 | Average Customer Rating
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4 out of 5You receive a rare live tadpole with see-thru skin, (you can actually see his inside body parts working) Delivered via 1st class airmail in an insulated pack. Eventually, your tadpole will turn into a green frog that lives its entire life underwater - like a fish. ....read more
Kristy Watkins
on Apr 13th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
GREAT– But be aware!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
These kits and these frogs are absolutely amazing, customer service from this company is top notch. Prices are a bit much, but for the customer service, I feel it’s worth it.
BE AWARE though, that these animals are illegal to own in a few states, check your local laws regarding African Clawed Frogs. I know for instance California and Kentucky has them as illegal.
BE AWARE, These animals get large, The adult frog habitat they will send you is NOT going to hold these frogs for any length of time, compounding that with the fact that they send you another frog on top of the one you grow yourself. These frogs will get to be 4 to 5 inches long WITHOUT the legs! They will need 5 gallons PER frog to be healthy. And a filter too. I bought the frog kit from the company’s site directly and got two frogs to go in it. Spent a LOT of money. Ended up upgrading them to a 5 gallon for while they are still young, a 10 gallon will come later, After only a week of owning them. Do not plan on putting them in a fish tank you already have unless you don’t care about the fish, as soon as they get large enough they will eat every fish they can fit in their mouth… Which is why they’re illegal in some states, they are a wildlife risk to bodies of water.
All in all they are FANTASTIC and fun to watch, lovely animals, a lot of fun to feed (the whiffing motion they make with their hands when they think you’ve put food in the tank is HILARIOUS! All in all, despite spending 80 dollars on them and then turning around and buying a new tank, decorations and food on top of that, I love my two frogs and would buy them again if given the chance in a heart beat.
daphielass
on Apr 14th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
RIP Mr. Froggie…Wonderful family member for 11 years!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My son bought a Grow-A-Frog kit when he was 12 with a $20 bill a friend of mine gave him for his birthday. My son is now 23 and Mr. Froggie just passed away this Christmas day. As a family we have enjoyed watching Mr. Froggie’s life stages, his nighttime peeping and chirping, moving him from a little plastic container to a 10 gallon tank, taking him with us as we have moved from a smaller home to a bigger one. We added some non-agressive fish to his life for his company with much success. We found that he could survive quite nicely on Newt and Salamander bites sold at Petsmart or other pet stores and stop buying supplies from Grow-A-Frog many years ago. In spite of what the company that sells these frogs sa about the frog being delicate, this is actually a very hardy species and it does live a very long time, 10 to 15 years is average. One reviewer said 30 years and that is possible but is extremely rare. Be careful though and do not release your frog into the wild if you do not want it, this is considered a nuisiance species and is being blamed for the crash of some delicate ecosystems and the worldwide decline of the frog population since its removal from Africa and use in extensive research.
As in all pet ownership, this is a life, like any other, responsibility is key to success and happiness for all of those involved in its life and care. I highly recommend this product for anyone who is commited to full follow-through for years of care for this pet!
Crystal Wilson
on Apr 17th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
grow a frog
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is pretty cool. The kids are very interested in the everyday life of our frog. We are learning a lot about life and responsibility.
C. Bright
on Apr 18th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
If you buy this, you will NOT recieve the tadpole in first shipping!!!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Don’t waste your money. I ordered this overnight and it came with a certificate for a froglet. A Froglet?? I thought I bought a tadpole. Then when I wrote a bad review the company asked me to reconsider my review, but never once offered me any refund. Instead, they put ALL the blame on Amazon. Like I said, since the company does not say this I will. You will NOT recieve your tadpole on the first shipping, and the certificate they send says they are going to send a froglet,not a tadpole.. very shady in my opinion.
