# "smart" tree frogs?



## K3nny (Apr 20, 2011)

Hi, i just thought i'd share abit about a lil guy that i used to keep
he was a subadult male GTF, Indonesian locality (more streamlined/"thinner" than aussies)

thing was, i kept him in a decent sized aquarium, n he kept escaping, not too far thank goodness. The aquarium was in a indoor backyard (sorta like a small patio with lotsa plants n stuff, inside the house).

Long story short, he prefered the bigger spaces of the patio/backyard/whatever, and escaped never to be seen... until he showed up on the patio floor, seemingly begging for crickets. So i fed him and put the little sucker back into the tank... for him to escape again :x this went on several times until i thought, screw with the tank

needless to say this became a routine, about once/twice a week he'd show up in the patio doorstep and i'd give him his feed, worked a treat and i knew he was quite happy cz he did mating calls almost EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT!!!

oh and i've seen him eat some roaches which were around the house, some almost as long as he was which was a bonus. Until i moved out overseas he did pretty well. Then a year in, we got a curious puppy that turned into a curious dog...  but that's another story

Anyway, would you say this is amphibian intelligence? there was a thread floating around somewhere about training reptiles, i'd say if u can condition (sorta) frogs, why not reptiles? Thoughts?


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## Snakeluvver2 (Apr 20, 2011)

It's more just getting them used to a routine. 
In the wild if there is a place that has heaps of food for their diet and little to no predators they would inhabit that area.
You are providing that.


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## K3nny (Apr 20, 2011)

true, its not like i'd expect him to jump through a loop or something like that

but then again, how would you define intelligence?
i'd say putting 2 n 2 together n figuring patio = free meal is relatively quirky to say the least for a cold blooded creature, n i'd say alot of keepers would agree their pets have "personality" or certain "quirks"


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## Jackrabbit (Apr 20, 2011)

sounds a little like conditioning.

the frogs I have had for 1 month have learnt to come down to the front of their rock when the lights go out and they will get feed soon after. No matter where they are hiding you can guarantee they will be out when I the light goes out. I know they are nocturnal but they disappear soon after being fed


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## Snakeluvver2 (Apr 20, 2011)

You can't define intelligence.


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## K3nny (Apr 20, 2011)

yep thats the thing, so would conditioning (like said in first post) be considered cause and effect?

anyway, me thinks we might have gone abit to the deep end with this one


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## sookie (Apr 21, 2011)

most 'training' in animals is just pure conditioning.the animal knows what is expected to behave like,and knows that correct behaviour will lead to positive endings.and that makes them want to learn.i found horses very easy and satisfying to train.


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## lilmissrazz (May 27, 2011)

Theres a GTF named George (generic name all large critters get from me lol) who comes and sits on the lattice fence outside the pool area almost everynight coz every couple of nights Ill give him a mealie!! and yea he's the strong silent type ;-) lol


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## Manda27 (May 27, 2011)

I have three green tree frogs and I definately think they have their own individual personalities, habits and even intelligence levels! For example, my frogs: 

Zazzles is the dominant member of the group, he decideds where he is going to sit before anyone else, demands his food before anyone else (and bites them if they get fed first), he has a loud, strong croak and is just generally the king of the castle!

Leonard is the smallest (marginally smaller, but he was the runt of the lot when I first got him), he is very active, and amazingly curious about everything around him - eg. if I take something out of his tank to wash it he will watch me take it out, and then stare at the place where it was for about 15 mins as if wondering where it went! He will watch the tv when we turn it on, he runs up to the edge of the rock when we come in, etc.

Sheldon (who is sick at the moment , poor lil guy) is very calm, relaxed, and the best cricket hunter - he never misses. He has never been overly active but always seems very aware of his surroundings and watches us with interest. 

So i've definately noticed patterns in their behaviour, and different behavioural characteristics between them - and seeing as how they have all been exposed to the same conditions since they were eggs, I don't think it is solely conditioning, but probably different personalities. Don't get me wrong though - I know frogs aren't of the intelligence level of a dog or cat, but they are nothing like say, a fish.


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## Chris1 (May 27, 2011)

lol, my froggies a clever little man too,..if hes hungry and i go into the herp room i hear a big splat and see him on the front of the glass glaring at me,... happy to have gotten my attention,...(and the juicy roach that follows,..)

he knows the hand will be holding the food, i released a roach in his enclosure the other day thinking he'd follow movement,...but he still gummed my hand instead,..oh wait, that makes him less clever, lol,...


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