Hopper is a BOY!!

[LisaGarcia]

I thought I would move this over to new thread as to not sidetrack off my viv build.

Last night, about 10 minutes after turning off the lights and checking in on Hopper (He pooped, bathed and ate a cricket!!) We hear the barking!! It was beautiful! I kinda teared up. I really missed that sound in my house!

So this morning, I go in to turn on the light and only 3 crickets left (I had put in 8) and Hopper is sound asleep in the coffee mug! Once I wake up a bit more and drink my coffee I will get the poop cleaned up and new paper towels.


Along with old water, what conditioner would you recommend?

[Frogman1031]

Seachem Prime is used by most members here.

Congrats on both your new frog and him being a boy ! He is adorable! And don't worry, my frogs are petco frogs and they have no problems! Hoping to see more pics soon!

[LisaGarcia]

Thanks Eli,

He was pretty active yesterday evening. He seems very healthy too. If not a little on the skinny side. He was soaking up those light bulb rays! LOL I will look out for that conditioner. I am heading to the pet store as soon as it opens.

[ColleenT]

congrats! i hope my tree frogs are male, or at least one of them is, so i can hear some chirping/singing when they grow up.

[LisaGarcia]

Thanks. I LOVE hearing them sing! My previous wtf's would sing when I laughed and it tickled supper hubby to no end! He misses them!

[LisaGarcia]

Hopper is Not the happiest of campers. I woke him up to clean his home. New towels, treated old water, a new dish and hide (He really didn't want to leave the coffee mug.) and fake plants to hide among. Everything washed before placing in there. I also got orange cricket food to feed the food lol He still has 3 in his dish. I will feed him again tonight in a new dish (cycle through two different food dishes.

[Frogman1031]

Your frog looks really adorable! Nice and plump too! Especially for coming from Petco! my female after coming home my female now!

How big is your tank? Looks like Hopper has lots of space to roam! When he is big enough, you can try feeding nightcrawlers. They are more nutritious than crickets and my two frogs love them!

[LisaGarcia]

Your girl is really pretty!

I am honestly really surprised at how healthy he seems too. He was in a tank that was probably 5 gallons with 4 other frogs! The few different people I have talked to in that dept seem to know the basics of frog care so I am pretty shocked. The guy who was there told me they have never had a sick frog in all the time he has worked there 8+ years. His fecal was solid and healthy looking. so that's a good thing. His color is bright and he very active.

Hopper is adolesent size I feel. He is probably about halfway to full size. He's eating medium size crickets. He ate 6 of them! The aquarium is the quarantine one for now. It's 20-25 gallons I think. I bought it in 2006 so I don't recall. It came with a divide already inserted into it to have one area water and the other land. i don't have it set up that way now though. The crickets go in a bowl in the small area to keep them there in case they escape the bowl. (Don't want them crawling on and biting Hopper.) The aquarium is not very high but it will work for now. I have a 36x18x36 exo-terra that I am working on getting put together for a viv. I jumped the gun on getting Hopper. I just couldn't leave him there anymore though. I held him, he looked at me, we connected. I have been in the store every week for cat or dog stuff and watched him and the 4 others in there grow from teeny tiny babies to the size they are now. I just couldn't go another week! lol I did stop at just one though! I wanted all of them!

I am currently baking, bleach soaking and rinsing (depending on what it is) everything so I can hopefully get the exo-terra together soon. I have 30 days minimum but the quarantine is big enough for Hopper to stay in there longer if needed.

[Frogman1031]

I wish i had taken a picture on the day i got mine. Must have been 9-10 frogs in that tank. Maybe more! I'm not surprised that the people who work there don't know about frog care. Qualifications: do you know what a dog is? Can you operate a cash register? Then you are a pet expert!

Halfway to full size for a male is about 1.5-2 inches. My male was bigger than my female for a while but now she is larger.

Have you been dusting the crickets?

Wow! Hopper is lucky to have such a big tank! I have been trying to convince my parents for a bigger tank but for now, my poor babies are stuck in that cramped 18x18x18 .

One thing i have noticed is that it takes a really long time for the petco frogs to not run away every time you get close. My female is still really skittish even after more than a year. But it looks like someone has been doing something right! He even has all of his toes!

[LisaGarcia]

Yea, Pet store people don't have to be the most knowledgable.

There would have been NO way I could have had a frog when I lived with my parents. I was lucky to have a hamster. (Many many years ago) Being a grown up does have some advantages. Maybe save up your money and ask if you paid for it, if you could get a bigger one??