S. Leister
on Apr 18th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Be prepared for a lifetime commitment
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
My mom purchased a grow a frog for my son for his 7th birthday about 3.5 years ago,since then we have added a second frog. They are a very cool pet,and lots of fun to watch. They are also a life time commitment. Each week I have to change the entire tank,scrub and clean it,replace the water with fresh spring water,and a clean filter. They do take up some time. Do some research before hand. I LOVE my frogs,but had no idea they would be this much work. Next week I need to purchase a new tank as they need room to grow often. All in all I am pleased with my purchase,but caution others to be prepared. There is quite a bit of work and money involved for sure,but they can be a really fun,interesting pet to have!!
Robin Reinier
on Apr 19th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Tank FAR outlasts the frog
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I ordered 3 of these. The tank is great, it includes everything you need to grow a frog, however, when you order the frog (which is sold separately at an additional cost) the shipping is ridiculous, and to date, we’ve received 3 DOA frogs, and 2 that have lasted only 2 days. The frogs are $8.95 each with a $3.95 shipping fee, and they will replace the frog for a $3.95 fee. It’s been far more frustration than it’s worth. Imagine the look on my son’s face when we received 3 dead frogs in the mail….I haven’t used my last lifetime guarentee, and I won’t. This product is a waste.
Badkitty
on Apr 19th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Grow-A-Frog is awesome
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We got this grow-a-frog for our sons 6th birthday because he had been begging for a frog. He loves it and it’s teaching him responsibility of owning a pet. Right now it’s still a tadpole so it’s going to be so fun to watch it morph into a frog. Definatly worth it.
S. Bachner
on Apr 22nd, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Irresponsible Company
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I bought this frog for my son a year ago thinking it would be a fun little pet to keep in a one gallon tank and for him to hold and play with for the summer. The product description did nothing to prepare me for the real commitment we were taking on.
This frog is aquatic and will require at least a ten-gallon aquarium, twenty-gallons would be better. It grows quite big (ours is nine inches head to toe and seems to be still growing). The life span of these frogs is about 25 years. When adult, the frog requires live food which means weekly trip to the pet store for minnows that have to be kept in a separate aquarium (i.e. more live animals to feed, another filter to change, tank to be cleaned etc.) These pets cannot have any other smaller creatures in the tank lest they be gobbled up by the frogs, although they do apparently enjoy the company of other same-sized clawed frogs. The frogs have sharp claws and cannot be handled by you or your children. If we even dip our finger tips in the water our frog will attack.
All this being said, we do LOVE our frog. But because I love animals it pains me that there are likely many frogs being shipped out to homes that don’t have the means, facilities, or lifestyle to accomodate these pets. I think it’s extremely irresponsible of this company not to present this very pertinent information for the unsuspecting consumer to read in the product description. Shame on them!
Nance in NoVa
on Apr 23rd, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Flippers is doing well
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this for my daughter (6.5 y.o). We immediately sent away for our tadpole and received it very soon after. The tadpole was in good condition. The kit came with a booklet that answers most of our questions and instructed us on “habitat” setup. So far things look good.
Samantha D. Politte
on Apr 25th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Great for school-age kids
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My 7 year-old son received this as a gift and we all loved it. In fact, we bought a second one for our younger son. We recently gave this to one of his friends because he loved our frogs when he came over to our house. And, even though this is a living thing, it’s really easy to take care of.
Melissa M. Miller
on Apr 28th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Cool educational lesson
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This was very easy to set up, the tadpole came very quickly. Thought it might die at first because it didn’t move much, but perked up less than a day after it came. It’s almost a frog now, just waiting for the stage 2 habitat to arrive. Only con I can think of is it’s quite pricy to transition to the stage 2.
Dr. Rob
on May 2nd, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Ribbit
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My 10 year old son loved this kit for his Christmas present. The company will not ship the tadpole unless weather conditions are just right, so be prepared to possibly wait if you live in the North. They ship from Florida. Unfortunately, because of the carelessness of the United States Postal Service, Grow-A-Frog had to ship a tadpole three times. Although the mailing box is clearly marked “do no place in mailbox”, they did so, resulting in boiled frog. The second mailing was lost in the mail for 1 week. It finally arrived, but only frog mush remained. The third tadpole arrived safely and is thriving, only because I had it mailed to my PO Box. Despite all of the mailing issues, my son is have a grand time with his frog. He is taking care of it on his own, and learning a little bit more about responsibility. Too bad the USPS hasn’t learned a lesson in that regard.
