evening all

[spendday]

hey just thought id come take a look even though i currently dont have any frogs

nice to se some friendly screen names here already

.... OH and Woohoo first post by and english man

[John]

Heh welcome. Are you thinking of getting any frogs?

[spendday]

yeah on my wish list is

american green tree
oriental fire belly toads
tomato frogs

(not in the same vivarium mind you)

also i kinda like horned frogs but havent decided if i want one

im popping down to the reptile shop on my lunch to see if they have any american green tree frogs i can reserve

[John]

What do you like about American Green Treefrogs? I have seen them quite a bit in the wild and those ones always seem far happier and prettier than the ones I see for sale in captivity.

[spendday]

What do you like about American Green Treefrogs? I have seen them quite a bit in the wild and those ones always seem far happier and prettier than the ones I see for sale in captivity.

green tree frogs are high up on the list because

they are a hardy species of treefrog
nice colour
my house mate wants me to get some
nocturnal (i work all day)
i have been chatting to quite a few breeders and keepers here in the UK and as far as i understand it current thinking marks out 4 main reasons for darker coloured frogs: stress, temps too low, camouflage, poor lighting.

In my attempt to get the best out of my treefrogs and give them a good life i shall be:
Buying CB (im not really a fan of wild caught)
Giving them lots of room (probably an exo terra 45x45x60 or bigger)
using a matt on the side of the tank hooked up to a stat (current thinking suggests heat bulbs or ceramics dry out frogs and may cause stress)
Lots of hiding and climbing (the breeders and keeper i have spoken to have suggested a frog with lots foliage and braches/vines for climbing and hiding makes for more active frogs as the feel safer and more secure and spend less time hiding meaning you see more of them even though there are more thing that could obscure your view)
have a low wattage fluorescent 1.0/2.0 UV light. (it is currently unclear whether brighter lighting with a good day night cycle or the addition of UV lighting help with frog colouration but in my opinion low levels of UV can hurt.

The ones you see in the shops
Are probably wild caught
Stressed
Cramped
Possibly ill
And may not have the correct temps or good lighting

Disclaimer
Naturally most of this is from conjecture and other people experience rather than hard fact. And as with all amphibian keeping it is not an exact science

[tylototriton]

All the reasons you've listed are, I suspect, quite true. It all really come down to stress in captivity. Species like Green Tree Frogs suffer from it quite often. I often find that species like the ones this forum is more geared towards, are often far more content captives and very rarely get stressed. That being said, it sounds like you've done your research and have a pretty good plan as to how you're going to accommodate your new pets. I hope you'll have better luck with them then I ever had. Keep us updated.

Best of Luck,
Alex

[spendday]

All the reasons you've listed are, I suspect, quite true. It all really come down to stress in captivity. Species like Green Tree Frogs suffer from it quite often.

Im hoping a captive bred will have less stress related issues. also as ive read about these many sites suggest a 10 gallon tank minimum. this seems way to small fro me. these frogs may be small but i know they can be very active and jump quite a distance and 10 gallons just seems too small for that amount of movement.

i have read site that say things like "20 gallons can hold X number of frogs" i like this idea that says yes a good sized tank can hold a number of frogs but implies that even if u get less frogs it doesnt mean u can get a smaller tank

this all wont be happening for a few weeks (i have to finish project new anole vivarium first) but ill let everyone know when i start putting things into motion

[tylototriton]

Captive bred should have far less stress related issues, or at least suffer less from stress. Stressed wild caught animals often times will succumb to infections or parasites because they are weakened by the stress. In regards to tank size, you will often see information like that. You're very right, although quite small, GTFs can be very active, so more space is a plus; and no, formulas for tank occupancy rarely work. From what I can tell GTFs are not really territorial, so there is no minimum amount of space per frog. Theoretically you could keep quite a few in a 20 gal tank, but the denser the population the higher the risk for stress and infection. You have the right idea. Provide a comfortable enclosure and don't overstock it. That being said, the larger the enclosure the more food you will have to put in. In smaller, sparser enclosures it is easier for the frogs to find their food items; in larger, more densely planted tanks its going to be necessary to add more food items because it will become harder for the frogs to find the food. Just something to keep in mind.

Alex

[Jay Willis]

I sort of have some green tree frogs in captivity!

They get into My frog room to eat the loose crickets!!
Sure they don't live in a cage, but it's fun to see them haging on the walls like tiny green securety cameras!!

[spendday]

thanks for the support alex