Filled with air?

[Pandamanda111]

Is s/he able to climb on the fake plant? These are tree frogs so they want to be up and if they dont have that then it can cause stress which can lead to illness. What sort of moss? Is it frog moss (carpet moss) or loose moss? Loose moss can lead to impaction if ingested.

I'm not sure about the moss, the reptile/amphibian store told us to get it because it releases water if it isn't humid enough.

Hmm...I'm a little worried now! He always sleeps in his cave! Should I remove it so he goes up on the plant?

[S13]

Wow, he is a chunky butt LOL!

[InfinitysDaughter]

Well I'll be honest. 20 a week dosn't seem like a lot to me because Azy eats about 6 a day. But she is really REALLY active so she works it off pretty fast. And 2.5? Hes about half an inch longer then Azy, he should really be in a 20 gallon. It looks like you dont have any large branches or drift wood for him to climb on. Azy dosn't like to climb the walls of her tank for the same reason, too wet so she slides down. But shes all over her drift wood.

As for the moss, I'd take it out all together. Its really not safe. If your worried about humidity (in the small tank, you shouldn't be, but if you get the larger one you might have some issues) I'd get whats called frog moss, or carpet moss. Its a solid piece of moss that is nearly impossible for them to ingest.


For the short term, until you can look into a 20 gal tank (look online. you might be able to find a slightly used one cheep ), I'd get a piece of wood that is as wide as he is that you can set somewhat diagonal in his tank from top to bottom and encourage him to climb on it (angle it more horizontal diagonal rather then vertical diagonal). If he realizes he has something to climb on then he'll probably start being active at night which will help work off that extra weight. And Omar is right, cut down on the crickets at least for a short term. When he starts loosing weight and you get him into a larger tank you can maybe give him some more but only if hes extra active. Normal whites shouldn't eat as much as Azy does.

[NatureLady]

I would dare say your Ollie is overweight. My biggest thoughts from your thread are that you need a bigger tank with more chances to climb and a change in feeding habits. I also think that you need to change the bedding/substrate material in whatever tank Ollie is in. Bark chunks like those in the (SUPER ADORABLE) frogbutt picture can pose a concern for impaction. Especially since you allow Ollie to hunt his food (I did read that, right?). Impaction can lead to even bigger froggy problems.

[Bolisnide]

First I'd like to say that you are welcome on the forum and that everyone here only wants what's best for your frog. Please don't take anything personally. You've had your frog for a while, and that is definitely a good sign that most things in his enclosure are fine. But to ensure his long life and health, the advice above should be followed.

I agree that your frog is a little on the heavy side, though I've seen fatter! It's really not healthful for the frog to be overweight. I feed my adult whites's 3 appropriately sized crickets (about the size of between his eyes) every other day, and a red wiggler about once per week. And he's borderline over weight. I also dust with Repashy Calcium plus every other feeding.
I have my frog in a 33 gallon tall tank (exo-terra 18x18x24). He gets lots and lots of excercise at night climbing on the branches and vines I have in there. I also have 3 snake plants, a pothos, and one ficus that he has beat up pretty bad with all his jumping around. Your white's would appreciate some extra verticle space. Craigslist is a great resource for used enclosures/aquariums. And as Omar has said, you can turn a horzontal tank on side for the xtra height.

And, as others before me have said, get rid of the moss and bark as those pose an impaction risk. White's dive bomb for their food and always inevitibly eat some substrate. A good substrate (I've found) is the coco fiber and leaf litter atop that. You can find live oak leaf litter at www.Joshsfrogs.com and www.blackjungle.com. Carpet moss (the kind that grows like carpet on the enclosure floor) is really wonderful, but I have never been able to keep it alive...
Also, invest in a $2.00 Hygrometer. It's important for white's to have the proper humidity.... not too high and not too low (about 70 degrees). I live in a very desert climate, and only need to mist twice or three times per day (during the colder months, when I run a ceramic heater, I mist more oftern).

So, if your frog is pooping and eating, I don't believe his big belly is caused from impaction... he could be retaining water from high humidity?

