W/C Clown Tree Frogs Health and Care Questions...

[Seth28]

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that I appreciate this forum and the loads of practical advice I've been getting here. I'm from South Florida and have experience with gray tree frogs, green tree frogs and a few Cubans in the past. I've wanted Clown Tree frogs for some time now and am considering some W/C ones.

Does anyone have any advice on choosing healthy specimens?

I would love to hear from anyone who has experience with these frogs, and/or their health and care concerns. The more I can learn, the happier my frogs will be.

Thanks.

[John]

Thanks for the kind words Seth. Choosing tree frogs is tricky because many (particularly those that are freshly wild-caught) are not active during the day, when most of us visit the pet shop.

My first advice would be to avoid wild-caught if you possibly can. Secondly, ask the staff to feed the frogs in front of you - an active, eager frog is usually a healthy one and when we give advice to people on the forum who are worried about their frogs, one of the first questions we ask is if the frog is eating regularly/well and lately.

Apart from that, make sure the frog has no injuries and keep an eye out for any strange patches on the skin or redness (particularly on the limbs and belly, although on many tree frogs with white/pale bellies, a slight pinkish tint is normal). Patches are usually an indication of sickness or injury.

Lastly, try to avoid overly skinny frogs, particularly if they don't react well when fed - they are likely suffering from stress and/or a significant parasite load. Keep in mind that male frogs tend to be skinnier than females, particularly in the case of tree frogs.

[Kurt]

Its going to be tough to find CB clown treefrogs, Dendropsophus leucophyllatus. If you get WC clowns make sure to have a vet de-worm them to be on the safe side. Keep them like your typical treefrog, good ventilation, daily misting, plenty of foliage to hide in, and so on. Check out the Meet the Frog article on these frogs and read the red-eye care article, as you can keep this frogs in pretty much the same way as you would Agalychnis callidryas.

These frogs will eat small crickets, bean weevils, and Drosophila hydei (fruit fly). Remember to dust these items before offering them to the frog(s). They are nocturnal, so you may not see tem feed that often, don't let that freak you out. Feed them just before the lights go out for the night.