New from Seattle, Washington

[DFM]

Hello everyone, my name is Derek. I have a bit of a situation on my hands. I know nothing about frogs, how to tell if they are healthy, stressed out, feeding schedule, tank cleaning, ect..... 6 frogs are all of a sudden my responsibility (room mate had to move out, and he just left the frogs and said i dont care about them anymore) I have identified the species. There is one pacific chorus frog, and 5 northern red legged frogs (rana aurora). One of the r. aurora is huge, probably 4-5 inches long with a middle toe easily over an inch in length on his bag leg. He has is own tank that is 12"x12"x30" as shown:

The other 5 frogs are all in the same 18" cube as shown:


The Chorus frog is 1.5-2 inches long, and the small red-legged are all about an inch, maybe a bit longer. I will upload lots of pictures so the experts can tell me what state they are in and if anything needs to be done. my roommate would always talk about forgetting to take care of the frogs, and the water looks kinda dirty, so i am assuming they are currently in sub-optimal conditions. HELP!!!!!!

[DFM]

Also, I threw 1 dozen small crickets in the tank with the small frogs and 4 large ones in the other tank.

[Heatheranne]

Welcome Derek!

I have never owned chorus tree frogs but here is a nice care sheet.

http://www.frogforum.net/content/pac...orus-frog-127/

I'm glad you fed them . They can eat daily. You will need to buy some amphibian/reptile calcium with vitamin D 3 powder and some multivitamin powder. You can find them in the reptile section of Petsmart, Petco, or any other pet store. You will need to lightly dust the crickets every other day before feeding the frogs with the calcium, and one day a week with the multivitamin. Do not use the multivitamin on the same day as the calcium. You can do this by taking a pinch of the powder and placing it into a sandwich Baggie or cup. Put the crickets in and give them a very gentle shake or swirling motion to coat the bugs. Then feed them. It is likely the smaller frogs may eat 1 to 3 crickets each per day, though there will be a random day or two that they may skip a day. The larger frog may eat a bit more. Feed them every day. If they are nocturnal (or awake at night), then feed them right before bedtime. I'll need to read up on them myself, though the basics are similar for most frogs in terms of feeding. I'll read more and update you as I research them. Remove any uneaten crickets and return them to the cricket holder for the crickets to eat and drink, before the frogs next meal.

You can also use the glass bowl method. Place a glass bowl with at least an inch or taller sides in the tank and place the crickets in the bowl. They will learn to eat out of the bowl. This is nice because you can monitor how many they eat .

They will need water dechlorinating drops if you use tap water in their water/soaking bowl or you can use bottled Spring water. Change water daily. Never use regular bottled water, Drinking water, or distilled water for the soaking bowl. You'll need a soaking bowl in each tank.

There are specific temperatures and humidity for each species of frogs.

You may need a heat lamp or side wall reptile heat pad (placed on the outside) to warm the tank if its not warm enough. I am hoping your roommate already had these items and left them for you. You should have a thermometer in each tank to monitor the temps.

To increase the humidity level in their homes, get a nice spray or misting bottle and spritz it as needed. Most frog tanks can be misted 2 times a day with good results. There should be (needs to be) a hygrometer (measures humidity) in each tank.

To decrease stress you can cover the back and 2 sides of the tanks with some type of background paper or covering from the outside of the glass. This makes them feel safer and they'll likely behave more normally for you with less chance of getting sick.

The flooring (called substrate) should be changed once a month. You can moisten it with dechlorinated water or spring water. Coconut fiber (not husk), such as Eco earth works great and is safe.

Provide a normal day/night schedule with lights to mimic daytime and nighttime. 12 hrs day and 12 hrs night.

There's a start for you. Congrats on your new frogs . Hopefully you'll enjoy them as much as us other frog fans do. this is a great place to learn. Read lots and ask as many questions as you need. We are happy to help .

I am also hoping some members with the same frogs hop in to give you more advice. Try also posting in the tree frog section for quicker answers .

[Heatheranne]

Another recommendation for you... See if you can find some nice heavy tree branches for the big fella. Rinse them thoroughly and then bake them in the oven at 250 to 300'F for 30 minutes to kill any bacteria or parasites. Watch the branches closely while in the oven. He would also probably love some plants to perch on. I would recommend a pothos plant. Rinse it very, very well and remove all soil and fertilizers. Then rinse in dechlorinated or spring water. Replant in the terrarium soil. You can twist the pothos vine around the branches and he'll love it. He is a tree frog, not a terrestrial frog and they love to hide and climb across trees . You can do some in the other tank too. Nice wide branches provide nice perches. Take a peek at the vivarium section here and look at the tree frog vivariums.

