Picking up new White's soon; Couple questions

[DVirginiana]

I'm currently working on getting a tank modified for a new White's tree frog I'm going to be picking up this Friday. I believe the silicone should be dried by then, but I do have a small 5 gallon that can serve as a temporary home for a day or so just in case. It's from a nearby reptile rescue, so hopefully this home will be better than its last.
I do have a couple questions about these frogs though. What range of food items do you generally feed them/what do they take best? My pacman is very prone to impaction, so I've gotten out of the habit of keeping crickets/roaches around (she just eats nightcrawlers w/supplements). Are nightcrawler chunks and crickets acceptable staples? Would carrots and spinach be sufficient to gutload the crickets? Also, would silversides (f/t) be okay as a treat?
Also was wondering what these frogs look like when they're hunting... I guess I'll see anyway, but I'm still curious.

My other question was, what are some of the main health issues that it's good to look out for and be prepared to treat with White's frogs? My only other frog is a pacman, so I imagine the sort of symptoms I watch out for in a frog that never moves probably aren't the same as what I'd worry about in a more active species.

Finally, where should I place a heating pad? I like to keep one plugged in for frogs, just in case there's a problem with one of my lamps or the space heater. The tank is pretty big; 20 gallon long (now 20-tall :P)

Thanks for putting up with all the silly new keeper questions

[kueluck]

I’ve had mine for a couple of months now so definitely not an expert, but…………….mine eat turkish roaches, crickets, moths, wax worms and some times grab a finger. Yes they’ll eat night crawler and just about anything they can fit into their mouths. Not sure about the silverside ‘cause of the bones, but as adults you can feed them f/t pinkies as a treat, so yes the Garters will have to share their food. All my feeder bugs get Repashy bug burger and they LOVE this stuff. I'm sure the more experienced WTF keeps will chime in on this. Several of us got some really sick babies from a chain pet shop so keep an eye on the fecal to make sure it's not runny.
Frog Forum - White's Tree Frog Care - Litoria caerulea of course is a must read if you haven't already.

lunch time over, gotta get back to work.

[DVirginiana]

I'm hoping this one won't come to me with any serious issues. The center I'm adopting it from is really closely associated with the local vet campus and exotic vet (the perks of living near a university!) so they're usually pretty good about checking the animals over before the give them out. But still, the fact that it is a rescue animal makes me a little paranoid that it might not have been in great conditions before it got turned over to them.
I'll have to look into that bug burger stuff... Might get another dubia colony started if I can find a less messy way to do it. With only one frog eating them, my last one got kind of out of control. :P

I was wondering about the fish because my pac gets a silverside about once a month as a treat, and has had no problems with them so far, but I guess they'd also be able to better digest bones.

[Sasha]

I'm not an expert either but these are some things that I've learned over the last 10 months.

I only feed my Whites crickets. I know that dubia roaches are supposed to be very nutritious and clean, but can't talk the boyfriend (or my landlord) into letting me keep anything that has "roach" in it's name. I've tried red wigglers but they ate them once and the next few times spit them out. They liked Phoenix worms but I noticed that they didn't digest them very well.

I keep my crickets in a 5 and 10 gallon tank in my basement and they get fed anything my bearded dragon gets fed. I have staples like the Fluker's cricket quenchers and the Fluker's dry food and the little orange cubes, but the I also feed them carrots, lettuce squash, apple, whatever I have on hand.

The main concern with a Whites is calcium deficiency and over eating. They will get fat real fast if you don't watch! Dust the crickets a couple times a week with calcium w/D3 and once a week with a multi vitamin like Reptivite. Also, they will climb on everything so make sure there are no sharp edges on anything in the tank that they would get scratched or fall on. They also have sensitive skin so only handle them when necessary and keep the humidity at a good level so they don't dry out.

I don't like heating pads. I feel like they are good to heat one area as opposed to a whole tank.

My frogs look goofy when they are hunting! I was always taught that frogs stuck their tongues out to catch their food, I've NEVER seen my Whites do that! It's more of a pounce on and then shovel it into their mouth with their hands. They swallow with their eyes so that is pretty cool to watch! My frogs also have a food dish so when they wake up they will jump into their food dish and stare right down at the bottom as if crickets are going to magically appear out of nowhere!

[deranged chipmunk]

my guys were fed crickets and dubias. as far as them hunting for food, they are vicious! i have heard mine go THUMP when they hit the glass while launching themselves at crickets. i never fed them in a bowl because i figured hunting was good exercise for them. i think their hunting behavior is the coolest thing about them and definitely the most entertaining. definitely cold blooded killers, but cute. i always compare them to dolphins. cute, but cold, calculating killers....lol

good luck with the adoption, with the rescue being affiliated with a vet, i am keeping my paws crossed for you.!!

[deranged chipmunk]

oh, and to the heating pad question, i don't use them,but if you do decide to use one, place it low and in the back if possible. tbey sometimes like to hang out on the glass and it may get too hot if it's in a spot where they have access to.

[DVirginiana]

Thanks for the info! I think I'm gonna go with crickets for awhile, and nightcrawlers too. I don't know of a nearby place to get most of the less common feeders, so I'd have to order those if I decided to use them.

Yeah, I don't like using a heat pad as a main heat source, but it's been useful several times this winter when my heater would go out at night without me knowing. I'd go in and find my pac huddled up against it those mornings in a little space that was still the right temperature.

I'm looking forward to seeing a frog actually hunt! My pac tong-feeds, and will just open up her mouth when she sees food and kind of wait for me to put the worm in her mouth :P So lazy.