hello

[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]

thanks mr kurt, and welcome 7870.

[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.

[phil7870]

i still cant figure out which one to get its very hard to decide

[Kurt]

i still cant figure out which one to get its very hard to decide

Well, with your small enclosure it comes down to two choices, the tiger-legged monkey frog and the clown treefrog. I think the monkey is just a little bit tougher than the clown treefrog, so maybe you might want to lean that way.

[tylototriton]

I've got to agree with Kurt. Dumpys are the "standard" starter treefrog, except for maybe Greens (Hyla cinerea). You could only keep Dumpys in a 20G. I'll differ to Kurt about the choice between the species, he has more experience with those specific ones. Both are decent choices though. I'm kind of a sucker for the Harlequins. Whichever you decide, be very careful about your source. There are plenty of places to find frogs, some quite a bit reputable than the rest. Either try to find a breeder or a dealer that is knowledgeable about amphibians. Also, always go for captive bred. Captive bred animals are far better for so many reasons that I won't even go into it. Also, try not to get young animals. Lots of online places offer very recently morphed animals. They are less expensive, but they require smaller food sources (fruit flies, etc) which are harder to obtain and they are more apt to die (fragile would be the more correct term). The older specimens are slightly more expensive but they can take larger crickets and are hardier than the young ones.

Alex

[Kurt]

What do you mean by harlequins? We are not talking Atelopus are we?