Minimum size container for 1.5" gray tree frog?

[icywtk]

I'm in MI and I found a gray tree frog on my hose as I was unwinding the coils. My 7yo dd is smitten with it and wants to keep it for a family pet. I made a terrarium for it using my plastic Exo Terra Faunarium, which is about 6.5"l x 10.5"w x 7"h. It SEEMS like a large enough container for such a small frog, but I've read in a couple places since then that at least a 10-gallon tank is recommended. Can someone confirm this, and if so, help me understand why such a small frog needs that much space (so I can explain it to my dd)? I don't see how we can keep it if it needs that size tank plus a lid, unless we got lucky and find one quickly at a garage sale, because the ones that I saw with lids were $50 or more...

Also, I got 15 crickets for a dollar at the pet supplies store. Can I just put them all in with the frog, or do I have to give one at a time? If it's the latter, I guess I need somewhere to keep the buggers in the meantime...hmm. They had a small size and large size, I got the small, but no idea if that's what I was supposed to get? They're about a centimeter long.

Thanks for the help!

Dawn

[LizardMama]

Gray Tree Frogs make for wonderful pets! They like a lot of head space as they climb more than they sit on the soil. You'll need more than 15 crickets, 1 of mine goes through 4 crickets a day/night (I have three). $50 for a 10 gallon tank? Look around as I know that they cost much less than that in stores. The store near me prices their 10 gallons for $15 and they include a free top

[UncleChester]

That's like a 2 gallon tank? Waaaay to small. Try living in your bathroom for a week, you'll start to feel pretty cramped. Fitting in a space isn't the same as being comfortable in it. They need as much vertical space as you can provide. Outside, I almost never find them below waist height, and usually they are over my head, and occasionally I've spotted them over 4m up (~12 feet). They're safe(r) from predators up high and come with the instinct to climb, so need much more than 7" of vertical space. I wouldn't want to house an adult in anything shorter than 20" and the higher, the better.

I'd set it free if I were you, until you've found proper housing for one and are ready to take on a commitment that can last several years. You can take your time finding a bargain tank and setting up a proper home with your daughter. General rule is to have the accommodation before you have the pet.

On the plus side, 'wild' grays (the ones living around buildings) tend to find perches they like and can often be found in the same locations day after day. For example, there's a gray living outside my place that I've found on the same door frame every day for about the past two weeks. At night he wanders off, but he always returns by morning. Some days he even trills. A fun game for you and your daughter could be a daily game of 'find the gray treefrog in our yard'. No guarantees it will stay around, but you might turn up something else awesome in the search.

[icywtk]

OK, letting him go tomorrow. Thanks for the info. Darn cute little guy, hope we can find him/one again when we're ready.


[QUOTE=UncleChester;115533] I'd set it free if I were you, until you've found proper housing for one and are ready to take on a commitment that can last several years. You can take your time finding a bargain tank and setting up a proper home with your daughter. General rule is to have the accommodation before you have the pet.