hello

[phil7870]

hello im new here and new to frogs i have a unused 12" x 12" x 18" exoterra and i am looking to put a frog in it .it will have to do it for life are at least for a year because in a year my 2 20 gallons are freeing up . any one any ideas i wont get one tell i have done a ton of research . are they hard to care for .i seen a frog with red eyes could i house that in that exo terra

[Kurt]

Welcome aboard. Personally I would put clown treefrogs, Dendropsophus leucophyllatus in that enclosure. See pic below. They stay small so they would work out well. Red-eyed leaf frogs, Agalychnis callidryas would be ok temporarily, but they get too big to be permanent residents in your enclosure. I keep both species myself.

[tylototriton]

Welcome to the Forum!
Dendrosophus leucophyllota are an excellent choice. Any small arboreal species will work well in that sort of setup because they'll utilize the height. Also, with smaller species they allow you to more artisitically plant and decorate without worrying about all your hard work getting destroyed.

Alex

[phil7870]

do these take much care .temps humdity substrat feeding

[phil7870]

do i just house one or more how big are they .are they active .

[tylototriton]

They are a tropical species (Costa Rica) so around room temperature would work. They require moderate humidity, but the Exoterra is perfect for maintaining that humidity. Substrate is any soil that grows plants well, make sure you have drainage in it. The like plants, think tall and large leaved. Crickets make feeding easy. You could probably get away with a pair in that tank and I think they're pretty active, at least around dusk. If you get them go for older individuals, its too difficult to start off with babies because of how fragile they are and the size of food they require. Hope that helped, we'd all be happy to add more on their care if you like.

Alex

[phil7870]

no heat need at all what bout plants what ones are ok could i just use plastic ones

[phil7870]

wat about posion dart frogs

[tylototriton]

You could use plastic ones but its just as easy and probably cheaper to just go pick up some cheap ornamental house plants. As for poison dart frog's, I probably wouldn't start with those. The issue is that they are difficult to feed. You really can't go out and buy fruit flies, you have to culture them. Also, in general PDFs are really great starter frogs.

Alex

[phil7870]

i was looking and i reeli like red eye tree frogs

[tylototriton]

You could probably put a couple younger Red Eyed Tree Frogs in that tank. As they grew into adulthood you would probably need to find them a larger tank. Their care is much like that of Dendrosophus luechophyllota that I talked about above.

Alex

[John]

Welcome to the forum!

[Kurt]

Red-eyes are nice. I have four of them, but as mentioned earlier they will out grow your enclosure. They are also very nocturnal. So during the day they will be sleeping until the lights go out. Clowns are little bit more active during the day and stay small, just a little over an inch or so. Most in the trade are wild caught, so it would be good to treat them for gastrointestinal parasites. There is also a giraffe phase of clown treefrog, but I have never seen it for sale.

Alex had mentioned drainage, this can be done using a false bottom in your enclosure. There is a really good book from TFH on dart frogs by Amanda and Greg Sihler, that shows one how to make one.

Speaking of darts if really want to keep them then the ones you should look at are Dendrobates tinctorius, D. auratus, D. leucomelas, and D. "azureus". They are hardy "beginner's" dart frogs. You will have to culture fruit flies though. See the previously mentioned book. Fruit fly cultures can be bought on-line or at Petco.

Of course, my first choice for you would be treefrogs like clown treefrogs. I have been seeing plenty for sale at Kingsnake.com in the classified section. Been really tempted to get more.

My clowns are fed small crickets and "large" fruit flies (Drosophila hydei) which I culture myself. If you do it right, you will only have to buy fruit flies once. Since I have a "brown" thumb, I use plastic plants in all my enclosures. For some reason I have a tough time keeping plants alive.

[Kurt]

They are a tropical species (Costa Rica) so around room temperature would work.

Alex,
Is it possible that you are confusing Dendropsophus leucophyllatus with Dendropsophus ebraccatum (see pic below)? My field guide for Costa Rica shows ebraccatum, but not leucophyllatus. I also remember reading an article in Reptiles sometime ago that said that Dendropsophus leucophyllatus was a common species from Peru.
So sorry for being a nitpicker.

[tylototriton]

You are correct.

[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.