Ethics/Legality of Owning Tomato Frogs

jbherpin · #1 (**permalink**) 02-06-2012, 06:33 AM

Are these frogs legal to own? I thought they were critically endangered? A local pet shop is selling them @ $17. Does this shop have the right to sell this species?

All my thanks!

JBear

ilovejaden · #2 (**permalink**) 02-06-2012, 06:45 AM

Depends on which subspecies of the tomato frog were talking about...there is three to my knowledge...the only one illegal out of the three is Dyscophus antongilii correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe you seen the Guineti?

jbherpin · #3 (**permalink**) 02-06-2012, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovejaden

Depends on which subspecies of the tomato frog were talking about...there is three to my knowledge...the only one illegal out of the three is Dyscophus antongilii correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe you seen the Guineti?

My wife works at Petsmart. She has a coworker that is a frog enthusiast. She bought the frog from another local shop. I have not seen the frog in person. My wife saw it, maybe I will google image search all ssp of tomato frog for her to attempt to identify it. All my thanks! If they are not legal to sell here, I intended to make the shop aware, in a respectful, private manner.

A side note issue I would like to highlight/seek an opinion on is the regulatory practices concerning pet shops. Are these stores EVER auditted unannounced, or are they simply free to operate as long as no one has the background/intelligence to recognize a potential illegal species on the sale rack?

All my thanks again!

JBear

EvilLost · #4 (**permalink**) 02-06-2012, 08:26 AM

I fully admit that I may be biased but I *HATE* pet stores with a passion. Corporations are legally obligated to care about nothing but profits....they don't care about humans and they damn sure don't care about animals...and the animal laws are a joke.

IMHO, if you have evidence of petsmart or any other major chain doing something illegal, I would take it directly to the cops/DA and not be "nice" about it. By letting them slide on it at your local store, it will not put any pressure on the company to change their policies. If its a small mom/pop store, different story...but I can't COUNT the number of petsmart/petcos I have walked through where I could easily spot all sorts of husbandry errors....

I can't comment on the "unannounced audits" but as a general rule, even with complaints, without evidence, they are pretty much free to practice..... the laws surrounding these (at the state+federal level) are a joke; lobbyists control them and its quite obvious (for example, certain humane treatment laws do not apply to lab mice and other lab animals...)

jbherpin · #5 (**permalink**) 02-06-2012, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilLost

I fully admit that I may be biased but I *HATE* pet stores with a passion. Corporations are legally obligated to care about nothing but profits....they don't care about humans and they damn sure don't care about animals...and the animal laws are a joke.

IMHO, if you have evidence of petsmart or any other major chain doing something illegal, I would take it directly to the cops/DA and not be "nice" about it. By letting them slide on it at your local store, it will not put any pressure on the company to change their policies. If its a small mom/pop store, different story...but I can't COUNT the number of petsmart/petcos I have walked through where I could easily spot all sorts of husbandry errors....

I can't comment on the "unannounced audits" but as a general rule, even with complaints, without evidence, they are pretty much free to practice..... the laws surrounding these (at the state+federal level) are a joke; lobbyists control them and its quite obvious (for example, certain humane treatment laws do not apply to lab mice and other lab animals...)

The "chain" that is selling these is "Pet Supplies Plus". I agree with you almost entirely. The part I disagree with is going straight to authorities. Perhaps the store manager struck a deal with someone not knowing the legality(or even having the insight to question it) of propogating this species? Maybe they were CB examples, and the seller was very good at misdirection? These are some examples of why I would approach them with a degree of humility. If the owner does not care/does not want to hear, then, perhaps, a call is in order...

JBear

jeffr · #6 (**permalink**) 02-06-2012, 10:02 AM

There are 3-4 dealers selling Tomato frogs on Kingsnake

frogparty · #7 (**permalink**) 02-06-2012, 10:12 AM

tomato frogs have been consistently available for a long long time. Large chains only acquire animals from distributors large enough to supply multiple locations, not individual breeders. Guarantee that these are legal. Dont make yourself out a fool by rushing to the authorities to tattle on someone selling a perfectly legal frog