Families who live in apartment communities are often faced with rules prohibiting pets. Dogs, cats, and other furry creatures are anima non grata due to the possibility of damage to carpets, walls, woodwork, and wiring. Birds, even if they are caged, are also often not permitted--primarily to head off the possibility of noise complaints from neighbors. For these reasons, apartment-dwelling families often turn to fish, reptiles and amphibians as pets.

Amphibian is a term which stems from ancient Greek; "amphi" meaning "both", and "bios" meaning "life", indicating that the animals live both on land and in water. Frogs, toads, newts,