At a loss.......

[NewFrogDude]

1. Size of enclosure - 10g
2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences - Single tenant frog.
3. Humidity - would love to tell you if I could get an accurate read. I have a meter in there but I dont trust it. His substrate is very moist and gets misted twice daily.
4. Temperature 76.8 at night and 81 during the day
5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish- treated tap, treated with Reptisafe
6. Materials used for substrate Eco-Earth Coconut fiber.
7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials. - Cork Bark log (halved) fake vine type plant.
- How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv.
8. Main food source - Crickets (pre-gutloaded from the store
9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often) Do I need them if the crickets are pre-gutloaded?
10. Lighting One 40w Day light, blue
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure 2 UTH heaters mouted on the sides.
12. When is the last time he/she ate Friday 30,Nov,2012
13. Have you found poop lately - Nope, He pooped the day after I got him, 2 pretty good sized ones at that. Hasn't had a BM in about a week now.
14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine)
15. How old is the frog - my best guess, he is no bigger than a silver dollar, couple of months old.
16. How long have you owned him/her - Couple of weeks
17. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred - Not sure
18. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats
19. How often the frog is handled - Not that often.
20. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area - Living room, not much traffic where he is at.
21. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc) um? not sure what you mean here.

Okay I am about to give up. I CAN NOT seem to find away to balance Humidity vs Heat. I have gone with packing tape as a means of insulation and taped 3/4 of his tank lid, top and bottom. It's a split top tank lid that is hinged lengthwise. I have 2 UTH mats on one side of the tank and I still cant get the tank to 80 if I put a lamp on it the temp shoots to 82+ and dried the tank out. What in the hell am I doing wrong? I just don't see how you guys can keep your humidity in a tank unless the substrate is completely soaked and almost muddy looking.


I am at a loss.

[DVirginiana]

If the soil moisture is high; not swampy, but moist, then the ambient humidity can get a little below the recommended range without it becoming a problem. I'm not sure how far that can go and still be safe, but if it's only a little off don't worry too much. Maybe go to misting three times a day?

You could put the water dish next to the heat source for awhile and see if the extra water evaporating helps.

[DeeDub]

Hey man. Take'er easy.

I know you prob don't wanna spend the cash, but sometimes you gotta.

I use an 12x12 by 12 tall exo terra. I put cardboard over the entire top portions (two screen parts). I left an opening for a 50 watt black light in a mini deep dome fixture. I use a digital hydro therm made by zoomed (I think) that gives an accurate reading for temp and humidity; it also auto regulates heat by turning on the heat lamp. I mist once a day and my humidity is perfect (80-90 %) heat stays right at 82 (mid level in the tank...allows about 80 at substrate level)

You have to prepare your substrate well to get a head start on humidity. Weather its loose or in the brick I soak my eco earth and wring it out so that water is not 'pouring' out of it, then put it in the tank. 3-4 inches deep.

Ten gallon tanks can be hard to manage without a auto digital regulator like the one I meantioned. You have to have ventilation as well so you can't just seal up the top (you know this) to keep humidity. The uth suck IMO for heating. I use exclusively lights for all my frogs.

Hope this helps.

I spent:
Tank 40 bucks new
Light fixture 15 bucks new
Bulb 8 bucks
Hydrotherm 70 bucks (these cost about 100 at my pets art)

I would reccomend a Zilla digital heat humidity gauge. They are about thirty bucks. They work awesome. If you can't afford the 70-100 bucks for the hydro therm I mentioned at least you can get accurate measurements.

[NewFrogDude]

Yeah I have a digital thermometer in their but I can't afford the Tank or the Hydrotherm at all. I am a massage therapist by trade and I tore the labrum (a ring of cartilage about the edge of a joint surface of a bone.) in my left hip which makes working damn near impossible at this stage. I mist his tank a lot, and I mean a lot. His substrate is really moist I am about to call it quits with the UTH and just go to a light but I don't want to dry his tank out. I used an entire brick of Eco-Earth in this tank so its about 3-4 inches as well. Im just at a loss on how to do this on the cheap ... really does not seem like its at all possible.

[DeeDub]

What wattage light are you using? I'd recommend a 45-50 watt halogen flood (infrared, not the fake infrared incandescent bulbs). They're pretty inexpensive, or a Ceramic Heat Emitter with a rheostat (adjuster for power). If you put it on one side of the tank your frog will self regulate by moving to cooler/warmer areas. Misting a couple times a day will keep your humidity at a good level.

Not trying to be a dick, but if it becomes too much of a hassle and you can't afford him I'll buy him from ya depending on what he is. Others would take him off your hands too. Again not being a rude a$$, just trying to help you out if you need it.

[DeeDub]

Also, with the light to one side and if you are using a low enough wattage bulb it won't dry out the substrate.

[NewFrogDude]

Define a lower wattage light. I am using a 40 watt light right now.

[DeeDub]

Its drying out with a 40 watt? Wow, that is strange. I use a 50 watt basking light (spot light) in a tiny cage and it doesn't dry out. The surface will dry out in small areas after a few hours, but I mist and it's just fine.

I'd say maybe your substrate wasn't moist enough to start. What digital gauge are you using. If it's the exo terra termo/hydro digital gauge with the single probe, the humidity measuring device probably doesn't work very well. I have several of these and they really are poor quality. The temp function works really well, but the humidity function is always way off.