Tree Frog Care

Give your new pet a comfy new home.

Setup

You will need the following:

Since your frog is native to a semi-tropical climate it will obviously need a semi-tropical setup. You will want to start with the enclosure itself. Glass aquariums work the best not only because they are easy to clean but they make for good visibility inside. You will want to use nothing less than a 10 gallon. Since this is a tree frog, an enclosure that is taller than it is longer would work the best. A screen top is also required for security reasons and good ventilation.

For the substrate, Astroturf can be easily purchased at your local hardware store or even a pet store. You can also use reptile carpeting. These substrates work the best because there is no risk of your pet ingesting anything while feeding.

As for cage furniture, you can use driftwood, cork bark, sticks and branches (warning: anything you collect from the outside must first be soaked in a mild bleach and water solution overnight, then soaked in water for another night and allowed to thoroughly air dry to kill any bacteria or bugs that may harm your frogs. Be sure the items are not releasing any fumes when they are placed into the enclosure).

You can add fake or live plants, but unless you are setting up a very large and elaborate setup, fake are the best as live plants are hard to keep alive indoors, unless you are planning on using air plants. Those work well, but be sure to avoid keeping these plants under or over heat sources).

You will want to place the sticks and any wood pieces on diagonals from corner to corner and on slant from high to low. You will also have to supply your frogs with de-chlorinated water for soaking and defecation. This water must be changed every day or when dirtied to prevent bacterial infections. The best container for this is a shallow bowl with about 1 to 2 inches of water. You can use anything that is heavy enough your pet can't knock over, although a store bought water bowl specially made for terrariums will look the best and add a realistic flair to your enclosure.

Since these frogs are nocturnal you do not need any special incandescent or fluorescent lighting. They do, however, require heating! For heat you can use under tank heaters situated under one end of the enclosure - not in the middle. NOTE: Do not use these heaters (undertank) with wood enclosures. You may want to put a rock over the area that is being heated to absorb heat. Your frog may use this as a method of obtaining heat. Another heating method is to use a nocturnal heat lamp (no stronger than 15 watts) situated over a high point in the enclosure. Be sure there is a screen cover between the lamp and the frogs.

Feeding

Your frogs are insectivores and will take small insects that they can easily fit in their mouths. I find crickets to be the best because they are readily available and are easy to breed on your own. Whatever the food, make sure the insects have a day in their own enclosure to get some food. Frogs will benefit from nutrient rich insects. You will also want to coat the food with calcium and multi-vitamin supplements about 3 times a week. Your pet will also need to be misted once a day with de-chlorinated water. It is recommended to spray in the morning to prevent any bacterial buildup.

Cleaning

You should thoroughly clean the enclosure once a week. This involves taking every thing out and rinsing and scrubbing it under hot water(no soap). You may also want to place the frogs in a small container at this time. The tank itself will need to be cleaned too (hot water, no soap). Carpeting can be washed with laundry detergent but must be rinsed well with cold clean water. You may find it useful to have two pieces of carpet so when one is dirty you will always have a clean one ready to go in.