UPDATE: 7/12/09: The frog is still alive and thriving in a 20 gallon long fish tank with fine river sand. What a great joy this frog has been to my son. It shares the tank with 2 live-bearing fish (mollies). Warning: It will eat small fish, such as neon tetras. It will also eat small freshwater shrimp, like cherry shrimp.
UPDATE: 12/5/09: This frog remains alive and is thriving. My son is beginning to be neglectful in the feeding of the frog and routine tank maintenance. He is now beginning to learn about the degree of attention that pets require, especially when the pet is depending on their owner’s caregiving to meet their basis needs for survival. I remained thoroughly impressed with the quality of this frog and the joy and valuable lessons that the kit has provided for my son.
liverleef
on May 7th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Do some research on these things first.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My daughter had been begging me for one of those caterpillar/butterfly kits. I talked her out of it because the thing looked like so big and bulky. We ended up with a grow a frog kit instead. I had wondered how amazon got me these live tadpoles, this is how it worked. I got the package from amazon which is basically a box with tadpole food, habitat and a card that says “good for one grow a frog”. The card is mailed in to the grow a frog folks who then mail you a tadpole in a starfoam container.
My kids had fun watching it grow into a frog. Yes you can see the frog’s internal organs. I am highly pleased with what I got. When the tadpole became a frog I ordered other items from the grow a frog company including a stage 2 habitat and frog food. The stage 2 habitat was cheap and sprung a leak. My advice is that when your tadpole becomes a frog, put it in an aquarium.
Some of the things I’ve learned is that despite what grow a frog says, once your tadpole becomes a frog you do not have to use spring water, treated tap water will do but not distilled water. These frogs need a place to hide, buy some aquarium decorations that allow the frogs to swim around in. My kids bought a ceramic log that the frogs seem to enjoy. DO NOT use small gravel in the aquarium with the frogs. They will eat it. I made this mistake but switched the gravel out for rocks once I noticed my frog pooping pink gravel. These things are messy, really messy. They poop quite a bit and shed their skin. Frogs normally eat their skin once shed but mine never have. I bought an aquarium vacuum that helps keep things clean, it cost me around 10 dollars at the pet store. Pet stores also sell cans of krill, shrimp or reptile sticks that your frog will enjoy just as much as the food from grow a frog.
My kids have gotten sorta bored with the frogs (we have 2 now) but I really like these stupid things. They’re very relaxing to watch. Also these frogs are African Clawed frogs. If you do a google search for African clawed frogs you will learn a good deal about what you are getting yourself into. They are a little bit of work but I enjoy them.
Michael Blau
on May 10th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Froggy has passed
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Cute idea, felt a little bad for the tadpole we received, died after about 2 weeks, the instructions talk about keeping the water cloudy so that there is a constant food supply, we feed everyday and just couldn’t get the water cloudy, it stayed clear and I think Froggy starved to death. My son was a bit sad, it gave us a chance to talk about taking care of animals and a bit about death, he wants to get another one and try again. We probably will, and might upgrade to a better tank and system so that the frog stays warm and the food balance in the water stays at a level that will provide what the frog needs.
gamedayfan
on May 14th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Excellent nursery kit but needs bigger habitat
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Hello! I’ve had Grow-A-Frog for about 4 months now. My frogs are HUGE now, so be warned they do grow extremely fast! Also an important note is this Grow-A-Frog tadpole is the African Clawed Frog, which is NOT the same as the African Dwarf Frog which is commonly sold in pet stores. The kit sold on this item page is a small “nursery” cube I like to call it, compared to what you’ll need eventually. When you think nursery you think infant baby right? So it makes sense that the small cube included in this kit should only be for tadpole raising, and newborn froglets.
