Welcome to this site - dedicated to frogs and keeping them as pets. Here you will find lots of information about frogs and how to attract them to your garden, as well as advice on keeping them as pets. We take these little creatures so much for granted, but did you know that they are currently under threat worldwide? It is sad that they are losing their habitats. Pollution plays a huge part in their declining numbers and there is a new and deadly parasitic fungus known as amphibian chytrid.

These creatures are often portrayed in fairy stories and folklore as clumsy, ugly beings but often with hidden talents. Also, in Medieval Europe, some religions, notably Catholicism, believed that this particular amphibian represented the Devil due to the fact that Witches used them as 'familiars'.

The Ancient Egyptians saw the frog as a symbol of life and fertility as millions of them were born after the annual floods of the River Nile which brought fertility to the barren lands.

This gave rise to a frog-goddess of fertility, named Heget, most commonly depicted as a woman with a frog's head.

In Ancient China, the frog spirit of Chi'ng-Wa Sheng was associated with healing and prosperity in business. They appear in stories, literature, film, music and art. And who hasn't heard the saying that if you kiss one it might turn into a Prince! These are strange and mythical creatures and deeply intriguing.

So these creatures have been with us for many many centuries, and it would be so sad to lose them.

So what can YOU do to help in ensuring that they survive today?

The best thing that you can do is to first of all understand them, and then create a supportive environment in which they can live, breed and hibernate. This is so essential in the survival of this little creature - let's look at how we can help.

Create a pond
This is absolutely the best thing we can do in our endeavour to create a conducive and suitable environment.

Build a pond in your garden. Creating a pond isn't as difficult as it sounds, and can really add to your garden's 'look and feel'. Most of us are captivated by pond life - a pond creates an enchanted feeling and draws us into a different world whilst we are next to it. Everybody loves to be near the water and nature, and a garden with a pond is so appealing.

Build your pond in a shaded area preferably, with pond liner inside the pond (to keep the water in), with a few shallow edges for the tadpoles, and no fish.

Amphibians rely on a good network of ponds. The reason that they don't rely on one pond is that if one becomes damaged it can be recolonised quite fast. If there are frogs within 1000m, and the pond is suitable, they will often come without any help from us - you will notice that your little amphibian-haven garden is gradually becoming home to families without any other help from you other than adding the pond in the first place.

Other ways of creating a suitable amphibian garden is by not keeping your garden too tidy! This is quite difficult for some people! But your efforts in keeping your garden on the 'wild side' will pay-off quickly as the amphibian population get to hear about it and thank you for it! They love the wilder type of garden, that has leaf piles, garden debris, rocks and logs.

This creates a shady, damp environment which is perfect for all amphibians!

Because all amphibians breathe partially - even totally - through their skin, they are extremely sensitive to toxic chemicals in the environment. Therefore, you should try to avoid using chemicals of any sort. There are usually other methods you can use to keep pests under control that are more natural and less harmful to garden wildlife.

Also another good thing about having these creatures in your garden, is that you won't need to use Slug pellets as they eat slugs! What a bonus!

This year, 2008, has been designated as Year of the Frog by conservation groups, zoos and aquariums, in an effort to raise funds and awareness to address the declining populations around the world.