I was thinking of getting a new frog as a pet, and a question stumble in my mind! Do frogs bite, and does it hurt? I did a lot of research and made a remarkable discovery.

Most species of Frogs don’t bite. Only a few are known to bite, like the Pacman Frog and African Bull Frogs; they bite for different reasons (fear or habitual interferences). Other factors do come into it too. Horned frogs (Ceratophrys’) have one of the strongest bites of 30 newtons force with sharp Inward-facing teeth. It’s not painful, but bite marks and bleeding can occur.

Yes, most species of frogs have teeth, primarily upper teeth, often referred to as Maxillary (goes around the top upper teeth and forms a part of the jaw) and Vomerine Teeth (two pointy teeth on the roof of the mouth) (see image below) 

from a range of more than 5,000 species, only one frog has upper and lower teeth. South American marsupial tree frog (Gastrotheca guentheri) 


How Hard Do Frogs Bite?

The majority of frog species possess weak jaws—only a tiny role through predation. However, one frog called the Horned frogs (Ceratophrys’) is a remarkable exception.

The Horned frog has one of the strongest bites; a study published by nature.com found that a Horned frog with a 45mm jaw exerted around 30 Newton of force. For example,30 Newtons is approximately three litters or 101.4 fluid ounces bottles on your finger. Wow! That’s a lot of pressure from one frog! But mostly, other frogs won’t even come close to the power of the Horned frog. The research found the weakest force was around 2.3 newtons, with the average being around the 8 newtons mark.

The Chart below showing

Fig (a) Bite force of jaw from Horned frog is the black point just above the 30N (newtons) point.

Fig (b) The Head width in mm. Head width of the Horned frog is around 45mm.

How hard do frogs bites urbanreptiles.com

Can A Frog Bite Off Your Finger?

Research shows that it is unlikely that a frog can bite a finger off.
Due to a lack of power in its jaw, the Horned frog has the most substantial bite of around 30 newtons;
a human’s biting strength ranges from 500-1,000 newtons of force. Biting through a raw carrot takes 200 newtons. So to conclude, a frog can’t bite your finger off.

Why Do Frogs Bite? What Are The Causes? 

Frogs bite if provoked. They favor evading interactions altogether.

Frogs, like most vertebrates, are conscious of their survival, and when you enter their habitat, their survival instinct kicks in to fend off predators and protect their surroundings.

Do Frogs Carry Diseases

Yes, Frogs and other reptiles commonly carry bacteria named Salmonella that can cause severe sickness in people. Take precautions and apply the steps below from the department of health guidelines.



Follow these simple tips to avoid diseases from frogs.


  • It’s always best to wash your hands after contact with a frog, especially if you’re consuming food as you don’t want bacteria to enter your body. 
  • Grown-ups ought to consistently oversee hand washing for little youngsters. 


  • Try not to let kids younger than a five-year-old handle or contact reptiles or creatures of land and water or anything in the space where reptiles or animals of land and water live and meander, including water from compartments or aquariums. 


  • Keep reptiles and creatures of land and water out of homes with kids more youthful than five years of age or individuals with the debilitated invulnerable immune system. 


  • Reptiles and creatures of land and water ought not to be kept in kid care focuses, nursery schools, or different offices with kids more youthful than five years of age. 


  • Try not to contact your mouth in the wake of taking care of reptiles or creatures of land and water, and don’t eat or drink around these creatures. 


  • Try not to let reptiles or creatures of land and water wander uninhibitedly all through the house or in regions where food or drink is ready, served, or put away, like kitchens, storerooms, or open-air porches. 


  • Try not to put reptiles and creatures of land and water in the bath or youngster pool utilized by kids. 


For more info, check out this article from The Department of health.

Are Frog Bites Poisonous

Most species of frogs are not poisonous except a few like poisonous ones below. They look pretty but very deadly!

  • Poison dart frog
  • Golden Poison frog
  • Strawberry poison-dart frog
  • Blue Poison Dart Frog

it is best to avoid them unless you’re with a trained expert

How to avoid getting bitten by a frog

You’re going to be bitten by a frog if you’re waving your hands in front of it. Here we will look at ways to feed and interact with your frog to minimize the chances of getting bitten.




Feeding Your frog

Feeding required you to get close to the frog’s mouth. If you are using your fingers, they can quickly grab it, so we recommend feeding tongs like these from amazon.

Feeding Tongs for Reptiles and frogs

Handling  Your Frog

If you are frequently handing your frog, it is good to get some bite-proof kevlar gloves its worth the investment as it will also prevent bacteria from bites.

Reptile and frog handling glove

Do Pacman Frogs Bite? Does it Hurt?

Pac man frogs do bite; Pacman frog biting occurs when feeding, handling, or cleaning out its habitat; it’s best to approach from an angle or the rear when holding this way. It reduces the chances of getting bit.
PacMan frogs get stressed quickly; the Owner of Pacman frog’s advice is not to keep handling it unless necessary.
Take a look at the video below and see the Pac man frog hold it firmly on the person’s finger.

Do African Bullfrogs bite?

African Bull Frogs have sharper and spiky teeth; one single bite can cause pain and bleed too. Check out the video; he gets bitten twice! Ouch!

Do Pixie Frog Bite? Does it Hurt.

Pixie frogs are aggressive territorial; They do bite in most certain cases when feeding them. If you approach with your hand out, don’t be surprised if they try to bite you!

Do Horned Frog Bite?.

South American horned frogs (Ceratophrys) can be aggressive and consume vertebrates their similar size to themselves.

South American horned frogs (Ceratophrys)
have very spikey and in-ward rounded teeth (image below).

They won’t hesitate to take a bite if they are irritated; experts say try to limit the number of times handled to a minimum.

Horned frog teeth are small on spikey

Horned frog teeth

The Horned can bite there was a study done on the strenght of its bite and its sought to be around 30 N(newton) of force,  for example 10N(newton) of force is around 10 newton feels like
take a litter of bottle and place it on
your hand 

Green Tree Frog Bite

No, Green Tree frogs are not aggressive and won’t bite. I asked owners of Green Tree frog’s on a Facebook group & other forums and found that they are the best pets for beginners due to their easy-to-handle nature.

Image of a pet green tree frog

Red Eyed Tree Frog Bite

No, red-eyed tree frogs don’t bite; they use their red eyes, orange feet to fend off potential predators
that’s how they protect themselves from predators

Image of a pet red eye tree frog

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This