After the froglets are born however, in a couple weeks or less I would get at least a gallon tank per frog you have. These frogs will need the space to swim and would just be more entertaining for your family. They will only grow according to the tank size. If you leave them in this small cube too long I’m afraid it’s putting fatality at a higher risk.
I have 3 of these frogs in a 10 gallon glass tank, bare bottom too. They do love company of other frogs of their own kind (african clawed frog). I don’t have any gravel or substrate for easier cleaning. Just use a turkey baster to suck up frog waste, and they do waste alot! At night, I often find all three frogs I have laying around each other, so don’t be afraid to get two frogs. They will be buddies for life =)
Oh, did anyone mention the Grow-A-Frog lifetime gaurantee? Thats right if at anytime you have problems just email or call them. Their customer service is friendly and understanding.
I feed them HBH tadpole and frog tablets since they were born and they look very healthy and show rapid growth. Also feed them some Freezed Dried bloodworms as a treat. They love it! Thats about it, these frogs are very low maintenance once you get the hang of it. Please do research the African Clawed Frog on google. It’s all well worth it.
MaryAnn
on May 17th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Sneaky, the Grow-A-Frog, now 19.5 years old!!
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
We first got our Grow-A-Frog in September 1988. He has lived in two states and vacationed in a couple more. Transported him when we moved in 1989 in glass cranberry juice large bottle (wide spout) in a foam-lined bucket, air holes in lid. (Even been in MacDonalds so he wouldn’t boil in the car). Fun to watch metamorphose. Skin not transparent when a frog. I found changing water/ cleaning tank not very time consuming at all. Just have to make sure water has had time for dechlorination crystals to work and equilibrate to room temperature. He now lives in a plastic tank made for hermit crabs since Grow-A-Frog Stage 2 tank too small. Easy to order more adult frog food. I don’t think Sneaky is the oldest Grow-A-Frog ever. Think I read on the Internet of one that was 21.
Melissa
on May 21st, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Great Toy, Great Guarantee
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is an excellent learning kit. For those who are concerned about the frog’s longevity, and the idea that some irresponsible frog parents may let them go, or worse, let them die, the company offers to take in any unwanted frogs:
WE WILL WELCOME YOUR FROG BACK HOME
We know you love your Growafrog. Every now and then, however, a situation arises in which a Growafrog care-giver can no longer take care of their frog. If this should ever happen to you, please simply E-mail us so we may send you ‘breathable bags’ with instructions on how to send your frogs home to us. In no instance should you ever let your frogs ‘go’ into a pond or lake. Never release any kind of animal into the natural environment near your home ( unless it came from there in the first place ). To request your breathable bags at no charge at all, please simply E-mail us your complete name, address, city, state, and zipcode here.
http://www.growafrog.com/quesfrog.html#Anchor-2765
H. Bauer
on May 22nd, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Educationally fun!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Shockingly small, but when our tadpole arrived we knew why the container was so small. As the tadpole turned into a frog we put him in an aquarium, all the while in a classroom setting. He is still thriving, growing big and fun to play with. Very easy to care for and he has been a great pet for the classroom.
L. Snowden
on May 26th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Great Experience!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This grow a frog kit is wonderful. We received a see thru tadpole that changed into a frog in no time. The frogs are easy enough for my eight and nine year old to take care of, even though I do clean the habitat. I would highly recommend this kit.
Crystal Shepherd
on May 26th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Great product!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this set with a grant after a disaster with the Uncle Milton set. I was hesitant. We received the tadpole two weeks ago and he already has all his legs. In addition, the company will send you a froglet if the tadpole dies! The only drawback is that you have to buy a new house for the frog when it starts to really develop. But I think it is worth it!
S. Cierpich
on May 27th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Throw away the little plastic plant!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got a grow-a-frog as a gift 8 years ago, and my frog is still alive! I originally had two frogs, but one tried to eat the little plastic plant that comes with the little container, and I discovered him with a third of it sticking out of his dead gaping maw. Pretty sad, as he was quite a few years old. Toss the cheesy plant — it’s unnecessary.
