“I found the cutest little frog in the bottom of my romaine lettuce tonight- 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.”
(Picture: Photo courtesy of @simoncurtis/Twitter)A man found a baby frog in his box of romaine lettuce - and now he’s feeding it snacks and giving it baths.
On Monday, Simon Curtis, a recording artist, author, and model posted a thread on his Twitter highlighting the chronicles of meeting the adorable little frog, who he named Tony.
In his initial tweet, he mentioned encountering the frog and asking the internet for tips on how to keep him safe from harm.
“I found the cutest little frog in the bottom of my romaine lettuce tonight- 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 captioned the first post.
It showed Tony in a container sitting across from lettuce.
I found the cutest little frog in the bottom of my romaine lettuce tonight- 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? pic.twitter.com/usaCIEWaLv
— Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) December 21, 2021
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Curtis said that the frog was “hopping and clearly well.”
In another tweet, he said that he put the “remaining lettuce back inside” the box and gave the frog a “mason jar lid of water, and sprayed the entire container down with water.”
update: put the remaining lettuce back inside, gave him a mason jar lid of water, and sprayed the entire container down with water. Going to leave him here in the kitchen tonight and then figure out what to do with him tomorrow. His name is Tony 😌💖 pic.twitter.com/0N67qDu7Pg
— Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) December 21, 2021
Amid cute videos of Tony enjoying his new home in the lettuce box, Curtis noted that Tony had escaped.
But luckily, Tony was found chilling outside of the box and on top of the door frame in the house.
I FOUND HIM.
— Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) December 21, 2021
Here is his lettuce container on the counter, and here is where I found him (up on top of a high ass door frame) pic.twitter.com/jE0ohSVXJo
It’s also worth noting that Tony seems to have a sweet disposition as he lets Curtis hold him.
and he just lets me hold him 😭💖 pic.twitter.com/NxJ53HwJKD
— Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) December 21, 2021
In other tweets, Curtis said that he spoke with Mark Howery, the Senior Wildlife Diversity Biologist at Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation” who was able to identify Tony as a “green tree frog.”
Curtis further said he got “live wax worms” to feed Tony.
he’s ready to eat 😭 pic.twitter.com/D4fcIbf3ZI
— Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) December 22, 2021
Tony also got to take a bath in a mason jar lid.
He got in his little mason jar lid bath 🥺 pic.twitter.com/61PeKBjWbl
— Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) December 22, 2021
In another turn of events, Tony escaped again. Even Charlotte, the baby Chihuahua is on the lookout.
Charlotte, the baby chihuahua, is on the case… pic.twitter.com/82M7KU9UIb
— Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) December 22, 2021
Fortunately, Tony was found hiding in the shower and “covered in dust bunnies.“ Curtis worried he’d passed away.
“He was so dehydrated and shriveled I was worried he’d died, but he’s now immersed in distilled water, cleaning himself, and coming back to life!!” Curtis wrote.
he was so dehydrated and shriveled I was worried he’d died, but he’s now immersed in distilled water, cleaning himself, and coming back to life!! pic.twitter.com/GwUm9ndP4i
— Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) December 22, 2021
Curtis sent out a poll asking people if he should “keep Tony as a pet or release him.”
I’m VERY torn- do I keep Tony as a pet or release him tomorrow? (Worth noting, there is a string of abnormally warm days beginning tomorrow, which will give him ample time to get acclimated and prep for hibernation).
— Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) December 22, 2021
For the moment, it seems that Tony is having a good time. He even apparently had had a “third escape adventure.”
Tony got a new little (temporary) house!
— Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) December 23, 2021
(and apparently he had a *third* escape adventure when @j_h_o_r gave him fresh water while I was at the gym/out picking up Tony supplies 😹) pic.twitter.com/yJpG7VZMHm
Regardless, Tony seems to love the new setup.
Last Tony update for the evening- he made it safely into his new enclosure (fully sealed), which I’ve moved to the bathroom. He seems to love it 🥺 pic.twitter.com/3c1hH972Hk
— Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) December 23, 2021
Speaking to Indy100, Curtis said that he is still “torn” on whether or not to keep Tony.
“I’ve developed a tremendous amount of affection for him, he feels like such a little miracle, but I also don’t want to deny him the chance at the life in nature he didn’t get to have,” he said.
He also added that the decision will be based on the weather.
“I’ve consulted with the senior biologist from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, and the main concern is making sure there is a window of warm enough days to allow him to burrow and properly hibernate for winter.”
Curtis further added that the weather in Tulsa, Oklahoma is “unpredictable.”
“I truly won’t know until tomorrow [Friday] when I see if it’s actually warm enough.”
Overall, Curtis just wants the very best for Tony.
“I just want him to be happy and healthy, that’s the most important thing!” he added.
According to The Center Square, an Illinois study found that frogs were most likely to turn up in bagged salad than any other animal.
Daniel Hughes, a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois, noted that of the amphibians found, 60 per cent were tree frogs.
Lizards, snakes, birds and mice can also be found in produce.
