Giant leap over frogs

By Danielle Galvin
SPOTTED Marsh frogs, brown tree frogs and Victorian common froglets are just some of Rebecca Defina’s favourite things.
To say that Rebecca loves frogs is an understatement. The 30-year-old Cranbourne mum says she has loved them for as long as she can remember.
“My mum thinks I have loved frogs from day one,” Rebecca explains.
Many Cranbourne residents can count themselves lucky to have seen so many frogs in the area in recent months.
Rebecca says that along Thompsons Road and the Moorooduc Highway after a rainy night frogs litter the side of the road.
“I live in the middle of Cranbourne and I can hear them calling at night.”
While not everyone may be happy about the loud calls, Rebecca couldn’t be more stoked that frogs are so common in the area.
Her concern now is that land in Cranbourne is being developed at such a rapid rate that the breeding ground for frogs is lessening.
That’s why the frog enthusiast wants residents to give her a call if they find frogs on their property.
“I think people all of a sudden have all of these frogs on their property and they have no idea what to do with them!”
She says that friends have also found green tree frogs on their bananas, a surprise she would no doubt be ecstatic about.
Rebecca’s three-year-old daughter Sophia is not quite as excited about frogs, although she enjoys watching mum collect them when the sun goes down.
It’s hard to imagine that Rebecca wouldn’t be able to answer a question about frogs, their preferred habitats, where they breed and how big they might grow to. But the frog enthusiast counts Craig O’Meara, owner of Oh Magic Frogs in Dandenong, as the one who taught her everything she knows on the subject.
“About 10 years ago, my husband found frogs at his work. He wanted to know what to do with them and stopped off at Craig’s store, but was overwhelmed by the information. He called me in to talk to Craig and we’ve been great friends ever since.”
In the summer holidays, Rebecca would volunteer at Craig’s store, helping to collect tadpoles to be looked after, as well as insects for food.
As Craig shared his knowledge with Rebecca, her curiosity for the native amphibians grew.
While she has researched and read a lot about the array of frog species in Australia herself, it’s Craig who taught her about breeding.
Rebecca wants to harness her passion for frogs by becoming a licensed breeder.
“Eventually, I want to get a category one licence, so that I could house and breed green tree frogs. I don’t really have a favourite frog, but I do love brown tree frogs the most,” she said.
For the time being, the young mum is happy breeding a few different species, as well as housing some whistler frogs, who are harder to attract.
“It’s really quite easy to build a habitat for frogs. They need at least two ponds with no fish in them, and they love roof tiles and fallen wood. You can find them under leaves and hiding in the backyard,” she said.