up most often... can I ask what it is about them that have you intrigued and what makes them totally inappropriate?

Common name of milk frogs, they're small, delicate tree frogs that produce milky secretions of poison when stressed, scared or handled. Very cool looking proportions, lines and colors, which is what has me thinking about them (impulsively anyway). The poison thing combined with the fairly specific environmental demands make them inappropriate for your purposes.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Thank you again Seamus. you have given us a LOT to look into. I appreciate your (and everyone elses that has chimed in) help.