Introduction and questions

[Tidal]

Hi everyone

For the past few months I've been considering getting some frogs and have spent a lot of time reading books and care sheets, and forums to see what experiences other people have had. At first I was drawn to golden dart frogs and the elaborate vivariums people create for them. Some day I hope to keep some, but as I have no prior experience with amphibians I'd like to begin with a less demanding species and see how things go. I think Gray tree frogs would be a good species to start with, and I'm considering getting several, perhaps three or four to have a mix of personalities.

The first thing I'll need to decide is what kind of enclosure to get. I've found two possible options. The first is an Exo Terra glass terrarium with dimensions of 18" x 18" x 24". The other is a VivExotic wood vivarium with dimensions of 36" x 18.5" x 21", nearly twice as large as the Exo Terra although slightly less tall. Even the 48" version of the VivExotic is about the same price as the Exo Terra. Would a wood vivarium be suitable for gray tree frogs, or is glass a much better choice despite the smaller size?

I'll probably have many other questions later, but understanding this one would be of great help for now. I'm looking forward to learning all that I can from the forum.

[Sierra]

I think that glass is better for tree frogs, but as long as you are able to maintain it, I think wood would be fine. Tree frogs will always enjoy height over width. I have a 18x18x24 Exo Terra and I love it. The maintenance is really easy. I know this probably isn't much help, but as long as you make sure there is enough space for the amount of frogs you are going to have, and that there is substantial height, your frogs will be happy! Have you considered a Whites tree frog?

[Tidal]

Hi Sierra. The Exo Terra does look easiest to maintain. Is the glass pretty strong? I did read about various species and ultimately gray tree frogs appeal to me the most.

[Kurt]

I would go with glass, as wood may not agree with the humidity. Also Exoterra makes even bigger enclosures. Either way make sure the frogs have plenty of ventilation.

[Sierra]

I've never had any problems with the glass not being strong enough, so you should be covered there

[Mentat]

Welcome to Frog Forum Tidal! Are you in the UK? Ask because visited the VivExotic site and those vivariums are made in UK. From there website read they are made from processed chipboard and laminated with melamine (a plastic). They do recommend that you seal your vivarium with silicon once constructed to prevent chipboard from swelling and make it waterproof. Have not lifted one; but in my experience all processed wood products are heavier than natural wood of similar size and thickness.

Glass made terrariums like Exo-Terras are sturdy, relatively lightweight (compared to same size glass aquariums and wood vivariums), and can even hold a few inches of water if desired. They do cost more but sometimes can be bought on sale or maybe find a used one in good condition. Good luck!

[UncleChester]

The Vivexotic mentions the "toughened glass", this is the stuff you use when there's a reasonable chance of your face going through it. It's stronger for its thickness compared to plate glass and it shatters if broken which is much safer if you break it with your face. This is the stuff they'll use on doors to your home, but not on your typically sized window in a home. Unless you plan on doing some gymnastics near your vivarium, the plate glass in the exoterra is just fine. I think Vivexotic over-emphasizes how awesome it is for this application, but this is from the point of view of someone who is old enough to know better than to play football (soccer) in his livingroom.

The vents in the Vivexotic seem small, they say they provide "optimum temperature and humidity levels", but don't mention for what critter. I'd want to know what they consider "optimum" and if you'll need to do any adjustments. Treefrogs need lots of ventilation, I suppose you can always add little fans to improve this if necessary. Not properly sealing the ends of the wood in the Vivexotic will lead to an ugly disaster in time. Assuming you can work with these potential difficulties, I don't see any other problems with these. I'd take the 3" drop in height for the drastic increase in size for the dimensions you are considering. One of the taller options would be better though. You might want to find some people who have used Vivexotic vivariums for a few years to see how they've held up.

Good luck! I have 3 gray treefrogs myself, and they're pretty awesome- the loudness of the male calling would be my only concern if you had thin walls and sensitive neighbours..

[Tidal]

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I've decided to go with the exo terra, not only for the convenience of glass but because most everyone else uses them so it will be easier to learn from experiences others have had with maintaining them. I even found a store nearby which sells them far cheaper than anywhere on the internet, and also has a nice selection of frog books at half the price of Amazon. It sounds like I might have to wait until March before any frogs will be available, but that gives me plenty of time to get set up.