Frog in Music Room.

[Brünnhilde forever]

I need help for that one!

Had bought a lovely, 4' tall house plant, - don't know it's name, lost the tag - and as I watered it this afternoon, something black, very tiny, jumped out of the pot onto the carpet. I thought it was a spider, there is jumping variety - went for my patented spider catcher - clear plastic cup and postcard - and carefully put the cup over the critter, sliding the card under it, and was on the way to the patio door but wanted to have a closer look. Held the cup up to my eyes and two tiny eyes stared right back at me. And there were the tiniest frog legs, the entire body not as big as the nail in my small finger.

I said 'Hello!' dumped it back in the flower pot and decided this is a case for GMG Diner experts to tell me who moved in with me into the music room. Definitely a creature of flawless taste, very cultured.

Anybody helping??? 

[Gurn Blanston]

Likely a tree frog of some sort. Without knowing the origin of the plant (was it imported from Central America perhaps?) it is difficult to know precisely what sort it is. However, it will most likely stay in the plant if there is something there like a little bowl of water that it can get into at will, and it will take care of any insects that come its way. My recommendation: leave it alone. Oh, and if it IS an import (very unlikely, but who knows?) then watch it carefully as it grows. If it develops small patches of a very bright color, then by all means, DON"T TOUCH IT! The tiny black tree frogs with bright patches produce a toxin on their back which the natives use to to poison their darts and arrows with. It'll kill your ass, but quick! (still, it won't hurt you if you leave it alone!)



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Listening to:
RV 586 Missa in C - English CO \ Negri  John Alldis Choir - RV 586 Missa in C pt 08 - Allegro: Quoniam

[Brünnhilde forever]

That was speedy reply, thank you, Gurn Blanston DVM! Actually I was a bit tempted to transfer my new boarder to my finger, but decided to get information from my GMG friends first. No bright patches on it, yet, I tried to find it in the planting dirt but even with a tiny flashlight, I could not find it and I didn't want to disturb it either.

I found this and have to read it closer to see if it is listed there:

http://www.frogdaze.com/The_frog_doctor.html

Danke schön, Dr. Blanston!

[The new erato]

I thought this was a thread about Pelleas & Melisande.

[Szykneij]

Props to you for wanting to save the little critter, even when you thought it was a spider! The first instinct of  many people is to stomp on things without considering whether or not they're harmful. Both spiders and frogs are beneficial creatures, and I hope this one has a long happy life in your garden.

[Brünnhilde forever]

Nothing and nobody gets killed in this house, not even a Black Widow spider living in the ceiling corner of the dining room when we bought the house!

I put the tiny frog back into the flower pot, who knows it had a spouse or a bunch of babies in there. I found a picture of one that's almost like the one I have. Unfortunately the photographer did not supply measurements, but judging from the blades of grass around it, it could be the same; the photo is from some place in Bogota.

[Dr. Dread]

Perhaps, if you have a kitty, it can go undercover.

[Josquin des Prez]

Props to you for wanting to save the little critter, even when you thought it was a spider! The first instinct of  many people is to stomp on things without considering whether or not they're harmful. Both spiders and frogs are beneficial creatures, and I hope this one has a long happy life in your garden.

It depends where you live. Personally i'd be stomping everything on sight if i lived near critters such as this. Sorry.

[Szykneij]

It depends where you live. Personally i'd be stomping everything on sight if i lived near critters such as this. Sorry.

I see your point. Is that picture to scale? 

[Josquin des Prez]

I see your point. Is that picture to scale? 

They are actually relatively small, which makes it worst since you can't see them coming:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkzlINZsXu8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4RWS6mkpB8&NR=1

They are fast, super aggressive, and they have THE most venomous toxin of all known spiders. My sister lived near Sidney for a time and actually found one in her house. Needless to say, she no longer lives there.

[Keemun]

Every (non-human) creature that enters my house uninvited is either thrown outside or killed.    According to my wife, it's my duty. 

[Anne]

It depends where you live. Personally I'd be stomping everything on sight if i lived near critters such as this. Sorry.

Josquin, I agree with you. When it's poisonous, the only good spider is a dead one.
In 1976 my husband was transferred by his employer to Arkansas.  We had 2 y/o twins.  The boy was fearless and I could picture him picking up a copperhead without hesitation.  Before we finally moved there, I had more than one nightmare about tarantulas on the floor under his crib. 

Actually the kids did locate a tarantula and were very excited.  My husband captured it in a jar with breathing holes in the top.  Daughter wanted to take it to school for show-and-tell.  That was fine with me but that tarantula could not come in the house!  He spent the night in the garage and went to school the next day with a note from me to the teacher asking her help with this critter that we northerners had no acquaintance with.  As for copperheads they were all over the neighborhood.  Next door neighbor found one under her garbage can as she picked it up and took it to the end of driveway for garbage man.

The people in the house on the other side of us moved some landscaping timbers and found several copperheads hiding under them.  With all the clay and flash flooding, there was a drainage ditch that ran behind all the houses.  This area was also a favorite spot for the copperheads.  The neighbors thought the great number of copperheads arose from the huge brushpile that the builders neglected to remove.