Super clueless

[sparklyred]

Hi all,

New to the board and on my second frog. This one is a tree frog and I have a couple questions. 1st: I keep reading not to put rocks in the viv but it is OK to put large ones, like over one inch long and thick, in there? 2nd: We have a 20 gallon tank for the little guy and we have the mat heater which it actually said on the package can be put on the side instead of underneath, which is better? Is the side OK because it actually makes more sense and I think will give off more heat to this large tank. 3rd: He's just home from the store and i found a long worm in his water bowl (it was alive and clear)which I assumed he , yah know. Is this normal? I've read all kinds of crazy answers to that question. 4th: Any kind of treats that the froggie may enjoy? Like something which is not a daily thing but something he'd find extra yummy? Please bear with me. I've been reading everything I can so I can make him as happy and healthy as possible so excuse my newbie questions.

Thanks
l
Lisa

[Kurt]

Gravel is no good, but rocks that are too big to be swallowed are fine. The one mat heater I have is mounted on the side of the tank and it works fine. As far as the worm is concerned, I would clean out that bowl and take him to the vet for a deworming. I am assuming that your frog is wild caught and most likely has gastrointestinal parasites. Have your vet treat the frog with metronidazole for protazoans and fenbendazole for worms. The two drugs should not me administered at the same time. Treats? Moths, treefrogs love moths. Get some waxworms and let them mature into moths. Keep them in a clear jar so you can monitor their progress and make it easier to harvest them for your frog.

[Malduroque]

Lisa,

As far as "treats", wild caught moths are good too, as long as you're not in a spray area. They'll devour most any flying insect but not all, such as carrion eating flies, are a good choice. Most butterflies are toxic so avoid (though I've found a good edible species here at home). My rule of thumb for fly type insects is if I see them on flowers, they're usually good to go (not bees of course). I do try to research the insect species too before offering it up as dinner though.

Also, if you've got your little guy conditioned to tong feed, you can try Phoenix worms. They're a good shot of calcium but not all tree frogs will take them.

Mal

[sparklyred]

Thank for the input! The frog seems to be staying on the one side of the cage with the heater so I put another one (mini) underneath for good measure. We still don't have a ton of plants in there yet. I seen moss at the pet store that you spray daily and it comes to life. is this stuff good? I would like to keep it a bit more humid in there. Also How wet should the substrate be? Damp, soaked or wet soaked? I think I'm officially obsessed with Chuck (from the show, now from the viv). Thanks again for the advice, I need it. He actually is store bought if that makes a difference on the worm thing. I week ago. So I'd hate to have to take him back, but isn't it their responsibility since he has 2 week "warranty" to make him better?<--- Had to do it

[Kurt]

Stores sell wild caught animals and very few of them deworm those animals. Some stores are not up on proper husbandry and end up mixing species, or simply don't sterilize cages in between occupants. So, it is extremely possible that a store bought frog is loaded with gastrointestinal parasites.

Your substrate should be moist, not soaking wet.