New White's Tree Frog ~ some questions

[gray frog in manitoba]

Yesterday, while picking up some crickets my daughter and I saw a White's Tree frog, looking kind of lonely...too make a long story short he/she ended up coming home with us. I am wondering how often the substrate (I'm using Eko Terra Plantation Soil ~ Tropical Terranium Substrate) needs to be changed ~ I can't seem to find a firm answer...once a week? Less? Our Grays have been using reptile carpet, which I have now changed to this substrate as well. The enclose for the White's is 12 x 12 on the bottom and is 18 inches tall. He/she is about 3 inches long ~ not sure how old it is...anyone have any ideas of how old a White's this size would be? The staff at the store say they have been feeding it approx 10 large crickets every of other day....does this sound right? Gave it 10 last night, and all but one were eaten pretty quickly...the other was still there this morning. Any tips would be appreciated. Am going to try to attach a picture of our newest member.

[John]

I change my substrate about once every 2 months or so.

It looks like a wild caught adult. Which means it's a few years old probably. The feeding regimen sounds a bit much for an adult but you can always experiment. Make sure to gut load the crickets first and/or dust them with vitamin and mineral supplements. Kurt will probably tell you to take the frog to the vet to have it de-wormed.

[Kurt]

Kurt will probably tell you to take the frog to the vet to have it de-wormed.

What John said I would say.

[gray frog in manitoba]

Thanks John, was hoping changing the substrate would not be too much of a chore. I know really nothing about this type of frog. Can you tell me why you think it was wild caught? I live in Canada so know its not local! Is it common for these guys to be caught in the wild and sold into the pet trade? Also, I've done some reading on the temperature for these guys. Right now we're sitting at just over 90 towards the top of the tank, and just over 70 at the bottom. He has only been in this tank for about 5 hours, and so far as been sitting up towards the top. I am using a 60 watt red lite. Am not a big fan of the heating pads that stick to the sides (have found they don't really do much). Is it possible the heat will go down the longer it is on? Or after 5 hours is this how it will stay? Don't want to freeze him...but not sure what to do if the bottom doesn't warm up ~ is just over 70 a problem if there is a warmer area? Not sure if I should increase the watts if the bottom doesn't warm up, because I don't want him to cook if he goes up to the top. Or are they smart enought to move if they are not comfortable? Temperature for my Gray's doesn't seem to be that big of an issue.....guess I need to experiment ~ but if anyone can point me in the right direction that would be great. Thanks, Lisa

[John]

No one sells captive bred adults, that's why I think it's wild caught. I'll leave the other questions for Kurt since he's the White's expert.

[Kurt]

John suspects your frog is a wild caught Indonesian frog because of its size. Captive bred White's are generally sold as little guys, usually an inch or less in SVL.

The temperature of 90 °F seems a little excessive to me. I would turn it down a bit. 70 °F is ok at the bottom. Yes, they are smart enough to move when to hot or too cold.

Have you read our care article yet?

[gray frog in manitoba]

Hi Kurt,
Yes, I've looked at the care sheet a couple of times, which was making me ask about the temp. Yesterday I had this guy in a standard 12 inch height aquarium and the temperature at the bottom was hovering around 80 or so (not sure about the top, but he spent most of his time on the bottom). Makes me wonder if putting him back into a standard type tank would be easier for the heat distribution. This tank is 18 inches high...he is still sitting about 4 inches from the top. At the store he was in a very small enclosure by himself, maybe 10 x 6 and maybe 8 inches high...they had two 30 watt bulbs over him. If I move the light up further away am thinking it would make the bottom cooler ~ and thinking that isn't such a good idea. Here is hoping that he really is smart enough to know when he's had enough "rays". Will watch him for the next couple of days (when i can) and try to see where he spends most of his time. At the store they said he spent a lot of time in his water dish...maybe because he was cooking - not sure. Why do I keep thinking of him as a him??

[Kurt]

I think what you are doing is fine, though I am concerned the temperature of 90 °F may be too much. You could reduce the wattage of the bulb and use a heating pad at the same time if needed. I wouldn't let it drop below 70 during the day. Mid to upper 60's is fine at night.

White's are found over most of eastern Australia and most of the island of New Guinea. There is also introduced population is Florida and New Zealand. They are found in many different ecosystems, so they can deal very well with different conditions, such as temperature and humidity. So, try not to worry to much.