Cute Videos & Photos of Lil’ Murph & Poppy Below
…plus the LizardPlanet.com website, 3 online print-on-demand stores (one is very new with more inventory to come, but I’ll share it later in the post anyway), 4 social media accounts solely for the aforementioned, 5 email addresses, two reselling side hustles, house & yard work, and more…
I NEED THREE OF ME – And I’ll stick one of them on all social media & email work. Blach!
I’m having a difficult time keeping up on all things online, but I think implementing the right schedule and discipline will improve this slump.
🦎
So, here I am with a website about lizards without a lizard. I don’t enjoy posting as much as before, for I am doing this alone, without Lil’ Murph, my inspiration and motivation, and without the other lizards I love. I do however find enjoyment, entertainment, and some knowledge by reading others’ posts, and enjoy communicating with fellow lizard appreciators, followers, friends, and Lil’ Murph fans. And I can’t convey the sentiment for the comments we’ve received from people who have let Murph and I know that we have changed their perception about lizards for the better! I have taken screenshots of such wonderful and caring comments.
I am continuing on with mine & Murph’s original mission here together: “To Convert the Masses to Love Lizards Too” by spreading lizard care tips and love because it’s so important. Knowing how to give lizards happy, healthy lives doesn’t come naturally to people. It’s a learning process for everyone. And I believe that the more people know and love about them (and all reptiles), the less that so many will suffer and not be treated as second-class animals or creepy pests around the world.❤️
*I do not have all the answers for lizard care, but I have experience with things such as how to offer them exercise outside of their enclosures, have time outside safely (not unattended), poo issues, proper husbandry, and more, and am happy to help anyone with concerns via the contact page.
People have asked me if I plan to get another lizard. The answer is no. I intentionally got my salamanders as a young girl, and although I’ve adored lizards since I can remember, I never planned on getting any of them, not Goliath, my green iguana, Copper, my first bearded dragon love of my life, or even Lil’ Murph, the amazing star of LizardPlanet. They simply entered my life one way or another. I had a beautiful 18-ish accumulated years with them and I continue to love my departed friends deeply.
All except my sweet salamanders may be seen in the archives as well as in the gallery.
There’s a bit of information in today’s post (eventually) that I hope will help someone with a frog or lizard, but for today, this is more of an update for friends, as well as for fellow animal lovers to see all the cute!
Now, when it comes to frogs, I’ve always thought them adorable, I go to great lengths to see to it that I don’t injure one with the weed whacker by wearing sunglasses that aren’t dark & whacking with a strategy that may give a frog the ability to hop into my line of vision away from the thing instead of whacking an area in all different directions. Sometimes the leaves trick me when I think they resemble a toad or frog, even a teeny tiny spring peeper. If someone is mowing and I see one in the yard, I scoop it up and take it to a tree or somewhere safer. Now if I step in grass & here a crunch, I am praying that it’s a tiny twig.
🐦
I keep 4 shallow dishes, in total, on the ground outside in the front, back, and side yards. That way not only do birds benefit from them, but other animals can get to them. And it occurred to me that frogs may be enjoying them as well. There are raccoons, squirrels, and chipmunks drinking from these dishes, and possibly the skunks, possums, and rabbits, though I’ve not seen them drink. I keep one or more rocks in the dishes. These serve as ways for not only frogs to not drown, but insects as well. Incidentally, I’ve learned that just because an insect is in water and not moving doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dead, it may have just given up, and a swoop with a leaf or paper towel can get them out.
