No frog knowledge at all!

[Athenax3]

So we have this little green tree frog my little girl found in the backyard. We had been discussing keeping one as a pet and suddenly one jumped on her face, lol...anyway, I've got a ten gallon glass tank with screen mesh lid, I bought some coconut husk substrate at the pet store, and my daughter gathers some nice size rocks and things from where she found the frog, along with a few small branches for climbing. For now we've just sort of tossed things together, I was afraid of stressing the little guy out (well, my daughter calls him "Isabella", ugh) anyway, I need some straighforward laymans terms advice about how to put this tank together properly and what I can feed the little thing. Can we catch bugs in the yard and feed it those? I have well water, is that safe for him ,my husband laughed at this question as he drills wells and apparently one of their favorite places is inside the well tank, but still, we add a bit of salt to ours to soften the water a bit, so I wonder if that will be okay. Does he need a heating source? We're in florida, so it's warm even in the house, it's rarely ever lower than 75 degrees or so, keeping the tank humid with a few sprays from a water bottle daily shouldn't be an issue, but I'm not sure how hot they need to be. and finally if I do have to feed him crickets can I feed him those "Canned crickets" I saw at the pet store or must they be alive? sorry, I know it's a lot or questions!
We want to keep the tank in my daughters room for now, as he or she seems quiet for the moment, and she loves looking at him/her, but this morning I put the tank on the covered porch for a bit to get a little heat/humidity.

[KingCam]

So we have this little green tree frog my little girl found in the backyard. We had been discussing keeping one as a pet and suddenly one jumped on her face, lol...anyway,

Congratulations! :P Do you happen to know what species the frog is? Can you post a photo of your new friend?

I've got a ten gallon glass tank with screen mesh lid, I bought some coconut husk substrate at the pet store, and my daughter gathers some nice size rocks and things from where she found the frog, along with a few small branches for climbing.

The bedding sounds fine, and I'm sure a 10 gallon will be fine. Even though your frog is wild caught it still may be a good idea to sterilize decorations you get from outside. Rocks can be boiled, sticks can be baked at 350F for like 30min-1hr. Of course, be sure the decorations have cooled to room temperature before placing them in the enclosure with your frog!

For now we've just sort of tossed things together, I was afraid of stressing the little guy out (well, my daughter calls him "Isabella", ugh)

Stress is a definitely possibility right now, but I'm sure your frog will settle in nicely.

I need some straighforward laymans terms advice about how to put this tank together properly

If you could provide some photos of what you've got so far I could maybe give you some tips on what to do differently. You want the substrate to be somewhat moist, not soggy by any means, just moist enough not to dry out your frog's delecate wet skin. Provide a large water dish for your frog. Provide plants (I think live are best, but plastic will work), branches, and lots of hiding areas. If you put black or dark colored paper on the back and sides of the tank it will make your new friend feel more secure and reduce its stress levels. You will want to have a warm & cool side to your tank, these temperatures will depend on what species of frog you have.

what I can feed the little thing. Can we catch bugs in the yard and feed it those?

Wild caught insects are risky if you live in an area where pesticides and fertilizers are used a lot. I catch moths on my porch at night for my grey tree frogs, and (fingers crossed) nothing bad has ever happened. If you're going to buy feeders get crickets. Do not feed your frog super worms, wax worms, or meal worms. These worms have lots of shell, very little meat, and aren't very nutritious. This can cause impaction (constipation) in your frog, which can lead to more serious health issues and even death. If you are going to breed your own food (which is what I reccommend if you find yourself feeding more than a couple of frogs) I would suggest roaches.

Yuck! I know. I hate roaches, too, but I breed them for my critters because they are easier, cleaner, and less smelly than breeding crickets. They reproduce like crazy and will eat pretty much anything. The biggest advantage is that they don't chirp like crickets and they are way more nutritious.

I like to use forceps (tongs) to feed my frogs, because now they understand that I am their food source. They happily greet me when I walk in the room by crowding up at the front of their tanks waiting to be fed.

Also, get a $25 wall outlet timer! It makes things so much easier when you don't have to remember to turn your frog's light on in the mornings and off at night.

I have well water, is that safe for him ,my husband laughed at this question as he drills wells and apparently one of their favorite places is inside the well tank, but still, we add a bit of salt to ours to soften the water a bit, so I wonder if that will be okay.

Well water would typically be okay, but I really don't know about the salt content. Better wait for someone more knowledgable to answer that. I think I would go with bottled spring water from the store for now. Don't use distilled water, it will actually leech vitamins and minerals from your frog's skin if your frog soaks in it. I do mist my tanks with distilled water because it doesn't leave water marks all over everything. Misting with distilled = ok. Water bowl with distilled = NOT ok. And of course tap water is a no-no. Frogs do not tolerate chlorine and other chemicals found in tap water. If you find yourself needing to use tap water you will want to treat it with tap water conditioner which you can obtain at any petstore or order online.

Does he need a heating source? We're in florida, so it's warm even in the house, it's rarely ever lower than 75 degrees or so, keeping the tank humid with a few sprays from a water bottle daily shouldn't be an issue, but I'm not sure how hot they need to be.

