Spotted Marsh Frog Limnodynastes tasmaniensis

Thanks for your questions.  The list of books that you will find above are all great resources to help you with your research.  The books are all available in the Discovery Cenre library and you are most welcome to come in and access them.  There are also some websites listed above that will also be interesting for you, you can even listen to a frog call!

Hi Gabby - Spotted Marsh Frogs may have trouble getting back out of the water in the situation you have described as they do not have enlarged toe pads like the tree frogs, and therefore cannot climb well (pardon the pun). In this case a ramp or some other object that gives them easier option to leave the water would be a good idea.

Hi there, Millie. According to the "Field Guide to Australian Frogs," the larval life of this species is 3-5 months. Hope this helps!

Hi Gabriele,

As it says above, a good place is under logs and stones on the edge of swamps, ponds and lagoons. Hope this helps!

Hi Ashley, the vertebral stripe is a common morphological variation in this species and is unrelated to sex. Determining sex in this species is a little tricky, males may have a dark yellowy-green throat patch. Also, if they are calling, you can hear the call here on the Museum Victoria website, then it is definitely a male. If it is breeding season, males will also have dark-brown nuptial pads on fingers.

If it’s a large frog, it’s probably not had trouble eating, unless it has a water retention issue or some other condition. The most important thing is to offer it the right kind of food, and then it’s health should be fine.

Hi Gabi, There are some frog friendly species of fish, but only to a limited extent. The best three species would be Murray River Rainbows, Whiteclouds or Zebra Danios.

Hi Lucy - we checked with one of our keepers on this, and they have said the following:

It is common when you start with any group of animals that some will do better than others. One will be outcompeted by the others and will quickly fall behind. As the others grow, they are stronger and can further outcompete the straggler causing him to fall further behind. Separating the straggler and intensively target feeding him is probably the best thing. Usually when they catch up to the others they can be re-introduced.

Spotted marsh usually do fine at normal room temps. Without more info on the husbandry conditions all we can suggest is maintain all the obvious things such as clean enclosure, fresh water and good food. The crickets should be dusted every second feed or so with a good quality calcium and vitamin supplement.

All this is assuming it is not something more sinister such as a disease or infection. As with all animals if unsure , a visit to the vet may be the best option.

Hope this helps

Hi Lucy, this question was referred to our resident frog expert in our Live Exhibits staff here at Melbourne Museum, who has the following reply for your query:

An accurate response to your questions would require more information, such as - How old/big are the frogs? Are they kept together? Enclosure size and set-up? It is common when you start with any group of animals that some will do better than others. One will be outcompeted by the others and will quickly fall behind. As the others grow, they are stronger and can further outcompete the straggler causing him to fall further behind. Separating the straggler and intensively target feeding him is probably the best thing. Usually when they catch up to the others they can be re-introduced.
If it is a recent metamorph it may just not be meant to survive. Even in the best set-ups with the utmost care there can be a certain amount of mortality when raising frogs. This is one reason they produce such large numbers of young. Spotted marsh usually do fine at normal room temps. Without more info on the husbandry conditions all i can suggest is maintain all the usual things such as clean enclosure, fresh water and good food. The crickets should be dusted every second feed or so with a good quality calcium and vitamin supplement such as Repcal and Herptivite.

All this is assuming it is not something more sinister such as a disease or infection. As with all animals if unsure, a visit to the vet may be the best option.

Hi Leanne, as far as we know spotted marsh frogs don’t require a licence but taking them out of the wild is illegal. So the best thing to do is put it back where you found it or in the safest water body nearby. If you have it in captivity legally, ie you bought it from a supplier, then you need to aerate the water with a water stone or pump and change it completely every week if it is a small body of water or every second week if it's a medium amount of volume. You need to feed it  pinhead crickets with calcium and reptile/amphibian vitamin powder dusted over the crickets. It also  will require a UV light that is attached above the tank and on for maybe 4-5 hours a day. Provide shade for it during this time in case it needs to escape the light or they can burn.

Change the water only with rainwater or with tap water that has sat in a bowl for 20 hours. This allows the chlorine to evaporate. Don’t forget the calcium and vitamin powder on the crickets, its really important or they get brittle bones.

Hi Julie, crickets, cockroaches and mealworms are the standard food for frogs in captivity, but any insects of a suitable size will do. Worms, maggots and waxworms may also be available from pet shops, and it also helps to collect insects from the wild if they’re available. The more variety the better.

Because most people get their insects from pet shops and because there often isn’t a great variety, calcium dusting has become standard to make up for any potential dietary deficiency. The frogs may well survive without it, but it’s an added insurance for healthy frogs.