🐸🦝🦨🐿️🐇
Now that I have Poppy, I’M A FROG LOVER too and she is the cutest one on Earth to me. I had no idea that frogs could be so smart, this level of cute, and bond with a person, but I should have suspected it from seeing it in lizards. What’s odd is that these frogs I encounter outside seem less fearful of me than in previous years. And I feel my eyes are tuned in to spotting them better, as I see a lot more of them than ever before. Now I don’t know if you believe in morphic resonance, but I’m throwing that out here. It’s as if my relationship with Poppy has entered the collective subconsciousness of other frogs… or I’m imagining things. 🙂
🦎🐸🐈⬛🦮
Moving on, there are additions to the family. There was a brief introduction to Diamond, the dog, whom we got after Coco passed in October of 2025 & the short story of her here:
Facets of the American Spirit – Appreciating 250 Years of the United States of America
And the magnificent Poppy frog is introduced here:
Meet Poppy the Pretty Hoppy Frog
🎉Poppy & I celebrated our 9 month anniversary September 16th, and we had a wonderful time together! She got a bunch of exercise and walked up the curtain & got comfy overlooking her room from the curtain rod. She is an arboreal gray tree frog, after all, plus, I redecorated her room & temporarily took my desk out. I think she really liked it. 😆 I’m here to declare that frogs and lizards are more intelligent than most people are blessed to behold, and they absolutely need mental stimulation, same as all beings – without stressful overstimulation, of course.
💖🐸💖
Poppy is in Lil’ Murph’s 75 gallon equivalent enclosure because I have nothing else, nor can I purchase the perfect enclosure for her. Without bothering to get my tape measure, I believe it’s 48″ long, which is plenty, and she likes where all her things are, but it’s only 18″ tall – not good at all for a sweet frog whose nature is to climb. This is another reason why I love it when she is in the mood to come out so she can get exercise and walk up the walls and hop around. If she’s not in the mood, she repeatedly hops out of my hand when I attempt to get her. More often than not, I respect her wishes. I attempt every night after she’s awake for a while just to see, but she seems to want out at least a few times per week.
💖
Here are just a few photos from our anniversary that I have enjoyed modifying:
*My camera nearly never takes sharp images. The internet stated that I selected a phone with a good camera, but I object.
🌼🌹🌻🌺More photos🌺🌻🌹🌼
✨CARE TIPS OR SCROLL TO SKIP TO VIDEOS:
*NOTE: I AM NO PRO. I HAVE NEVER HAD A FROG BEFORE POPPY. THE FOLLOWING IS SIMPLY WHAT I DO, BUT SOME OF THIS CAN APPLY TO LIZARDS AS WELL.
I see it all too often on Youtube – people giving their lizards large pieces of fruit. Lizards and frogs should not be fed food that is larger than the space between their eyes. This is possibly a choking hazard and is a compaction risk.
I get the smallest crickets and superworms possible from the pet store (Poppy eats nearly only crickets as they are a low-fat content food source). Don’t give your beloved wild-caught insects if you can avoid it, as they may have parasites or have been contaminated with pesticides or other chemicals.
“Flightless” fruit flies may be transferred to a larger container with air holes in the lid. I don’t know about other pet stores, but the only one near me is often out of them.
Worms and other living food may also be transferred into larger containers for more space with food tossed in there for them. Take out the old food & replace with fresh daily.
I have a large container (a canning pot) and an actual cricket container for the crickets. When Poppy gets low on crickets & I get more, the new ones go in one of the containers, the older ones remain in the other. When the older ones are gone, I wash the container & set it aside for new ones later. Pet stores sometimes run out of crickets, so I call in advance & buy before they’re gone. That way new ones also have a couple days to eat & thus transfer the nutrients to Poppy when she eats them.
*This pet store expects deliveries twice a week. I was told some people buy approximately a hundred at a time (I can see breeders😠 doing this as well).
Crickets like to hide. If the pet store doesn’t give you egg crate pieces, you can rip small sections from your own used ones. Even toilet paper rolls are better than nothing to hide in. Crickets potty too, so I lay paper towel segments down & change them often (see photo above).
I shake a piece of egg crate into a trimmed bag that the crickets came home in to knock some in there. If I get too many I dump some. There’s a small amount of calcium powder in one bag, and I keep another with none. I shake the crickets around to coat them with powder every other feeding.
It’s my understanding that well water, city water, all water should be treated with Reptisafe. I add 4 drops per 2 cups of water, pour it into a water bottle and mark it so I know which bottle is for Poppy’s dishes.
Rinsing your hands & possibly forearms of oils and whatever else is important before handling frogs, if you can. Washing them after handling is advisable as well.