Again, that depends on the species. Probably you won't need to provide much heat. Just a low watt incadescent on one side of the cage will probably be sufficient.

and finally if I do have to feed him crickets can I feed him those "Canned crickets" I saw at the pet store or must they be alive?

They will need to be alive. If you ever get your frog used to eating from forceps it may be possible to "trick" it into eating dead food, but until then your frog will almost certainly only accept things that move. Frogs can detect movement very well, and that is what triggers their feeding response (that and tickly feelings on their noses :P). When you mist your tank you might even notice your frog lunging at water droplets when they move XD

sorry, I know it's a lot or questions!

That's what we're all here for, no worries Good luck!!!

We want to keep the tank in my daughters room for now, as he or she seems quiet for the moment, and she loves looking at him/her, but this morning I put the tank on the covered porch for a bit to get a little heat/humidity.

Be careful about putting your frog outside in a little glass box. It's very easy to end up with a cooked frog if it gets too hot outside or if the tank gets any direct sun exposure at all. It would probably be much less stressful to the frog to just leave his tank in one place and provide a low watt heat source on one side of the tank.

[Athenax3]

so here's the best pic I could get of him/her- seems quite content under a leaf at the moment, that's a franzi panzi plant I've been growing in the windowsill, so I put it in there for him to hide/climb on for now- the tank was quickly put together, there are leaves in the styrofoam cup to give him a little hiding space, wet paper towels, and a bowl of water w/a rock in the middle in case he falls in- I have the coconout substrate to add to the bottom today as well.....advice or anything is welcome!

[Athenax3]

Congratulations! :P Do you happen to know what species the frog is? Can you post a photo of your new friend?

The bedding sounds fine, and I'm sure a 10 gallon will be fine. Even though your frog is wild caught it still may be a good idea to sterilize decorations you get from outside. Rocks can be boiled, sticks can be baked at 350F for like 30min-1hr. Of course, be sure the decorations have cooled to room temperature before placing them in the enclosure with your frog!

Stress is a definitely possibility right now, but I'm sure your frog will settle in nicely.

If you could provide some photos of what you've got so far I could maybe give you some tips on what to do differently. You want the substrate to be somewhat moist, not soggy by any means, just moist enough not to dry out your frog's delecate wet skin. Provide a large water dish for your frog. Provide plants (I think live are best, but plastic will work), branches, and lots of hiding areas. If you put black or dark colored paper on the back and sides of the tank it will make your new friend feel more secure and reduce its stress levels. You will want to have a warm & cool side to your tank, these temperatures will depend on what species of frog you have.

Wild caught insects are risky if you live in an area where pesticides and fertilizers are used a lot. I catch moths on my porch at night for my grey tree frogs, and (fingers crossed) nothing bad has ever happened. If you're going to buy feeders get crickets. Do not feed your frog super worms, wax worms, or meal worms. These worms have lots of shell, very little meat, and aren't very nutritious. This can cause impaction (constipation) in your frog, which can lead to more serious health issues and even death. If you are going to breed your own food (which is what I reccommend if you find yourself feeding more than a couple of frogs) I would suggest roaches.

Yuck! I know. I hate roaches, too, but I breed them for my critters because they are easier, cleaner, and less smelly than breeding crickets. They reproduce like crazy and will eat pretty much anything. The biggest advantage is that they don't chirp like crickets and they are way more nutritious.

I like to use forceps (tongs) to feed my frogs, because now they understand that I am their food source. They happily greet me when I walk in the room by crowding up at the front of their tanks waiting to be fed.

Also, get a $25 wall outlet timer! It makes things so much easier when you don't have to remember to turn your frog's light on in the mornings and off at night.

Well water would typically be okay, but I really don't know about the salt content. Better wait for someone more knowledgable to answer that. I think I would go with bottled spring water from the store for now. Don't use distilled water, it will actually leech vitamins and minerals from your frog's skin if your frog soaks in it. I do mist my tanks with distilled water because it doesn't leave water marks all over everything. Misting with distilled = ok. Water bowl with distilled = NOT ok. And of course tap water is a no-no. Frogs do not tolerate chlorine and other chemicals found in tap water. If you find yourself needing to use tap water you will want to treat it with tap water conditioner which you can obtain at any petstore or order online.

Again, that depends on the species. Probably you won't need to provide much heat. Just a low watt incadescent on one side of the cage will probably be sufficient.

They will need to be alive. If you ever get your frog used to eating from forceps it may be possible to "trick" it into eating dead food, but until then your frog will almost certainly only accept things that move. Frogs can detect movement very well, and that is what triggers their feeding response (that and tickly feelings on their noses :P). When you mist your tank you might even notice your frog lunging at water droplets when they move XD

That's what we're all here for, no worries Good luck!!!

Be careful about putting your frog outside in a little glass box. It's very easy to end up with a cooked frog if it gets too hot outside or if the tank gets any direct sun exposure at all. It would probably be much less stressful to the frog to just leave his tank in one place and provide a low watt heat source on one side of the tank.

ps, thank you so much for all the advice! all greatly appreciated and avidly read! and will probably be reread a lot, lol.

