American Singer Keeps Tree Frog as Pet

A Los Angeles resident, who found a living tree frog inside a grocery store container of romaine lettuce, has decided to keep the amphibian as a pet.

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Simon Curtis, a 35-year-old singer-songwriter, documented the unlikely discovery on Twitter, where he has captivated followers with updates on the frog's new life and fancy new tank.

Simon explained on December 20 that after discovering the frog in his lettuce, he determined that it was too cold outside to set it free — so instead, he kept it in the fridge while he figured out next steps.

The frog got up to some hijinks on several occasions over the next few days, escaping more than once — but after discussing the matter with a wildlife consultant, Simon decided that the best plan was to keep the frog, whom he has named Tony.

'I found the cutest little frog in the bottom of my romaine lettuce tonight, Simon tweeted last month. 

'It’s too cold to set him outside (27 degrees), but he’s been living in the lettuce in the fridge for several days now. Does anyone know what I should do so that he doesn’t die?'

He included a photo of the little frog inside the mostly-empty lettuce container.

'Back in the fridge until it warms up outside tomorrow? He’s hopping and clearly well and I bought this lettuce like four days ago… he’s so adorable I really don’t want him to die. Any advice at all will be very appreciated!' he continued.

Simon put the remaining lettuce back in the container, alongside a mason jar lid full of water. He also sprayed the container with water and named him Tony that first night.

But the next day, Tony had managed to escape. Simon looked around for several minutes before finally finding the frog up high on top of a door frame.

The next day, Tony escaped again, and this time was found hiding in the shower, 'covered in dust bunnies.'

'Tony, graduate of the Royal Tampa Academy of Dramatic Tricks, is safe and healthy (and will have a proper terrarium in about twenty minutes when I get back from Petsmart),' Simon wrote. 

Simon continued to put effort into his care. He first spoke with  Mark Howery, Senior Wildlife Diversity Biologist at Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, to confirm that Tony was a green tree frog.

He even bought some live wax worms to feed him, as well as the terrarium from PetSmart.

'He made it safely into his new enclosure (fully sealed), which I’ve moved to the bathroom. He seems to love it,' Simon wrote.

On December 23, Tony 'found his favorite new hangout spot in the log, and has eaten three wax worms.' 

Still, Simon wasn't sure whether he should keep the frog or release it into the wild.

'I really don’t know what to do. I love him so much. He feels like a little Christmas miracle,' he wrote.

'I am incredibly torn as to what to do with my new little friend. Today is supposed to be almost 80 degrees in Tulsa, warm enough to release him, but a frog expert is in my mentions alerting me to the potential of releasing new diseases into the ecosystem here if I do,' he wrote on Christmas Eve.

'I’m very happy to keep Tony as a pet, but only want to do that if it is the right thing to do for both him and the environment. Ideally, I’d take him to a creek and watch him hop away to finally have the little frog life he was trying to have in the first place,' he continued.

Simon also shared a special connection he had to tree frogs.

'When I was 10, I was given a 50% chance of surviving leukemia. I just remembered that my favorite stuffed animal, my buddy I kept in the hospital bed with me the entire time, was a tree frog,' he wrote, sharing some childhood photos.

Finally, Simon settled on keeping Tony when he was assured it was the best course of action.

'After consulting with Dr. Jonathan Kolby, @MyFrogCroaked, and learning about the best, most environmentally ethical practices in a scenario like mine, I have decided to keep Tony,' he tweeted.

He later shared snaps of Tony on Christmas, as well as a note he got from Petco with a gift card.

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With that, he was able to buy and eve bigger, better tank for Tony to live in.

'Tony is so happy Loudly crying faceSparkling heartGreen heart thank you to everyone who has followed and been touched by his story,' Simon wrote on New Year's Eve. 'May we all extend kindness and grace to whoever and whatever, whenever we can.'