Tomato Frog - Dyscophus guineti (Captive Bred)

About This Product

Defining Characteristics:

Easy to keep
Bright red coloration
shy
Guttoral trill
moderately sized
can be gregarious
Challenging to Breed

Name: Dyscophus guineti or the Tomato frog is named for its red coloration and roundness that resembles tomatos. They are part of the microhylidae family commonly called the narrow-mouthed frogs and is the largest family of frogs on Earth.

Recommended Enclosure Size: For a pair of adult tomato frogs, a 20 gallon long or an 18x18x12 front opening enclosure is sufficient. As this species is semi fossorial a good substrate that facilitates this behavior, like coco fiber, is best. Live plants that root in multiple places and don't need a lot of nutrients from the soil ( pothos) are ideal for this type of set up. A clean dish of water should be ever present in the enclosure for the frogs to soak.

Temperature: Temperatures for the Tomato frog should be kept in the low to mid 70s, which is great for the typical home enclosure. Thermometers are a great way to monitor conditions within the tank.

Humidity: Humidity should be kept within the 50-70% range and can be monitored using a hygrometer.

Size: Adult female tomato frogs can reach almost 4" in length; males are capped out at about 2.5." Young tomato frogs will be about 3/4" at the time of sale at Josh's Frogs.

Age: Tomato Frogs can live up to 10 years in captivity but may live longer with ideal care. At the time of sale, you can expect tomato frogs to be at least 2 months out of the water.

Feeding: Tomato frogs have a deceptively small mouth in relation to their body size so at most they should be fed 1/2" crickets or small dubia roaches. At the time of sale froglets should be eating gutloaded 1/4" crickets.

Sexing: Sexing adult Tomato frogs is pretty straight foward and can usually be done pretty reliably based on size. Other differences are that females are more red and males more orange or yellow. In males, you can also see their reproductive tracts on both side of their bellies. This will appear as distinct white lines just under the skin.

Color/Pattern: Adult Tomato Frogs are much prettier than their offspring, who are usually a light brown color separated from the white underbelly by a darker brown band starting at the eye. As they age the coloration turns into an orange or red - depending on sex - with the band and underbelly staying the same.Most individuals will also have a rhomboid marking on their backs.

Social Behavior: As long as enough space is provided, more than 2 frogs can be kept in the same enclosure. Males should not become aggressive unless breeding conditions are met.

Breeding: There is evidence that Tomato Frogs need to be cycled in order to breed, which involves an extended dry period followed by a period of steadily increasing humidity and heavy feeding. After this, the frogs should be placed in a rain chamber where the female can lay 1,000-1,500 eggs. Tadpoles hatch after aout 3 days and take around a month and a half to metamorphose.

Natural Range: This species occurs widely along the eastern rainforest belt of Madagascar, between 150-900 m asl. It is a very secretive species and probably occurs at many more localities than records indicate. The northernmost locality (Sambava) has not been confirmed since its original description. Most records are concentrated in east-central Madagascar from Antsihanaka south to Fierenana, with isolated records further south at Vondrozo and Soavala. ( IUCN Red List)

History in the Hobby: Tomato Frogs have long been desired in the hobby due to their bright red coloration and ease of care. However, they are classed as a Cites II species, so imports are limited and captive breeding programs supply a good chunk of the frogs in the hobby.

Links of Interest:

Amphibia Web

Tomato Frog calling

Wikipedia

Still not sure if Tomato Frogs - Dyscophus guineti from Josh's Frogs is the right pet for you? Read the reviews below and see what other customers are saying!

Shipping

After placing an order containing a live animal, you will receive a scheduling email containing our JotForm scheduling link to schedule your new pet's delivery date.

With this scheduling link, you will be able to schedule your order's delivery up to 30 days in advance. You will be able to choose a date of delivery for Tuesday-Saturday (Saturday arrival depends on the carrier's service availability) with the estimated time of arrival generally being 12pm, or 4:30pm for more rural areas. Overnight lows must be above 40°F to ship directly to you (or above 30°F for FedEx Ship Center/UPS Customer Center pickups) as well as below 90°F by estimated time of arrival.

If you require further assistance, or prefer to talk to one of our Customer Service agents, please feel free to reach out to our [email protected] email or our phone line 1-800-691-8178.

Import/export restrictions on this product require that it can only be shipped to destinations within the United States.

Restrictions on this product that prohibit shipping to the following states: HI.