new mommy to american green tree frog with questions

[bittyme]

Hello there! I am new here, and also a proud new mother to an American Green Tree Frog. This is my very first tree frog, and Im very excited. I'm not quite sure of the sex, I just decided on my own that it is a HE and I named him Gunther. But I may very well find out down the road that he is a she. I went into this as a true beginner. So I have many questions!

To begin

-I've read a lot on tree frogs and have learned that they have sensitive skin. Now, though I am responsible, I am still lax with Gunther and allow him(her) to jump on and nap on almost anything anywhere. As much as I love him(her) to have his(her) freedom I worry that the dust or anything else exposed to his skin may be harmful. My question is...how worried should I be about this? I want him to have his freedom, but don't want him to become infected.

-Now Gunther loves to sleep. He finds a spot and will nap in a coma like state for hours. I assume this is normal, but I just need to make sure that it is normal. I know that tree frogs are nocturnal, but what seems odd to me is how deeeeeep he sleeps. I mean I wish I could sleep like that.

-How often should I feed my little guy? I gave him 5 crickets my first day and the crickets hid. I'm still not sure if they are still hidden and have since died...or if he found them. What's the best way for me to keep tabs on his food intake? I'm about to give him more crickets today.


Ok I guess that is good enough for now. I will post some pictures so you can see good ol' Gunther Thanks for your time!

-Dani

[MyfrogGatsby]

H! Gunther is adorable! I was a new frog mommy just a few months ago, with an american green as my first baby as well! I've learned so much since getting my first frog and I'm gonna give you a few suggestions as far as his space and feeding. By no means am I an expert, but I do own six, happy and healthy, american greens. SO, that being said. I super duper respect your wishes to give Gunther his space, but it's a little reckless in my opinion. If you want him to have plenty of room I would invest in a large tank. A ten gallon is plenty. But, you seem to want him to have loads so you could go anywhere up from there I guess. Leaving him to run around your house? this one room? is kind of dangerous? There are some things in there that could irritate his skin or some plants or something that he shouldnt be around. Plus, without a dechlorinated water source he could get dehydrated and super sick. If I were you I would set up a tank that's to your size liking, with lots of nice climbing vines or branches and some nice coco fiber substrate. I'd give him a little water dish for him to soak in. He'll be just as comfortable, and will not be able to tell the difference between his cage and your backyard As far as feeding goes, I would put two or three in his cage at a time and just check back a few hours afterwards to see if he's eaten them. You dont want to put too many crickets in the cage with him for too long because they could bite him. I would also make it a point to dust his crickets with calcium and/or a multivitamin powder every other feeding. You can get the Fluker's variety at wal-mart and its not expensive at all. Also, If you're not gonna keep your baby in a sunny area of the house, You're going to need a little heat lamp for Gunther to keep him nice and warm. Dont forget to change his water bowl out with DECHLORINATED water pretty much every day. You can also mist the cage with a spray bottle at least twice a day to keep the humidity up. This sounds like a lot but honestly after about a week it's almost second nature! Good luck!

Autumn.

[Heatheranne]

Welcome bittyme, nice to have you on the forum . Greens are so cute .

Autumn has given you some good advice.

Perhaps a nice large tank would work well for you and your frog. They love nice large vining plants such as the pothos .

A good trick for feeding is to us a smooth-edged glass bowl of 1 1/2" or taller and feed from the bowl. He will learn the bowl is where the food is. You can count the crickets and you'll know how many he eats. Offer food daily. His food should be no larger than the distance between his eyes for easy swallowing and to prevent constipation and impaction.

The calcium with vita D 3 is necessary for their health, along with the multivitamin. Many new frog parents are not aware of this. Their food insects should be lightly dusted with calcium every other day and the mvi one day a week, but not on the same day as the calcium. This will help keep them healthy and can prevent MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease), a disabling disease in which they lose mobility and jaw function, and more. Some good brands are Repashy, Repcal calcium with vitamin D3, Herptivite.

Spring water or dechlorinated tap water can be used for your little guy. All water should be chlorine and chloramine free and should be treated for heavy metals. All 3 are toxic to amphibians and will build in their systems with exposure. Dechlorinating drops can be purchased in the aquarium section or reptile/amphibian section of a pet store. Change his water daily. Also mist his tank 2x/day to provide some humidity. This keeps them nicely hydrated and helps them to shed easily.

Just a few tips for you .

Again, welcome. We look forward to hearing more about your cute little fella .