[GrifTheGreat]

Welcome to the forum

[DFM]

Thank you for the informative and prompt reply. I have water dechlorinator, a spray bottle, calcium powder, and lights for both tanks (timer's coming soon). there was only one light for as long as i can remember, and he would light each tank every other day. I went and got another light after reading about the importance of keeping a 12hr cycle. Its a 25uvb fluorescent tube. Is it ok to have the different species in the same tank? I definitely observed some aggressive/territorial behavior during feeding. Also, how often should I change the water?

[Heatheranne]

The pacific chorus frog is the one who needs trees. The red legged frogs are terrestrial. I found a care sheet for you if that is what they are.

http://reptileapartment.com/2010/04/...sina-maculata/


I wish I knew more a out them for you. You're welcome for the reply.

The frogs's water should be changed daily. I'm glad your friend left you some supplies.

[DFM]

Daily?!?! the water in both tanks looked like it was weeks old when i took over and i never remember seeing him change the water.

[Heatheranne]

Yep, daily is best. I'm surprised they didn't get sick. Maybe it's their luck you've adopted them .

[DFM]

Its also worth noting that these are all wild caught frogs. I believe the small ones in the square tank have been in captivity for about 3 months and the big red legged frog for almost a year. does this change how i care for them at all?

[Heatheranne]

No, it's the same, but it seems they have adjusted pretty well. How are they doing eating for you?

[DFM]

No, it's the same, but it seems they have adjusted pretty well. How are they doing eating for you?

Very well, actually. I have a small container that I have started gut-loading crickets with. I'm using Flukers cricket food. I put 1 dozen medium (1/4-1/2 inch) crickets into the tank with the small frogs, and a half dozen large crickets in with Hopsin (big frog). All of the small frogs seem to get an equal share of the food. Just to make sure after the 1 dozen is gone i put 3-4 more in but they rarely go for them after the first helping. I haven't been pulling the legs off (im talking about the small frogs, not the 4+inch rana aurora) but I recently read the thread about pulling off the legs. I observed some of the frogs spit out a cricket after a brief struggle, so maybe this will help? I want to get some different bugs to throw in the mix as well to round out their diet a bit.

[flybyferns]

Hello again DFM,
These frogs are very lucky to to have you.
Luck is on your side as well, as I see you have been rescued by our very own ---- Heatheranne'.
It is not necessary to pull the legs off of the crickets. If the frog is struggling -- even a little-- simply buy smaller crickets.

If the legs are pulled off the crickets:
1- they may no longer wiggle enough to get the frog's attention
2- it will likely die - increasing the risk of additional bacteria in the enclosure
3- if it dies ........well...... it's a waste of a cricket

All uneaten feeders/crickets , if not already mentioned above, should be removed daily to 're-gut load'.

Enjoy your new friends ! I bet they are enjoying their clean water !!!
Lynn

[flybyferns]

Here is some extra cricket help: Keeping them healthy is important for the health of your charges.

An ideal cricket bin:
http://www.frogforum.net/food-feeder...-crickets.html
Cricket food recipe:
http://www.frogforum.net/food-feeder...cket-food.html

Lynn :buttefly

[DFM]

Thank you so much everybody!!! Really appreciate the helpful nature and friendliness of this forum If i have more questions I will post them here. I'll use this thread as my "help me get these frogs and their enclosures up to tip top shape"

lol im already becoming obsessed

[DFM]

Hello again DFM,
These frogs are very lucky to to have you.
Luck is on your side as well, as I see you have been rescued by our very own ---- Heatheranne'.
It is not necessary to pull the legs off of the crickets. If the frog is struggling -- even a little-- simply buy smaller crickets.

If the legs are pulled off the crickets:
1- they may no longer wiggle enough to get the frog's attention
2- it will likely die - increasing the risk of additional bacteria in the enclosure
3- if it dies ........well...... it's a waste of a cricket

All uneaten feeders/crickets , if not already mentioned above, should be removed daily to 're-gut load'.

Enjoy your new friends ! I bet they are enjoying their clean water !!!
Lynn

Why yes they are

[Heatheranne]

Why yes they are

Awe . He looks very comfy in his nice clean water dish.

[DFM]

I got a deeper water dish for hopsin (big frog) so he can swim and submerge himself easier. He loves it! And I put the one that was in hopsin's tank into the other tank with the little guys so they can all fit in there without feeling crowded. I made sure to thoroughly clean it before moving it from tank to tank.

[Heatheranne]

Don't you just love the little guys? I really am happy you took them . Just wait until you start making fancy vivariums, then you'll really be hooked .

[DFM]

Don't you just love the little guys? I really am happy you took them . Just wait until you start making fancy vivariums, then you'll really be hooked .

Quick question about vivariums. Actually its not really about vivariums at all. I plan to get a new tank with lots of vertical for the chorus frog. Its going to have a false bottom with a waterfall and all live plants. Just in beginning planning stages :P having a place for the frogs while that tank gets up and running obviously wont be an issue, however i want to convert the other two tanks to fancy false bottom viv's as well. Could i make some temporary tanks out of large plastic bins to house the frogs until the new viv's were habitable?