As your frog grows, you may want to consider getting him a larger container. No need to purchase all the materials through the kit company, though. I feed my guy reptile sticks; he lives in untreated tap water; his home is a clear gallon water jug. A very low-maintenance kind of dude.
These are great for kids to watch an animal grow and learn to care for a pet that doesn’t require intensive care before moving on to a more demanding pet.
I’d say, “Beware, this is a commitment!”, due to the long life of the animal, but how committed do you have to be to toss a couple food sticks at the little guy every few days?
Some people are disappointed with what the kit includes for about $[...], but $[...]for a pet that lives as long as a cat? I’d say it’s more than worth it.
Ruthanne M. Foglio
on Jun 1st, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
I love my frog
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I gotta tell everyone how happy I am with my frog. The only downfall was after I received the container for the frog, I had to send another company the postcard that was enclosed in the box, and of course, it got lost in the mail. However the company was very nice and easy to communicate with. (I did via email). I received my tadpole within the week and within days it turned into a frog. He is so cute and I want to get another frog for him for company. Mind you, this present was suppose to be for my 8 year old daughter, but I love my frog so much as he sits on my desk at work and I get a few smiles every day just watching him swim around. He sure brightens my day and desk!!
curious
on Jun 4th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
I miss my Frog–my friend for 8 years!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just had to write a review. My grow a frog lived for 8 years. She was an albino, and a female (because she laid eggs and didn’t croak noisily). The grow a frog people really do stick by their lifetime guarantee; if one dies, they’ll send you a new one. They have a web site where you can get accessories for your frog, too. This is genuinely a great investment in an easy-to-care-for pet.
Anthony Sozio
on Jun 8th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Finally a REALLY Cool non electronic gift
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Not that I don’t let my kids play all the latest video and computer games but enough already. I saw this in another store actually and it is awesome! My son (7 years) loves frogs and if your child is interested in having a cool pet this is it. The tadpole is shipped to you and as it grows you can actually see the organs developing through it’s skin. The frog is able to live in the water alone and only gets as large as the container they send you or the one you put it in. They are easy to keep, don’t smell, you can leave them for a long trip and most importantly they are educational. Rock on Grow a Frog!!
Bob
on Jun 10th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Cool 15 year adventure with grow a frog – I’d do it again.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Bought the ‘grow a frog’ at SW Randalls Toy Store in 1991 for my 5 year old niece. I thought the ‘toy’ harmless but my soon to be ex-sister in law thought it would be too traumatic when the frog died – translation I got custody of the grow a frog. Little did I know that this frog would live 15 years and grow to be larger than a big mans hand. Terminator tadpole RIP 2006 last tank was over 66 gallons. The Tpole was cool, we taught him/her (we weren’t really sure, it had characteristics of both) to do a few tricks. Mostly Tpole was very low maintenance, laidback but needs to be in the tank alone. We tried mixing it up with fish of varying levels of aggression & yeah, the frog is a loner.
If you’re considering this gift, remember this could turn into a decade+ commitment including tank swapping and cleaning. I would recommend the bigger tanks as they are easier to maintain. Overall, I would do it again, a very cool and low maintenance pet.
Alyson D
on Jun 14th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
These frogs live a loooong time
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought this kit for my son when he was five. We loved watching the tiny tadpole turn into a tiny frog and then a rather large frog. However, now my son is entering his senior year of high school and no one in the house ever pays any attention to this poor frog. She gets smelly very quickly even though she is in a small aqarium so she needs frequent cleaning. My husband diligently feeds and cleans her, but no one will be upset when (if?) she passes on. I know the frog will die eventually and it’s not that I want the creature to die, but the life span is too long for a cute little science project. So be warned, it is a great educational activity but it is a long term commitment to rather boring frog as a pet. By the way, customer service at Grow-A-Frog is excellent if you ever have need to contact them. They are very friendly and helpful.
