Research project
Well, I did some research on our new pal Freckles. It turns out, she's not the African dwarf frog we thought we were getting. She's an African clawed frog. Which means she's going to grow to at least five inches, and she could live for 25 years! Some impulse buy! She's happy in her one gallon Kritter Keeper now, but we'll have to invest in a bona fide aquarium to keep up with her. And judging by the fact that she was already bigger by far than any of her siblings....... oh boy... In my research I found that one person reported owning a female who grew to 10 inches and lived 32 years!
I looked up the salmonella risk that Roxie mentioned in her comment for my previous post. For children over the age of 5 with healthy immune systems and adequate precautions, such as careful handwashing and thorough cleaning of the area used to change the water - the risk is minimal. Also, the African clawed frog, unlike other frogs, actually produces an antibiotic on its skin, so it's possible (although I couldn't find specific documentation) that it wouldn't be as much of an issue. In general though, the consensus is that with the most elementary precautions and proper supervision, your salmonella risk from amphibians is less than the likelihood that you will contract it by consuming undercooked chicken.
I read quite a few exciting frog escape stories, too, so I might have a real adventure on my hands. The key to minimizing that one, I think, will be keeping Munch's little hands off the lid.
I looked up the salmonella risk that Roxie mentioned in her comment for my previous post. For children over the age of 5 with healthy immune systems and adequate precautions, such as careful handwashing and thorough cleaning of the area used to change the water - the risk is minimal. Also, the African clawed frog, unlike other frogs, actually produces an antibiotic on its skin, so it's possible (although I couldn't find specific documentation) that it wouldn't be as much of an issue. In general though, the consensus is that with the most elementary precautions and proper supervision, your salmonella risk from amphibians is less than the likelihood that you will contract it by consuming undercooked chicken.
I read quite a few exciting frog escape stories, too, so I might have a real adventure on my hands. The key to minimizing that one, I think, will be keeping Munch's little hands off the lid.
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