Southern Cricket Frogs Currently AVAILABLE!
Meet the Southern Cricket Frog (Acris gryllus): Tiny, Fast, and Full of Energy
The Southern Cricket Frog is one of the smallest and most active native frogs in the southeastern United States. Famous for their quick movements and insect-like chirping calls, these tiny amphibians bring nonstop activity and personality to ponds, paludariums, and natural aquatic setups.
Appearance:
Southern Cricket Frogs are small, compact frogs typically reaching only 1 to 1.5 inches in length. Their coloration varies from brown, gray, tan, green, or reddish tones, often with dark markings and a distinctive triangle-shaped mark between the eyes. Their long legs and slender build make them exceptional jumpers.
Habitat:
In the wild, Southern Cricket Frogs thrive around ponds, marshes, ditches, slow-moving streams, and shallow wetlands with abundant vegetation. They prefer warm, humid environments with easy access to both water and land.
Behavior:
These frogs are highly active and alert, especially during warm weather. They are best known for their rapid jumping ability and their sharp metallic chirping calls, which resemble the sound of crickets. Southern Cricket Frogs are primarily active during the evening and nighttime hours.
Diet:
Southern Cricket Frogs feed on small live insects including fruit flies, pinhead crickets, gnats, mosquitoes, and other tiny invertebrates. Their natural insect-hunting behavior makes them fascinating to observe in both indoor and outdoor environments.
Lifespan:
With proper care and a stable environment, Southern Cricket Frogs can live several years in captivity.
Care Tips:
These frogs do best in setups that provide both shallow water and land access with plenty of cover.
- Temperature: Maintain temperatures between 72–82°F.
- Humidity: Ideal humidity ranges between 50–70%.
- Enclosure: A naturalistic terrarium or paludarium with plants, mosses, driftwood, and shallow water areas works best.
- Water Quality: Always use clean, dechlorinated water.
- Feeding: Offer small live insects several times per week.
Why Southern Cricket Frogs Stand Out:
- Extremely active and entertaining to watch
- Small size makes them ideal for naturalistic enclosures
- Distinct cricket-like calls create a true wetland atmosphere
- Excellent addition to pond-edge and paludarium ecosystems
- Native to the southeastern United States