Easier frog to learn on?

[ElizaPark]

This may seem like a weird question but...I am in the process of building a living terrarium specifically for a red-eye, my true love . Because red-eyes seem to require more specialized, "intermediate" care than other frogs, I was wondering if there is a type of
"starter" frog, if you will, that will thrive in the same environment I am creating for my red-eyes.

I have an 18X18X24 Exo Terra terrarium. I am just now getting set up with equipment, plants, substrate, etc. My worry is that I will get a red-eye (expensive) and because I have no experience raising amphibians, it will not do well. I have read many books and sites all about how to set up an ideal habitat for a red-eye, and I believe I'm on the right track.

I will love my little trainer frog dearly, so I hope it doesn't sound like I'm just using it to see what i'm doing right or wrong. I just know that there are other, hardier types of tree frogs, such as the white's tree frog. But I don't know if the environment I am meticulously creating would suit that species. My ultimate goal is to create a beautiful, peaceful environment for my froggies to thrive in.

Does this make sense, and has anyone else used this method? Do you encourage or discourage the idea? Am I on the wrong track?

[deranged chipmunk]

there is nothing wrong with getting a starter frog, like a white's, however, here's my question to you. what will happen to this starter frog when you feel as though you "got the hang of it". instead of building a habitat for red eyes, build for whatever frog you choose to start with. then build another for the red eyes when you feel as though you are ready. building an enclosure for red eyes and "hoping" to find a frog that will live in their environment doesn't really seem fair to the first guy, now, does it?

[ElizaPark]

Thank you for that insight, Bill. : ) That is my primary concern with this idea. So, do you have other suggestions for being fully prepared to properly care for a red-eye? Your suggestion of building 2 separate habitats would be ideal. Unfortunately, I only have the resources to build one habitat for one species. At least the habitat I want (a vivarium). Maybe I could try setting up an easier, less expensive place for a white's tree frog while I work on getting my red-eye's habitat prepared?

And thank you for responding so quickly and kindly! : )

[deranged chipmunk]

what i would do (and did), is build one. get "the hang of it". then you can put a second together while you are learning about the newest additions. i started with white's (i now have 6). as i was learning how to care for them, i built a second enclosure for red eyes. research each type of frog you are interested in first. research, research, research. unfortunately, unlike fish, or a dog, frogs are not a "pet" where you can just throw them in the tank and say "Hey, look at my frog!" these are extremely informative places to start :
http://www.frogforum.net/tree-frogs/...caresheet.html
http://www.frogforum.net/tree-frogs/...caresheet.html
remember, some frogs live quite a long time, like white's. so expect a long term relationship with your starter frog
oh, and i cannot stress this enough, take your time, you have the rest of your life to decide all this and build homes for frogs. rushing into could (but not always) lead to catastrophic circumstances. and when you are ready, make sure you do everything you can to purchase Captive Bred red eyes good for the environment and better for the frogs

[ElizaPark]

Thank you thank you!