Needing help on a frog my son just found.

[vnshirley]

Hi all. My son just found a frog on our roof inside a pvc air pipe. I have looked it up and I think it is a Gray Tree Frog. This seems to be only thing we can come up with online. I found your forum while searching. I personally do not like frogs but my son loves them. He now has a new pet. I have printed the info I found on this frog to help him in any way.

Right this minute I do not have the money to get everything he needs to make a proper home. Can anyone tell me what we can use around the house and yard to make his frog more comfortable and at home? We have a 20 gallon tall aquarium already. Just need to know how to fix it up for him.

Also wondering if someone can help with the species we have. Or if it is male or female. I am going to post pics of it to help out. We live in Central Louisiana and not sure which species lives here.

Many thanks to all who help,
Nikki and Skyler

[flybyferns]

You might want to go put the frog back where you found it ?
It's tempting , I know !

[DonLisk]

The care sheet can be found here: http://www.frogforum.net/content/gray-tree-frog-care-breeding-120/

I myself would return the frog to the place it was found. Stress is a big enemy of your frog since it opens them up to so many health issues. Not having a high and hidden or secure feeling and the new unusual sounds and sights will all have an effect on him.


If you decide its not going back to the wild, you will basically need a 20 gallon tank to start. The higher the better since they do live in trees. A few plants such as snake plant, a bromeliad, pothos, or creaping fig will work fine for him. NO fertilizers can go in so they have to be washed off and the fertilized soil removed and roots cleaned before putting in the tank.
The live plants help with keeping the humidity up since you are going to have to keep the tank at 60 percent humidity all the time.
Misting twice a day will help with this.

The tank needs to be where its quiet and dark at night. The substrate needs to be something safe as in digestible or not able to fit in the frogs mouth. Plantation soil or eco earth from a pet store would be my choice. Leafs can be boiled (Magnolia, Live Oak) and used also.
Your biggest issue is going to be feeding. Since he is small, fruit flies can be obtained from a local petco. If you purchase crickets they need to be smaller then the the width between the frogs eyes.
You must monitor his intake of food to determine he is eating. Feed in the evening.
If you feed crickets, a small bowl sunk into the dirt will allow you to put in crickets monitor what he eats. The crickets will also need to be dusted with calcium.


A lot to learn so I would read the care sheet above, look at some members photo albums for tank ideas, and ask questions as you think of them.

[Crikey]

The little dude should definitly go back. There are so many lovely captive bred frogs that you and your so can go pick out

[EJT97]

I agree, I no your son will be upset but its best for the frog, then once you get the money and have researched properly then get a captive breed frog.

[Louis Charles Bruckner]

I will also agree to put the frog back where you found it.
It is use to being in the wild, it will be very stressful for it to try to adjust to captivity.
And too much stress can kill a frog.

I strongly recommend that you let your son do some research on what kind of frog
he will like to take care of.
and get one that is captive bred that is so much better for the environment.
Currently wild fog populations are declining and need every bit of help we can give them.
Have him save up to get the correct enclosure and support equipment needed to keep the frog
happy and healthy.
I tried to rescue a american bull frog and sadly it did not acclimate to captive living.
My self I am waiting until my vivaruim is well stablished before I even get my frogs.
I just finished getting the water part of the enclosure squared away and some feeder
guppies are calling it home for now.
I plan on getting a few whites dumpy tree frogs for now.
I have been keeping aquariums for the last 20 years and have kept African dwarf frogs
along with some non aggressive fish like neon tetras , ottos , cherry barbs , emerald corys and amno shrimp.

I hope your son will understand that the wild frog may be really cool but it really wants to be
free.
Until you release it handle it as little as possible and make sure you wash and rinse your hands
very well before handling it.
Frogs are very sensitive creatures and can adsorb chemicals and perfumes though their skin.

Again please let your son do some research on what kind of frog he wants and what it needs to be
happy and healthy.
and let it be a birthday present or late christmas gift.

[UncleChester]

It's great that so many people are giving friendly advice. However it's probably a little late as the first post (and Lynn & Dons responses) was from over a year ago and Nikki and Skyler never bothered to respond with an update on what they ended up doing.

[EJT97]

Never realised that, haha, new to this forum, forgot the posts move topic to top! Haha

[sschind]

Granted its an old thread but the replies are still relevant to others in similar situations. If they use the search function rather than just make their own posts (which probably won't happen) they may run across this thread. Having said that I have to say that I in no way agree with all the "put him back" responses. I see absolutely no reason why a person should be made to feel guilty about keeping a very common and very easy to maintain frog as a pet even if it is a wild caught one.

Gray tree frogs, Green tree frogs and American toads are some of the most common amphibians found in America and they make some of the best captives. If you find one and you want to keep it and you can give it what it needs then by all means do so. Don't let someone guilt you into letting it go.

[EJT97]

Interesting as to why you think that sschind, surely if the wild caught frog would be stressed its better to let him free?

[poison]

Interesting as to why you think that sschind, surely if the wild caught frog would be stressed its better to let him free?

Grey tree frogs are a very hardy species and adapt well to captivity.

IMO its always best to get a cb frog especially if its your first. But if you find a frog and truly wanna keep it then do so IF you know what your doing.

[EJT97]

Good point

[sschind]

Interesting as to why you think that sschind, surely if the wild caught frog would be stressed its better to let him free?

Like poison says, gray trees adapt very well to captivity. I don't think it would be stressful at all for them if their needs are met.

[sschind]

Grey tree frogs are a very hardy species and adapt well to captivity.

IMO its always best to get a cb frog especially if its your first. But if you find a frog and truly wanna keep it then do so IF you know what your doing.

I don't think the average person could find a CB gray or green or american toad or any number of other commonly available WC species and I don't see any problem with keeping a few from the wild. I don't think it's necessarily better to pay $40.00 for a CBB red eye for example than it is to keep one of these easier to keep WC species. It's all in what you want and can afford and if you can't afford the CBB one you can get by very inexpensively with a WC one. Of course this will bring out the "if you can't afford to buy one how are you going to afford to keep one" argument which, in this case I think is total garbage.