Library Teacher
on Jun 17th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Grow A Frog in the Library
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this for use in my Elementary School Library while my Kdg-2nd grade students studied the life cycle of a frog. Since my students are curious creatures, I kept the frog container inside a 10gal aquarium with a wire lid. The students can see what’s going on while the tadpole turned frog was safely behind extra glass. My 3rd-5th graders were also fascinated with the tadpole’s growth and changes. I also recommend the Stage Two house with a single tube for your frog. It comes with a frog friend. My elementary students LOVE it!
Geneva Gamiani
on Jun 20th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Be prepared for a commitment…
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
My husband bought the Grow-a-Frog kit for our daughter when she was three. It amused her briefly, taught her a little something, and provided her a new pet, so life was good.
That was nine years ago. Beware. When your tadpole grows into a frog, you will need to send away to the company for the frog kit, which consists of a larger environment and a different type of food. We also received a “bonus” frog in the mail with our order, which we did not ask for. Unfortunately, this frog was much larger than the one we had raised, and it ate our old friend one night while we were sleeping. This was also a good learning experience for our daughter, I suppose, but not for “Lily…”
Our bonus frog is still alive and going strong, all these years later. Before you consider buying this “toy,” please think about the commitment involved to the living creature(s) you will be bringing into your home. Do some research. These are African Clawed Frogs, and you can find plenty of information about them on the Internet, such as life span (up to 30 years), and habitat needs. These are aquatic frogs, which means they can never live outside of a water-filled tank, making them more similar to fish than to the frogs you may find in your backyard. The small plastic cubes provided by the company are not nearly large enough to comfortably house one of these animals, let alone two. Our frog now lives in a five-gallon fishtank, which still seems a bit small for him.
One thing you may want to consider before purchasing this item is the ethical implications involved. The company breeds frogs and sends them out to customers indiscriminantly, without ever knowing or seemingly caring if the animals will be adequately cared for. These frogs will NOT survive if you let them go in the wild, so please take that into account. Your child may tire of his new pet in a month, but you will still need to care for the animal for many years.
Although this product does have some educational value, I believe your child can adequately learn the same lessons from a book, video, or trip to a local pond. If you’re ready to adopt a new family member, however, this may be the perfect “toy” for you.
Jason C. Gill
on Jun 23rd, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Great educational value, poor durability
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
It’s not a bad deal, overall, for kids. The kit is nothing to get excited over. It’s a plastic cube, the lid to which has a hole for easy feeding. The feeding spoon is spade-shaped, so you’ll spill some food on the lid.
The tadpole came quickly for us, even coast-to-coast. The bag in the package was leaking, though, so we were a little concerned about his future. We’ve had it two weeks, now, and hind legs are sprouting out of his body. He’s not much to look at. When content, he stays suspended in one place doing nothing. If he reaches sufficient size after metamorphosis, that sucker is going into the aquarium despite what the booklet says. I’m not spending any more money on cheap plastic tanks and “special food.”
Anonymous
on Jun 25th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Good but a pain
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have had 3 frogs two are living hapily and one died after a month. They are fun to watch but expensive and a pain to clean. Also if you have them you can’t go on vaccations. But they are cute fun to watch and they play with eachother and somtimes sing. overall they are a fun pet but i warn you cleaning is a 3 hour process that must be done twice a month.
Susan
on Jun 27th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
We will see…
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I ordered this for my daughter for Christmas; we will see how great it is in the spring when we can order the tadpole (the weather must be between certain temps. prior to delivery).
Anonymous
on Jun 28th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Very entertaning!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Yesterday I got a little foam box in the mail. I took it out and open the “cork” type thing. It came with a little tadpole and an order form for supplies. At first I thought it was dead since the box wasn’t moving much but the bowed moved!!! My grow a frog cube had a little crack in the bottom that S-L-O-W-L-Y driped. So we went to the pet store and got a new tank. Any way the tadpole is a little ball of enegry! Feeding is no problem becuase you just feed it a level spoonful once a day and then you watch it swim like a nut!! They hate light and run from it. P.S. DON’T GET THE “PLANET FROG” KIT!!They provide no instrucion manual for the tadpoles and they die easily. GET THIS!!!!!!!
