Frogs are great pets and therefore very common, and consequently, their bites are also common. So how exactly should you go about a frog bite? Does it hurt, which frogs bite and what should you do when you get bitten? Well, the answer is found in this article!
Do frogs bite? Yes, there are some frog species that will bite you when they feel threatened or mistake your hand for food. Other frogs most likely won’t bite but will try to wiggle away and pee a lot.
The frogs who bite are as follows
1. African Bullfrog Bite
The African bullfrog has jaw spikes that look like teeth but are not actually teeth,
Bullfrogs bites while protecting themselves, in case of provocation or they simply consider you as a threat.
2. Pacman frog Bite
The pacman frogs has 2 set of teeth Maxillary and Vomerine, they bite you in case of mistaking your finger as food.
3. Budgett’s frog Bite
Budgett’s frogs have two large tooth like projections, which can hurt your fingers or rupture skin.
They usually don;t bite instead puffs-up themselves when threatened, they screams like a cat and may chase you.
Why do frogs bite?
Normally there are only 2 reasons why a frog would bite you. They can feel threatened by you and therefore use a bite as a defense mechanism, or, they can bite you when you try to feed your frog out of your hand and your frog mistakenly bites your finger instead of the food you’re trying to give.
Let’s explore these 2 reasons a bit further:
The defense mechanism
A frog can feel threatened by you and therefore bite you to defend himself. However, this almost never happens with frogs.
One of the few species that do bite is the Pacman frogs. They have small and sharp teeth that can hurt you and the bite can even draw a little blood.
But, most of the time they will not bite their keeper.
The best thing you can do is let the frog get used to you and let it be near you so that it isn’t afraid of you anymore.
Mistake your hand for food (and what to do about it)
The second reason for getting bitten by a frog is about food.
If you try to hand feed your frog, he can mistake your hand for the food and bite you instead of the food.
When you do get bitten, you have to be very careful about what you do.
Don’t shake your hands hard so that the frog falls off and maybe hurts itself. Keep calm and he will eventually let go.
Does every frog bite? (And which frogs are known for biting?)
No, most certainly not. In fact, most frogs don’t bite. Or bite very rarely.
However, there are three types of frog that are well known for biting…
African Bullfrog bite
The African bullfrog or better known as the Pyxicephalus adspersus, can bite you when you don’t expect it. A friend of mine has been bitten while moving his baby frog in his feeding bin.
Although it drew a little blood, it didn’t hurt but it scared the hell out of him. Now, I don’t say “baby” frog for nothing.
The African bullfrog has tooth-like jaw spikes and isn’t afraid to use them while defending himself or when provoked. This can seriously hurt you and you need to treat your frog with caution.
Pacman frogs Bite
Pacman frogs also belong in this little list because I know for a fact that they can bite. I even wrote an entire article about the bite of a Pacman frog.
Pacman frogs can bite for similar reasons as the African Bullfrog. When they mistake your hand for food or when they feel threatened.
Now the Pacman frog may look cute and innocent to you, but this doesn’t mean that his bite won’t hurt.
Their teeth can hurt you very well and they can bite with a force up to 30 newtons (this is about 3 kilograms or 6.6 pounds).
Do you want to see a Pacman frog bite? Look at the youtube video below and find out why I say that a bite can hurt you.
Budgett’s frog Bite
The Budgett’s frog (Lepidobatrachus laevis) frog does not only bite, but he does something more that is quite interesting. When the frog is threatened by a predator, he will raise up on its legs and make himself as large as possible.
He does this to scare off his predator in the hope that he isn’t the one being attacked.
The Budgett’s frog even goes so far that he may lunge for the perceived predator, start making noises and bite.
As with the other frogs, Budgett’s frogs can also bite when you try to hand feed him.
The advice I gave about this with the other frogs is also applicable here. Feed your frog with tongs so that you can be sure that you’re both safe.
Have you ever seen a Budgett’s frog bite someone? Take a look below at the Youtube video and prepare to be amazed.
The Budgett’s frog is not one of the most common pet frogs, but the ones that do keep them seem to be very pleased with them!
If you want to find out what kind of frogs are common as pet frogs you can read it in this article I wrote.
Do frog bites hurt?
This depends on how hard the frog bites you. I can’t say that it won’t hurt you ever because as you’ve read the Pacman frog can bite with a force that will certainly hurt you and can even draw some blood. You always have to remain cautious when working with animals.
5 Best ways to avoid frogs bite
Here are some tips to avoid frog bites:
- Avoid handling frogs: The best way to prevent frog bites is to avoid handling them altogether. Frogs can carry harmful bacteria and parasites, so it’s best to admire them from a distance.
- Wear protective clothing: If you need to handle frogs, wear gloves and long sleeves to protect your skin.
- Do not put frogs in your mouth: Never put a frog in your mouth, even if it’s a toy frog. Some frogs can produce toxins that can make you sick.
- Be aware of your surroundings: When walking in areas where frogs are known to live, be aware of your surroundings and watch your step.
- Do not provoke frogs: Avoid making sudden movements or noises that could startle a frog and cause it to bite.
What to do when a frog bites you
A few things are key here to ensure the safety of you and your frog.
The most important thing you have to remember is that you have to stay very calm. Try not to start shaking your hand.
I know that it is a normal reaction to get your hand away, but you have to stay cool!
When you try to get your finger back with a heavily shaking your hand, you can hurt the frog.
It may happen that when you shake really hard, the frog let go and flies a couple of feet through the air, and then lands on the ground.
Instead, keep your hand still and see if you can calm the frog by stroking it or just wait it out for a bit.
Normally the frog will let go quite quickly.
‘Do frogs bite’ – Conclusion
The good thing is, you’re now aware that frogs bite. This should mean that you don’t scare so easily and instead react in a calm manner.
There are only a couple species of frogs that bite and they can hurt you.
A bite from a frog can draw some blood and be painful. Keep calm when it happens.
Don’t wiggle your finger in front of your frog’s mouth, and when you feed it, feed it with tongs.
Hi, I’m Mike, and I’m the creator of amphibianlife.com. If there was one word to describe it? It would be: passionate about Amphibians! Whether you want to know more about amphibians or have a presentation to give at school, you’ve come to the right place.