HI! I've been adopted by a frog!

[Gina Marie Richards]

Hi, everyone!
My name is Gina and I have been adopted by a green tree frog. This frog came into my house via a leaky old window about 2 months ago. I have tried to let the frog go back outside by leaving the window open but the frog sits and looks out, then hops away. VERY long story short: now "Olive" the frog lives between a terrarium/frog paradise and the window in my kitchen, it has free reign but chooses to stay in those areas. I have been supplimenting the frog's diet with small live crickets. The frog is thriving and I am enjoying caring for it.
Several questions: How often should I change the terrarium stratums?
Someone told me that frogs carry salmonella. Is this true?
How long do frogs live?
I am really excited to be a frog owner, even if it IS just a lowly green tree frog! I look forward to gathering any information to help me be a good frog owner and helping Olive live a healthy frog life.
Thank you for any information you can give me.
Gina

[Giragira]

Hey Gina!
Im actually new here, too. I was usually a guest, until I decided to become a member.
I recommend moving your frogs terrarium someplace else, because in the Winter, being next to the windiwn won't be too pleasant. Crickets are good, and you should try dusting them with vitamins every once or twice a week. You can find that at the pet store.
As for your questions, I think you mean substrate, which is the bedding for your frogs (please correct me if I'm wrong XD). This should be changed every time you clean out your frogs terrarium. Some people do it twice a month, but. I do it once a month. It depends on how many and what size frogs you have.
Frogs are potential carriers of salmonella, but not all of them carry salmonella. That is why it is important to wash your hands before and after. Tip: Before holding your frog, wash your hands with water ONLY. Afterwards, wash with water and soap.
Frogs live can live for quite a while, but it depends on your species of frog. You might want to do a little research on your frog if you got it from the wild. I was given two frogs, caught by a friend. It didn't take long until I found out they were chorus frogs! :P
I hope you have fun with Olive!

[Sasha]

Welcome Gina, I too have a frog named Olive! He is a whites green tree frog.

You might want to check the out the care sheet on the forum for your particular frog. This will tell you the proper humidity and temperature for your setup. I kinda remember reading somewhere that it's not good to put them by a window due to temperature changes and stress.

My frogs are still juveniles and I had one die that seemed to have a calcium deficiency, so I dust their crickets with calcium every day and then a few times a week switch it out with a multi-vitamin. Daily spot cleaning (removing poop, wiping glass, cleaning decorations) should keep your tank in good shape for months. Also, make sure you clean food bowls and give fresh treated or spring water daily or every other day. The only time I change the substrate out completely is if it gets too saturated, and that doesn't happen to often.

As far as samonella I am not sure. I know that turtles carry it. They have very sensitive skin and absorb everything through their skin so keep handling them to minimum. If you have to handle them, make sure you wash your hands with unscented soap before and after. You can also use unpowdered latex gloves to handle them.

Do you have pictures of Olive? I'd love to see what he/she looks like!

[Gina Marie Richards]

Thanks for the information, Giragira! Yes, you are right, I DO mean substrate. LOL. Sorry, like I said, I'm new at this whole thing and it's just my generally soft heart (head) that is causing me to spend money on a "wild" frog! It's worth it though, it IS a sweet little frog!

[Gina Marie Richards]

LOL. I DO have MANY pictures of Olive. I have her entire journey into my house and subsequent settling in chronicled on film! My coworkers want us to install Olivecam so we can watch him/her all day! It's a cute little frog and like I mentioned has free reign of the windowsill/window and countertop where the terrarium sits.

[Giragira]

Thanks for the information, Giragira! Yes, you are right, I DO mean substrate. LOL. Sorry, like I said, I'm new at this whole thing and it's just my generally soft heart (head) that is causing me to spend money on a "wild" frog! It's worth it though, it IS a sweet little frog!

XD no problem! I spend so much money on my frogs, too. They're so precious