C. S. Funk
on Jul 2nd, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Fun learning experience
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It’s great to find something that is this fun and educational for the whole family. My daughter, who is five, learned a lot from seeing the frog’s metamorphosis. Please realize that the tadpoles cannot be sent when the weather is too cold or too warm. I read reviews on another site where people complained about this. We got our tadpole and it came in a foam box with a plastic bag in the center containing the tadpole in water. It was clear and had little whiskers. It also had the front appendages already. When you read the book you realize this is a special frog created in a lab and not your average pond frog/tadpole so it is supposed to look like this. It will always remain in water unlike regular frogs. You can even see the heart beat and food digestion since the tadpole is clear in color which is really neat. It turns darker as it starts to go through metamorphosis. Read the book completely as soon as you open the box before you do anything else. It’s easy to miss little things that will be important with the water. The book is written to be entertaining which it is, but when you are a busy parent it can become annoying. I wish it came with a bullet list with just the need-to-knows for parents.
When we got our stage two habitat (which you must get for when the frog completes metamorphosis or so they say) it came with a free froglet. They say they do this because frogs are such social animals. They warn you however to go through this staging process before you put them together so they become used to one another. Basically, you put them in separate containers next to each other for 48 hours and keep them well fed. You must read through the cutesy new booklet too as things are a little different with the water once they are froglets. We opted to pay extra and get the “rare white froglet” as our second. It was actually orange, but it’s still cool to have the two different colors. We were worried when we first got the kit because there was a leak in the new frog’s bag from poor packaging and it was just about out of water. It looked dead, but I put it temporarily into a cup with spring water until I could read the book and figure out what to do. It lived and is fine even though ultimately you are supposed to put them in tap water purified with their crystals they send at this stage (spring water is only for the tadpole stage except initially when you clean the little granules in the stage 2 tank). At first I thought the whole two frog thing was just a way to make more money on frog food, but I do think they enjoy each other now that they are used to one another. They say it is VERY rare to have them mate, but I’m wondering about ours. They spend an awful lot of time “socializing” on top of one another. I’ll post again if we get any new very rare tadpoles.
Rebecca L. Lindamood
on Jul 6th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Sturdy, economical, simple and a real bargain!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Grow-A-Frog kit was a Christmas present for my frog-lovin’ 7 year old. Let me just say right up front that the packaging is simple and the tank is a simple cube shape. For us that was more than fine- I was more interested in the contents than the frills, bells and whistles included on other tanks. Additionally, the tank was made of sturdy plastic. It held up to being dropped (while empty, of course) several times prior to the frogs arrival.
Not only do I heartily recommend this but I’d like to share why I’m thrilled with this product:
1.) Educational Value- The kit came with an engagingly written booklet that includes instructions on set-up, care, feeding, troubleshooting, etc… and has a hotline number for froggy questions. The book was written in such a way that it keeps kids interested without talking down to them. It’s also incredibly informative about frogs in general.
2.) Sturdy plastic- Apparently this is not ubiquitous in frog habitats available on the market. This holds up to my 5 boys. That says a lot for it’s quality.
3.) Value for price. In addition to being significantly less expensive than comparable products, it has a lot of bang for the buck. You get the tadpole shipped free (not all of them do that!), you get the habitat, food, and a record keeping/instructional booklet with the kit.
4.) Great customer service!!! The Grow-A-Frog folks had the tadpole to us in 1 week and 1 day after we mailed out our postcard. Taking into account that we mailed out the postcard the day after Christmas that’s pretty amazing!!!!
Ellen Kane
on Jul 9th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Wonderful Product!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got this product for my daughter a while ago and she loved it! We watched the tadpole morph into a frog, and we had the frog for 3 years! It comes with very detailed instructions, the habitat, food, and a coupon to send away for your tadpole. When it gets larger you must buy a “Stage 2″ habitat, but it is worth it! There are many selections for habitats, as well as accessories for your frog. You can also buy another frog. All in all, this is a great product that is worth buying!