Description: Also known as the Malayan narrow-mouthed toad, Asian painted or bull frog. Native to Southeast Asia where it is abundant in a wide variety of habitats. Adult size is 2 ½" to 3". This is a chubby, triangular shaped frog with a small head. The back is dark brown to light brown with 2 cream or tan stripes with dark edges. Mostly nocturnal, they will usually stay partially buried or hidden during the day unless there is food present. Do not handle them unless necessary as they can secrete a sticky substance that is hard to remove. Wild caught specimens are generally all that are available but they are plentiful where they come from. Can live for 10 years or more.

Temperature: 70° to 80°F during the day, 5° to 10°F cooler at night. Occasional slightly warmer or cooler temps are tolerated well.

Humidity: Moderately high, 60-70%. Activity will slow down when the humidity is low.

Lighting: Not important, a regular day and night cycle should be provided. Seasonal day length fluctuations are not needed but could help to stimulate breeding. A dim night light is required for viewing nocturnal activities.

Feeding: Pretty voracious, will eat a large variety of foods including mealworms, moths, crickets, earthworms, roaches and beetles. Dust the food items occasionally with a calcium and vitamin supplement. Twice a week for young, growing frogs and no more than once a week for adults. These frogs tend to get overweight, which is unhealthy and will shorten their lives. As the young frogs grow it is important to taper off the amount of food given. Adults do not need to be fed every day, they would only get fatter and less healthy. Two or three times a week is plenty for a full grown adult. You should never see a skinny one, it would be starved or sick.

A clean bowl of water must be provided at all times to soak in. They tend to soil it so it will be necessary to change the water daily.

Habitat: These frogs are "ambush" hunters that remain hidden until they see something move and then strike at it. They can make due with a fairly small terrarium; a 10-gallon will suffice. Provide a deep, loose substrate for them to burrow into and hide. Plants, artificial or live, may be dug up and moved around so be clever in the placement of rocks etc to keep them in place. They like to soak in the water, a dish that is deep enough to submerge in yet easy to get in and out of will work, or better yet, put in a partition to provide an area of water on one side of the vivarium.

Estivation: These frogs will burrow underground to survive the dry season. When the rains come they emerge ready to breed in small temporary pools.

Sexing: Sexually mature males develop nuptial pads, have darker throats and will sing, especially at dusk during periods of higher humidity. It is quite deep and loud, like a hoarse, grinding burp.

Breeding: Cycle them by lowering the temperature and humidity for 1 to 3 months. Return things back to normal, mist often, feed them well and give extra vitamin/mineral supplement. When the female appears fatter than normal, begin the heavy rain, enough to flood things yet still providing land areas. "A rain chamber" with 2" deep water will work the best. If breeding does not occur within a week, restore conditions to normal and repeat the process at a later date.

Tadpoles can be fed tropical fish food flakes, algae flakes, frozen mosquito larva and blood worms etc.

ENJOY YOUR PET LIFE FORMS, Dave & Donna