Poppy is not in a bioactive enclosure because I got her unexpectedly & frankly don’t have the means to achieve this. It’s okay though – I hope. I keep the humidity at decent levels (I hope), and swap out her cloth (a long pillowcase) with a clean one when it needs it. Until then, I keep it clean by wiping it with a damp towel to get up any cricket droppings, calcium powder splats, etc. I also wipe down the walls and mirror with a wet towel (water) followed by a dry one. I do this when she sleeps at the end in her cave bed as her “tree bed” stays secure by another heavy cave beside it. When she sleeps there, it allows me to take everything else out & spray her drift wood, etc. Everything dries in the sun for hours or in front of a fan. I use only water as her tiny poo is not messy and their permeable skin cannot be exposed to chemicals.
Poppy doesn’t like things sticking to her skin. In a bioactive enclosure, she’d have little bits of earthy stuff sticking to her all of the time. 😆
In a bowl kept in the refrigerator labeled “Poppy,” I keep the following in it for her food. I kept a similar bowl for my lizards and their food to eat.
• Thin apple slices
• Bell pepper variety
• Thin carrot slices (shredded will work)
• Grape slices
• Greens (lettuce or cabbage or collard greens or mustard greens, etc.)
• I place cucumber (a water-rich option) on a cut square of parchment paper on top as it can get mushy, keeping it separate makes it easier to grab.
Some things will get icky before others. For example, bell pepper bits may get slimy and milky-looking while everything else is good. In which case, the good stuff is rinsed & placed in a clean bowl.
“Why is it called booping water,” you may be wondering. Well, because she does the adorable butt bop, and I say “Boop” when she does it!!
This is a motion that creates a pump action with her pelvic patch to hydrate her, as frogs don’t drink water through their mouths.
🤍❤️🐸WATCH POPPY BOOP
🤍❤️🐸WATCH POPPY FOLLOW HER REFLECTION INTO HER CAVE BED
For anyone who missed it, see Lil’ Murph being a finicky eater:
Well, guess what – A cat has entered the family as well!! Nobody told the cat that although I’ve loved cats, I’m not what people call a “cat person.” Honestly, I want others to give cats and dogs wonderful lives, I like what I like, exotic and wild animals, especially lizards and now frogs. But, I must say, this cat is a special one. He’s so smart and full of love and determination. He showed up & wouldn’t leave. After about 5 days, I took him to the local “no-kill” shelter. I knew he’d receive medical care, food, and attention. That was on Friday, August 14th. The following Wednesday, I returned to the shelter to check on him and offer my time to help the staff. Before I cleaned out I don’t know how many litter boxes for what may have been 100 cats in two rooms, I was informed that the cat’s owners got him from there originally & that they live on my road, and picked him up. I missed him being outside my door, but was happy for him… sort of… because I didn’t know what would cause a cat to not go home. He was skinny with no collar and dirty fur. So the next day (Thursday) at around 1:15 P.M., I looked up from my computer and there he was again on the other side of the glass storm door! And, he wouldn’t leave again. So, after some amount of days, he is now an inside cat with comfort and love and food that I don’t think he got much of at his previous home. He chose me, not once, but twice. After being with Poppy the night of the lunar eclipse, I gave the cat his name just after midnight. I knew the right name would come to me in time. He is “Jasper.” It fits his personality and beautiful green eyes.
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post and seeing the one and only Lil’ Murph, Poppy Frog, Jasper Cat, and Diamond Dog. I promise the next one won’t be so long. If you’ve smiled from Lil’ Murph, Poppy, Jasper, or Diamond, or learned anything, please feel free to like, share, comment, or reach out for tips or adoption inquiries relating to reptiles and amphibians. You can support LizardPlanet.com or start a fund for Poppy’s enclosure (by leaving a message specifying where you desire funds to be directed) by tapping the button below. Monthly gifts are humbly and graciously accepted in the amount you choose, and one-time gifts are an option as well.
🌹Thank you🌹
“Give me Lizardry or give me Death!” – ❤️Murph & Dawn (& now Poppy, Jasper, & Diamond too)
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