Leaf Litter for Greys?

[Rae]

I hate how the subtrate gets all of the place and I have been debating on putting leaf litter on top. All my Greys were wild caught. Can I bring in leaves from outside? Are only certain leaves good for this? Is Leaf litter recommended for Grey Tree Frogs? Also thinking of getting springtails for the subtrate.

ANY and ALL opinions and help on both ideas appreciated. More info the better please!

[poison]

if you get leaf litter from out side it will come with a bio active mite that helps keep the cage clean just like spring tail. i use leafs bought from a store

[Rae]

Ok this might be a stupid question but store bought leaves? where would I get these? and are they safe for greys?

[poison]

by store bought i mean at an expo lol. and you can try home depot for leaf litter.

[Rae]

just called home depot and they have nothing like it =( and there was a reptile expo an hour and a half away from me in the spring but have no idea when the next will be as it was its first time there.

is there anyway to make leaves from outside safe?

[poison]

you can get leafs fro out side

[Rae]

Do I have to boil them, should they be right off the branch? Sorry I read about boiling them in a post awhile back. Are there certain leaves I shouldnt have in with greys? I know cedars are toxic to them but are others? I think we have a lot of maple and im not sure the other tree. :/

[poison]

if you can find a banana tree you can use some of those. and i believe its only cedar and pine wood that are toxic and the leafs should be dead and on the ground

[Rae]

We don't get banana trees in Ontario lol we get our bananas from you guys. So maple will have to do lol.

[DonLisk]

Magnolia, Live Oak, and Sea Grape are the common leaf liter sold by reptiles and amphibian dealers. Not sure who you have near you but Understory I believe is in Canada and should or might have leaf liter for sale.

Basically, if you use leaves from outside, boil and air dry. Once dry, inspect for any possible critters in the leaves. There shouldn't be any after boiling though.
Once you have a collection of leaves, just dump them onto the substrate and you can pile them up since over a long time they will flatten and rot and just become substrate.

[Rae]

Never heard of understory but I will look it up and how long should I boil and at high?

[poison]

Magnolia, Live Oak, and Sea Grape are the common leaf liter sold by reptiles and amphibian dealers. Not sure who you have near you but Understory I believe is in Canada and should or might have leaf liter for sale.

Basically, if you use leaves from outside, boil and air dry. Once dry, inspect for any possible critters in the leaves. There shouldn't be any after boiling though.
Once you have a collection of leaves, just dump them onto the substrate and you can pile them up since over a long time they will flatten and rot and just become substrate.

can you tell me what the point is of boiling them?

[DonLisk]

You boil them to kill off bugs and the chance of unwanted eggs from insects in the leaves. It will also remove any chance or possible contaminants such as pesticides.

Eggs can lay dormant for a long time and having a tank full of centipedes or other critter isn't fun for the frog or the person having to rip out the substrate to remove them.

[poison]

i always get leaf litter from out side (for my reptiles) and there is never any bug eggs in them. the only bugs that are in them are bio active mites

[DonLisk]

Never heard of understory but I will look it up and how long should I boil and at high?

Link to their website: Home | Understory Enterprises