Anyway, good luck! He is so adorable! If you have any other questions, this is the place to ask. I've learned a lot from this forum!

[S13]

I think moss could be wonderful if you take precautions. Like for example, I feed out of the glass bowl so crickets cant escape, thus no risk of my frogs taking moss to the face while munching.

[Bolisnide]

I think moss could be wonderful if you take precautions. Like for example, I feed out of the glass bowl so crickets cant escape, thus no risk of my frogs taking moss to the face while munching.

Yes, that is very true... Thanks for adding that point!

[Pandamanda111]

I will definitely beg my parents, but I'm not sure if they'll go for anything over 10 gallons I can try though! Maybe I'll save up, just for my little olliefrogboy a few questions:
-how after should I do a complete cleaning of his terrarium?
-do I need to get driftwood,mor is some sort of fake wood or something okay? I have a cave for him, which he climbs on.
-how do you guys plant live plants in the terrarium? You must need a lot of substrate!
-what do you guys use for heating? Ollie's terrarium has a hood with one purple (heat) bulb, and one white lightbulb.

Feel free to give me any advice, I'd really appreciate it. I won't take anything personally, you guys are very kind and helpful!
thanks a ton!

Ps-I do get quite a kick out of his chubby little bottom!

[Pandamanda111]

The crickets in a glass bowl idea is a good one! How would Ollie climb in though? It would either be too high for him to get in, or too low and the bugs would get out. Right?

[Bolisnide]

Do you mean, cleaning of the new tank? if so, I used a very diluted solution of bleach and water (like 1/2 cap bleach in a gallon of water). Rinse, Rinse, Rinse, let air dry several days..
I bought the drift wood for aquariums for my tank. Some suggest you bake it a low temps, though I never did that. I just rinsed well and let air dry.
I have plants in the substrate and in pots. The thing with live plants is you need to rinse very well (including the roots) to get the fertilizer off the plant and vermiculite out of the soil. It's easier to plant in a clean pot with coco fiber. Don't put in your vivarium for maybe a couple weeks to ensure the fertilizer and pesticides are out.
For heating I use both a ceramich heat emitter (on very cold nights) and a UTH (under tank heater) stuck to the side of the tank on the outside. My frog hates any kind of light at night, so I don't use the purple or red lights at night.
For the glass bowl feeding method, you only need a small glass bowls (like 2 inches high at most and 2 inch diameter), amazingly the crickets don't know how to get out, and if they do, they always end up back in the bowl. This is a great way to monitor your frog's food intake and ensure he won't eat any substrate. I personally feed my frog with my fingers, for me it's easier...
As far as afording a larger enclosure. I have seen some really good deals in the paper and craigslist on used aquariums. Just browse the classifieds occasionally and see if anything shows up!
Hope this helps, and if any others have better/additional advise, please chime in!
Hope this helps answer yoru questions.

[Pandamanda111]

Do you mean, cleaning of the new tank? if so, I used a very diluted solution of bleach and water (like 1/2 cap bleach in a gallon of water). Rinse, Rinse, Rinse, let air dry several days..
I bought the drift wood for aquariums for my tank. Some suggest you bake it a low temps, though I never did that. I just rinsed well and let air dry.
I have plants in the substrate and in pots. The thing with live plants is you need to rinse very well (including the roots) to get the fertilizer off the plant and vermiculite out of the soil. It's easier to plant in a clean pot with coco fiber. Don't put in your vivarium for maybe a couple weeks to ensure the fertilizer and pesticides are out.
For heating I use both a ceramich heat emitter (on very cold nights) and a UTH (under tank heater) stuck to the side of the tank on the outside. My frog hates any kind of light at night, so I don't use the purple or red lights at night.
For the glass bowl feeding method, you only need a small glass bowls (like 2 inches high at most and 2 inch diameter), amazingly the crickets don't know how to get out, and if they do, they always end up back in the bowl. This is a great way to monitor your frog's food intake and ensure he won't eat any substrate. I personally feed my frog with my fingers, for me it's easier...
As far as afording a larger enclosure. I have seen some really good deals in the paper and craigslist on used aquariums. Just browse the classifieds occasionally and see if anything shows up!
Hope this helps, and if any others have better/additional advise, please chime in!
Hope this helps answer yoru questions.

