Defining Characteristics:

• Intermediate Frog
• Olive green with tan splotching
• Can be aggressive
• Voracious Appetite
• Screams when startled

Name: Lepidobatrachus laevis, or the Budgett's frog, was discovered by John Samuel Budgett and named after him. Other names for L. laevis include the Hippo Frog, Freddy Krueger Frog, and Wednesday Frog.

Certified Breeder Program: These Budgett's Frogs were procured via our Certified Breeder Program. This certification process will allow us to bring a wider variety of healthy, captive bred animals to you, our customers. We stand behind these animals just like any animals bred at our facility. Besides the fact we’ll be offering more animals, what do you need to know about Josh’s Frogs Certified Breeder Partnership? You need to know these animals are from people with the same approach to animal keeping and breeding that we do, are disease free, and most importantly captive bred! To learn more, please read our blog on the Josh's Frogs Certified Breeder Program.

Recommended Housing: Due to their short legs Budgett's don't need a lot of height in their enclosure. An 18x18x12 Exo Terra or a traditional 20 gallon is sufficient for a single frog. These frogs are frog eaters in nature and spend a lot of their time in the water while hunting. A tank with river rocks sloped to give a land portion in the tank and 2-3" of dechlorinated water. Small pebbles and sand are not recommended as they pose an impaction risk. If the water in the tank is too cool this will discourage frogs from eating so a small heater is recommended in most instances. Water quality is very important to pay attention to as budgett's frogs produce a lot of waste. Gentle filtration can be used with or instead of water changes. A day/night cycle is important so overhead lighting should be provided for 12 hours of the day and off for 12 hours at night.

Temperature: They do best when kept in the mid 70s. Temperatures in the high 80s F can quickly be fatal, especially when coupled with a lack of water or humidity. Measure temperature with a digital temperature gauge. 

Humidity: Budgett's Frogs require moderately high humidity, and are best kept at 60-70% humidity. Providing ventilation is very important - we recommend using at least a half screen top. Stagnant, humid conditions quickly leads to bacterial skin infections in Budgett's Frogs. A large dish of clean water should always be provided. Monitor humidity with a digital hygrometer.

Size: At the time of sale, captive bred Budgett's frogs from Josh’s Frogs will measure about 1.5" and be between 8 and 12 weeks old. These frogs grow quickly and can reach adult size in 10-12 months. Females may be up to 5" in length, with males slightly smaller at 4.5".

Age: With proper care, they can live up to and over 5 years. 

Feeding: At the time of sale, captive bred Budgett's frogs from Josh’s Frogs have been chowing down on 3/4″ crickets and pieces of nightcrawlers for several weeks and growing like weeds! As adults, Budgett's will easily eat adult crickets, dubia roaches, and whole nightcrawlers. Prey items should be be dusted with a quality vitamin/mineral supplement. At Josh's Frogs, we dust with Repashy Calcium Plus, RepCal Calcium with D3, and RepCal Herptivite.

Sexing: When mature, Budgett's frogs are fairly straightforward to sex if you have multiple animals of the same age. Females are larger than males. Mature male Budgett's frogs tend to call at night, which cause the throat to discolor to a shade of blue.

Color/Pattern: Budget's frogs are an olive green coloration with brown/tan splotching with a white underbelly.

Social Behavior: These frogs are loners, and will eat each other if the opportunity arises. Housing them individually is strongly recommended. Even when starting out with several frogs, when housed together you'll typically end up with one. When Threatened Budgett's frogs will stand up on all four legs and emit a high pitched screech and if further provoked will bite.

Breeding: Budgett's Frogs are produced in large numbers for the pet trade, but breeding via natural means (not utilizing hormones) is tricky and unpredictable. When they are bred, a dry season is replicated, followed by a wet season and upswing in food intake. Mature animals are then introduced into a rain chamber, where eggs are deposited in water. Check out our video of Josh's Frogs Rain Chamber Setup.

Natural Range: In the wild Budgett's frogs are found in Argentina; Bolivia, Plurinational States of Paraguay.

History in the Hobby: Once rarely bred you can now find Budgett's frogs at trade shows, pet shops and pretty readily online thanks to captive breeding efforts. 

Links of Interest:

IUCN Red List

Amphibiaweb

Still not sure if Pac-Man Frogs from Josh's Frogs are the right pet frog for you? Read the reviews below and see what other customers are saying!