After working with animals, caging or feces, normal handwashing procedures are adequate to avoid most health risks associated with amphibians. Fortunately, these secretions cause no ill effects in humans. Absorption and excretion rates for anesthetics depend only on body weight. Hypothermia is an acceptable method of anesthesia, since amphibians hibernate and feel no pain. Anesthesia is judged by loss of righting reflex and respiratory effort as a surgical level of anesthesia is reached.
Abdominal respiration is lost, followed by slowing of gular movements.
Cutaneous respiration appears adequate at this point. Xenopus are very docile and rarely need to be restrained for injections into the lymph sac. In fact, they can be trained to sit for the procedure and should be rewarded with beef liver. The preferred site for intravenous injections in frogs is the dorsal lymph sac. These are located dorsally on either side of the last vertebrae.