Heat/Humidity frustration

[Hoppity100]

If you are after more humidity (and frog needs to be moist) have a good sized water source and cover the top (not all the way) and keep eco earth damp. I know FB's like water more but if you had enough water and a cover your humidity should go up. The fogger sounds like more work than necessary eventhough you would disagree. I know your frog likes branches. He can't speak so he can't tell you what he prefers. Just try covering your tank with adequate water source, create some moisture, and you may not need fogger. Maybe the light is drying your moisture and your fogger has to replace it.

[HerpDerp]

Bill, the only water I have in my tank is in their water bowl. I have the fogger and I mist a few times during the day. I don't have real plants. My original plan for this tank was to put real plants in it but got scared off when Fiona died. I had put some potted plants in her tank (that were cleaned real good and growing in distilled water weeks before I put them in the tank) and got worried that might have contributed to her getting sick.

Real plants can do wonders for humidity. As long as you get safe plants and make sure they're properly sanitized I see no problem. My bromeliad and snake plants didn't even go through a grow out period. I just rinsed the roots really well and washed the leaves of the plants with warm water and they didn't cause any problems for me. And Glurmo LOVES to sleep on the snake plant.

[Hoppity100]

Yeah, I have some real plants in my tank, too.

[Sasha]

forgot to add that this wouldn't be safe if you are using higher powered incandescent lighting for heat.
also, how much coco is in the bottom of the tank. and when you touch it, is it dry to the touch? or moist. you can get away without water in the tank, but you need to make sure the coco fiber is dampish. with your set up, THAT is your humidity retention. kind of like a pacman viv. if your substrate feels dry, mist it heavily. how often do you need to drain the tank? and btw, a pic is worth a thousand words here. can you post one of your viv so we can maybe get a better grasp of this?

I missed a lot in the past few days! Bill, thanks for answering Hoppitys questions for me. Skitter is a White's tree frog. The water bowl deep enough for them to sit in it with the water up their chin. Skitter is actually doing better. Seems like a phase, kinda like the cats always switching up where they sleep. Today he slept in the water for about 4 hours and then got out on his own and slept on his half log. Then tried to eat Olive during dinner, just like normal!

I'll post some pictures as soon as I get a moment to take some. I did take your advise and made sure the substrate was moist. I admit it was on the dry side since during the summer the humidity was just fine.

[Hoppity100]

Hi, whatever the question was, thanks for answering. Glad your frog likes his water bowl.

[deranged chipmunk]

I missed a lot in the past few days! Bill, thanks for answering Hoppitys questions for me. Skitter is a White's tree frog. The water bowl deep enough for them to sit in it with the water up their chin. Skitter is actually doing better. Seems like a phase, kinda like the cats always switching up where they sleep. Today he slept in the water for about 4 hours and then got out on his own and slept on his half log. Then tried to eat Olive during dinner, just like normal!

I'll post some pictures as soon as I get a moment to take some. I did take your advise and made sure the substrate was moist. I admit it was on the dry side since during the summer the humidity was just fine.

glad to hear he is doing better he tries to eat Olive for dinner? and that's normal to you?? LOL ok, i actually do get it my guys sleep all over the place. some days they'll sleep on the ground, some days on a branch. for 3 days straight, one of mine slept INSIDE my waterfall. i have a pic of it somewhere. he even so much as pushed himself so far inside that he all but overflowed the outlet so bad as to stop the pump.....lol

[Hoppity100]

Mine sleep all over the place, too.

[NatureLady]

Mine loves his water dish! If he wasn't in it often I would worry!

[Hoppity100]

I would, too. How big is his dish?

[NatureLady]

Big enough for him to sit in, move around in, and keep his whole body wet but his chin out of water. I also have large river rock pieces that cover my hydoballs and slop to the front of the tank that are always wet. (He actually needs a bigger bowl, but I am wanting to tear into his tank and remodel!)

[Hoppity100]

That's good, frogs like more water than people realize. I'm glad he enjoys your bowl! Write if you like...

[NatureLady]

No offense Hoppity, but I am a wildlife biologist with a life long passion of frogs. I know my frogs. But from a cleanliness side of things, a lot of us keepers of tree frogs keep water dishes as apposed to pools of water for a cleaning reason. NOT because we are trying to limit there access to proper amounts of water. I have one frog and he doesn't need a huge watering hole. I am not trying to be mean, so please do not take it as such, but really pools of water in a tree frog tank are not the norm. (agreeably they should be to completely replicate their natural world) You have been keeping fire bellied toads for a bit over a month now and in your profile it states that these are your first and you are learning. Fire bellies are toadally different then tree frogs or any other type of toad for that matter.

[deranged chipmunk]

Toadally?? Rotf!!! And just for the record, fbt's are frogs, not toads but i also know you knew that amanda

[NatureLady]

Shhh!!! The beauty of being the first person to find a species...name it what you want not what it is!!!

[Hoppity100]

Thanks for writing, I see your point and know tree frogs may not need as much water and FB's do. Since you mentioned some owners use a bowl of water because its easier for them to clean, that may be true. I do trouble myself to clean my entire frog tank once a week to maintain cleanliness but, them having enough water is more important than me cleaning them in a convenient way. I got the right impression when I saw pics of bowls myself (they were too small). I know you have a degree, my experience with frogs, turtles, lizards, etc goes back years, I don't need a degree. I have a medical degree. I know frogs need water, its a basic necessity. Using a bowl would be ok if bowl is large enough. Are bowls used because its more convenient to clean? or its a cleaner environment? A tank with water in the bottom can also be clean. I don't get using a bowl of water, sorry, its hard for me to think otherwise. I don't want to seem insensitive, I'm just looking out for frogs. Write if you have questions.

[deranged chipmunk]

How about we stay en pointe here. The topic here was Pasty's issues with her frog. It's been resolved. Yay! How about we move on? Hoppity, if you would like to debate the amounts of water people place in their enclosures, please, post a new thread in the vivarium subforum and i'm sure there will be a.nice, spirited debate. This just not the place. Ok?

[Hoppity100]

I'm not offended that you wrote. I wanted to explain myself further. Just wrote to you moments ago, write back if you like.

[Hoppity100]

I can, I just happened to answer someone here who wrote to me.