Thanks for that helpful reply!
for cleaning, I actually meant after the frog is already in. how often should I take everything out and wash it?
Do I have to use live plants, or can I do fake?
The problem isn't the enclosure's price, it's the size. We have no room for a 20 gallon tank for him! we'll see what we can do, but I'm afraid 10 gallons will be the best we can do right now.

[Bolisnide]

Oh, sorry!
Well, you should spot clean daily (pick up any poop you see right away with a tissue). And to be honest, the only time I've ever taken apart my vivarium was in January because on of my white's died suddenly. I cleaned everything as a precation. but, my vivarium is kind of it's own eco system. So I actually do not want to mess up the natural organisms that have developed in the enclosure. I have several live plants and worms in my substrate, and as long as there is no foul odor, I have not needed to do a full cleaning, except that one time.
Live plants are not necessary, but I've found that it is necessary for the natural ecosystem. they also help maintain humidity. If you use only fake plants, you may need to do a complete cleaning every six months? But I don't know for sure. Others will have to step in on that issue.
And if you can only get a 10 gallon, get a verticle one so your frog can spend some time climbing... But you'd be surprised, a 20 gallon isn't that much bigger and can easily fit on a dresser or table when standing verticly.

[Pandamanda111]

Oh, sorry!
Well, you should spot clean daily (pick up any poop you see right away with a tissue). And to be honest, the only time I've ever taken apart my vivarium was in January because on of my white's died suddenly. I cleaned everything as a precation. but, my vivarium is kind of it's own eco system. So I actually do not want to mess up the natural organisms that have developed in the enclosure. I have several live plants and worms in my substrate, and as long as there is no foul odor, I have not needed to do a full cleaning, except that one time.
Live plants are not necessary, but I've found that it is necessary for the natural ecosystem. they also help maintain humidity. If you use only fake plants, you may need to do a complete cleaning every six months? But I don't know for sure. Others will have to step in on that issue.
And if you can only get a 10 gallon, get a verticle one so your frog can spend some time climbing... But you'd be surprised, a 20 gallon isn't that much bigger and can easily fit on a dresser or table when standing verticly.

That's true...is there a good one on petsmart.com that you would recommend?

[Pandamanda111]

What's the rule of thumb for frogs? Is it one per 10 gallons?

[Bolisnide]

I believe 10 gallons per frog is the 'rule', but white's get big and (in my opinion) need lots of climbing space, and enough room to fully hop around...

This would be ideal (this is what I have), and correction from previous post, it's actually 29 gallons:
Zoo Med Naturalistic Terrarium- 18x18x24 - Reptile - Sale - PetSmart
This may be fine (it's 11 gallons):
Zoo Med Naturalistic Terrarium- 12x12x18 - Reptile - Sale - PetSmart

The exo-terra's are great because they open from the front very easily. You could turn a 10 gallon fish tank (you can find those pretty easily for pretty inexpensive) on it's side for verticle space. I believe that size would be 12x10x24 high..., but I'm going to stand my ground and NOT reccomend anything smaller than the 18x18x24, even for one white's... some may disagree with me.

[Pandamanda111]

Do they prefer to be in groups? if someone had the 29, could they have 2?

[Bolisnide]

Do they prefer to be in groups? if someone had the 29, could they have 2?

They don't need to be in groups. But yes, you could have 2 (at the most) white's in an 18x18x24. Just be sure to quarantine for at least 30 days before housing them together, and be sure they are of similar size.

[Pandamanda111]

Do they get lonely?

[Bolisnide]

Do they get lonely?

No. I don't know anything about other species of frogs, but I know for sure that white's don't experience emotions like humans do. They don't get sad or lonely. they don't feel happy or love....
They do experience stress, and possibly fright.
Your frog isn't lonely.
Having more than one frog just makes the vivarium more interesting for us, the frog keepers

[Pandamanda111]

Oh, cool. Thanks
ill see what I can do about the terrarium size.