Hopper isn't scared. He doesn't run. He definitely doesn't want to be "contained" though. Once the big viv is done and Hopper is settled in, we will get more. For now though we are good.

[LisaGarcia]

I wake up this morning and Hopper is in the same spot he was in when i went to bed last night. The water dish is low on water and the paper towels are a LOT wet.. I start second guessing weather or not he can climb over the divide from where I feed him crickets to the rest of the tank. I pick im up and put him in his water dish (He felt dry and I worried) I leave, drink my coffee, do my morning routine, go back to check on him and he is BACK in the feeding area! Little SNOT! I put in 3 crickets (THEY WERE SMALL) in the dish, lean the dish to the side and wait. He turns around, looks at them, creeps over to the dish and STRIKES! He inhaled ALL 3 at once!!! So, I leave him be, get ready for my day and check on him before getting breakfast. He's moved back over to the hanging plant and is just chillin'. He WANTED breakfast!! LOL I am thinking I will have to feed him 2-3 at night and another 2 in the morning.. APPARENTLY he LIKES to eat twice a day. Maybe I should change his name to Chomper? Maybe Jaws?

[Frogman1031]

He probably moves during the night. My frogs are always in the same place i leave them in when i wake up. But i can hear then jumping at night

[LisaGarcia]

I am sure he moved. I just thought it was funny how "new mom panic" I got. LOL The paper towels around his water dish were soaked, I KNOW he moved but I still panicked! That and the realization he was waiting for breakfast. LOL

[LisaGarcia]

I went and cleaned out Hoppers tank this evening. I cleaned out the "food" side first, putting the dish with dusted crickets in there as well. The minute I stood up Hopper FLEW from his hide INTO the bowl and promptly gobbled up 3 crickets! He sat in the bowl until I finished other side, laying new paper towels, washing the hide and water dish with HOT water and filling the dish back up with old treated water. When I left him alone, he was making his way over to the water bowl. Hopefully he will poop tonight. He didn't yesterday. :/

[LisaGarcia]

Alright everyone. Hopper is keeping me on my toes.. he only pooped that first night. I am starting to get worried. I went in there this afternoon and he was ROUND like a balloon!!

He is still active, hunting his pray, and frogging around..



After he ate 2 crickets he stopped and just sat in the corner for a bit.. ALL of a sudden he deflates! and PEES all over the fresh clean tank! So he is not longer round but he still has yet to poop. I put the larger glass bowl filled with water back in thinking he might not like the little bowl I got him..

Any Ideas? Oh and here's an action shot...




He is under two 5.0 exo terra bulb. The full spectrum ones that mimic daylight, a heat mat and the paper towels never get dry. I keep them moist. Giving them an extra wetting right before I leave for work in the morning. He eats 4-6 crickets at night and 3 in the morning. I am using treated old tap water (sat for at least 2 days).

You all know that once I post this and you all answer with helpful stuff he is going to poop tonight right?! How often are they supposed to poop? Daily?

[LisaGarcia]

As of this morning, still no poop. I will be picking up a night heat light today. I had an old one but it gave off a LOT of light. I think one of the blue ones will be better. I am also picking up a new combo meter. I think the ones currently in there are wrong.

[Mentat]

Hi Lisa! Would not worry about frog poop unless his right side is noticeable larger than left or frog stops eating. Are you using food supplements on crickets? Those Fluker's orange cricket cubes are their worst product. Recommend get quality cricket food (i.e. Repashy Bug Burger) or feed them carrots, lettuce, and cherios .

[LisaGarcia]

The orange cubes were all they had at the time. I will be ordering bug burger on payday. I was able to get the rapashy calcium plus. I have been dusting every feeding. 4 at night and 3 in the morning. The morning dusting is with the left over dust from the night before. He is still hungry ALL the time.. Has been "diving" for the crickets since I took the bowl out and getting mouthfulls of paper towels. I am wanting to put the bowl back in but he's currently all alone in there and I think he'll get bored. I picked up a new combo meter today and a night heat light, the National Geographic one. He was really cold to touch last night while cleaning out his tank. The humidity in my house is currently 54% and his paper towels are still damp so humidity wise I know he's ok. I just worry about the heat. I tend to be cold in anything under 75 degrees so I feel that he is too. I'll post an update once I clean out his tank tonight and feed him.

[Lija]

Lisa, if I were you I wouldn't waste my money on stuff to feed your crickets whatever you have in your fridge will do: carrots, oranges, etc. It is healthier too.

[LisaGarcia]

Potatos?? Supper hubby might have a cow if I slice up one of his precious oranges.. Will they eat the peel? Apples?? Just any fruit or veggie?