hello

[Kurt]

I just thought of another good frog(s) for you to keep in that enclosure, Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis - the tiger-legged monkey frog. I recommend it over the previously mentioned frogs. They are small enough for your enclosure and they are extremely hardy. I have had mine for almost 10 years now. He is really cool. That's him below. Being a monkey frog they grasp branches when they climb, really cool. I feed mine small crickets.

[phil7870]

about food whatever it eats i think i'll culture because the pet shop in my town sells bad cricket . i like that monkey frog .how much would i pay for any of the above frog .(i no it wil be different i just want an idea )

[phil7870]

in a year i'll have 2 20 gallons freeing up so that might help

[tylototriton]

Any of the aforementioned treefrogs run between $25 and $40 dollars. I say go with the treefrog. Crickets are an easy food source to work with and are far less labor intensive than fruit flies. Dartfrogs can usually start at around $30 and work their way up from there. All in all, go with a tree frog. Darts are nice but can be consume a lot of time and present some challenges for new keepers.

Alex

[jody]

what do you mean about bad crickets? I try to buy crickets a day or two ahead of feeding so I can gut load them with good food and a calcium water gel because they are always thirsty. then dust them with tree frog dust or calcium. If I manage to feed a batch of crickets for several days, I May feed without dusting. leaving a soda cap of food and gel so that they live in the tank with the frogs a few days. I have places to catch wild grasshoppers. the guy doesn ever spray, and during the summer my frogs get very healthy and prefer them over crickets. I do too because they make no noise.

[jody]

im interested in the tiger leged monkey frog thanks to your description and photo Kurt. can you post pictures of his encosure, and tips on how to keep one happy?

[Kurt]

I don't have a digital camera so I can't take pics of the enclosure. The photos of my frogs that you see here and in my profile were taken by a professional photographer for a book.

My monkey has lived in a Rubbermaid box since day one. Its one of those 12 quart snap top boxes. Despite the fact that he has lived there for so long without problems, I would not recommend this type of enclosure for treefrogs. (A monkey frog is a type of a treefrog) Treefrogs do better with good ventilation and Rubbermaid boxes just can't provide that.

The box has holes drilled in the sides and top for ventilation, and the substrate is sphagnum moss. He has a plastic plant to hang in and a water bowl he can soak in. He is fed 1/4" crickets. I have tried feeding him Drosophila hydei (the larger fruit flies) but he was annoyed by them. He had no interest in eating any.

Monkey frogs are in the family Hylidae (the treefrogs) and in the same subfamily as the red-eyed leaf frog, Phyllomedusinae (leaf and monkey frogs). Phyllomedusinae are extremely nocturnal and in my experience red-eyes are the worst in this way. If you wake up a red-eye to feed it, he/she will just go back to sleep first chance it gets and will not eat till its dark. This is one of the reasons I don't recommend them as first frogs. I have seen calcium deficiencies in red-eyed leaf frogs. I think this is mainly because by the time they wake up to feed the crickets have managed to clean themselves of the vitamin/calcium powder. Tiger-legged monkeys are little bit better. I have seen mine eat after it has been awakened and it can be in the middle of the day and he will still eat.

[jody]

the place I hunt for insects is private property. they raise koi, and never spray. and in fact since I have been hunting them in their unsprayed horse pastures they have made their farm frog and toad friendly, and are happy to see them in their organic gardens.

[Kurt]

You're welcome.

[Kurt]

Tiger-legged monkey frogs usually go for around $25 on average. They are a very good place to start.

Your 20 gallons would be good for red-eyes, or better yet White's treefrog, Litoria caerulea. White's are a good pet frog, but they will need more room then you can presently accommodate. They are not as colorful as the tiger-legged monkey, red-eyed, or clown treefrogs but they have outgoing personalities and tolerate handling better than most frogs. They are readily available, and I see them all the time at Petco. They are probably the best first frog, but again they need a little bit more room than the previously mentioned treefrogs. They are also known as dumpy treefrogs, as some of them can get quite fat.

Here is a pic of one of mine. I have two of them.