[KingCam]

so here's the best pic I could get of him/her- seems quite content under a leaf at the moment, that's a franzi panzi plant I've been growing in the windowsill, so I put it in there for him to hide/climb on for now- the tank was quickly put together, there are leaves in the styrofoam cup to give him a little hiding space, wet paper towels, and a bowl of water w/a rock in the middle in case he falls in- I have the coconout substrate to add to the bottom today as well.....advice or anything is welcome!

Well I'm certainly no expert on Florida frogs, but it does look like a Green Tree Frog to me, based on the white stripe above his lip. Your setup looks fine for now, I'd say just go ahead and add your coconut husk substrate, maybe find something more natural to replace the styrofoam cup with, and I would definitely add more plants for your frog to hide in. English ivy and pothos are both good hardy options. Spider plants look nice, creeping jew, etc. I would tape dark paper to the sides and back (on the outside of the tank), and add a 60 watt daylight blulb w/ reflector to one side of the tank.

ps, thank you so much for all the advice! all greatly appreciated and avidly read! and will probably be reread a lot, lol.

My pleasure Hope it helps!

[Athenax3]

Well I'm certainly no expert on Florida frogs, but it does look like a Green Tree Frog to me, based on the white stripe above his lip. Your setup looks fine for now, I'd say just go ahead and add your coconut husk substrate, maybe find something more natural to replace the styrofoam cup with, and I would definitely add more plants for your frog to hide in. English ivy and pothos are both good hardy options. Spider plants look nice, creeping jew, etc. I would tape dark paper to the sides and back (on the outside of the tank), and add a 60 watt daylight blulb w/ reflector to one side of the tank.




My pleasure Hope it helps!

Awesome thank you, all super helpful! *the styrofoam was a in a pinch sort of thing, lol, we just wanted him to have somewhere to hide from all the stress quick- I'll replace with a log or terra cotta as I'm seeing in some of the pics on here, what a lovely resource of information.

[Shade38]

I love your "impromptu" set-up. Just needs a few plants for hiding and climbing. Do a search on the forum, there are many discussions about different plants.

Your daughter must be thrilled!

[Athenax3]

I love your "impromptu" set-up. Just needs a few plants for hiding and climbing. Do a search on the forum, there are many discussions about different plants.

Your daughter must be thrilled!

She is, and honestly, so am I, lol....I wouldn't have thought to keep a pet tree frog, but am now finding myself quite enchanted and enthralled as my daughter, lol..

[Heatheranne]

Great advice above. Yep, you have yourself a cute little green tree frog (Hyla cinerea).

You can also use a glass food bowl for her crickets. You will need some amphibian/reptile calcium with vitamin D3 powder and some amphibian/reptile multivitamin powder. Gently dust your crickets every other day and once a week with the multivitamin powder, but not on the same day. A baggy works best...put a little pinch in and gently shake the bag...like shake and bake, lol! Just so they're lightly coated. Their crickets or food should be no larger than the distance between their eyes. They like live food and their feeding response is triggered by the movement of the bugs.

I'll add more in a bit. Getting my hair done .

[KingCam]

You will need some amphibian/reptile calcium with vitamin D3 powder and some amphibian/reptile multivitamin powder. Gently dust your crickets every other day and once a week with the multivitamin powder, but not on the same day. A baggy works best...put a little pinch in and gently shake the bag...like shake and bake, lol! Just so they're lightly coated.

I knew I was forgetting something important in the feeding department! Good thing you're here, people would be in trouble if they followed my advice alone, hahahaha

[Athenax3]

Here's the completed vivarium- we think it needs some more plants, but we tried to provide levels, hidey holes, water source and adequate substrate material. We'll probably continue to tweak it as we learn more, but think we've got a good start thanks to all of you

[Heatheranne]

Haha! Kingcam, that was a great post. I thought it was very helpful .

Be sure to rinse all fertilizer out of the roots and off the plants. This is a site I like bc it has pictures. Your new baby will like nice tall vine like plants bc they are arboreal (tree dwellers). You can twist them around your branches . I usually rinse mine out, soak them for a good few minutes, and then replant in a mix of coco fiber and plain unfertilized peat-moss. When your frog poops, push it into your plant soil. It feeds the plants .

http://www.froggie.info/plants/plants1.htm

[arielgasca420]

very cute welcome sign for your friend. pothos plants work great because they grow under low light conditions and do well in high humidity. you can even root your own plant from a cutting if you dont want to buy the entire plant

[KingCam]

Here's the completed vivarium- we think it needs some more plants, but...

I agree, the tank definitely needs more plants, but other than that I think it look fantastic! Great work, your new frog is going to be a happy camper

A tip on keeping the water bowl fresh is to put an aquarium air stone in it. This will keep the water moving and fresh, plus it seems like my frogs enjoy sitting in the bubbly moving water more than they did when it was stagnant. Of course that's completely optional, and you would still need to do water changes, at least once a week or any time the frog goes potty in the water.