tank size

[ChrissyBee]

Hi there,

I've had my frog Alphie for about a month now, living in a 15 gallon terrarium (I said 25 in my original post, that was an error). The set up has done quite well in terms of conditions - the plants are thriving, the humidity and temp are perfect, and Alphie seems to be doing very well.

However there is a big problem. Unless I drop crickets directly in front of him and he grabs them, they tend to wander around the tank and not get eaten. I'm beginning to worry that he's not getting enough food, plus I don't want live crickets living in the tank for days on end! I've tried tong feeding him with no luck so far, the same goes for worms. I'm concerned because I need to travel for work sometimes and my husband will be feeding Alphie. He's willing to dump crickets in the tank but not tong feed or pay much attention to whether he eats them right away.

So I'm considering downgrading him to a smaller tank so he will be ensured to get the crickets within an hour or so. I'd read before I bought him that they don't need much room but didn't really appreciate how sedentary they are until I got one. The only spare tank I have right now is a glass 5 gallon. It has a secure lid and would do, but I'm wondering if it is too small? I'd be concerned about controlling the heat and temp, as well as his size once he grows. He is certainly getting bigger but is still a baby.

[danfrog]

How big is he stv agian? 15gallon is pretty big regardless. I think the 5 gallon would be much better till your frog is 3 inch stv. Start working on tweaking his temps and humidity on the five gallon before you have to leave for your trips. Or purchase a hygrotherm and reptifogger, and never have to worry about them agian.

[ChrissyBee]

I'm not 100% sure but I'd guess he's only 1.5 inches stv. I leave on Oct. 1 so that should give me lots of time to get the conditions right. Thanks

[danfrog]

That's another advantage of a small enclosure, its easier to catch prey. Make sure you feed well before moving enclosures. Might not eat for a few days after the move.

[ChrissyBee]

That's my hope. But I'm guessing the 5 gallon won't do when he's larger, I guess then a 10 gallon would suffice?

On the bright side, this is going to free up my 15 gallon for another frog species

[danfrog]

The size to move to a ten gallon is around 3 Inches SVL. And you can even upgrade agian when they reach adult size. I moved my male a little too early each upgrade but he never stopped eating and didn't seemed stressed at all. Is yours an ornate? I forget.

[ChrissyBee]

Yes he's ornate. I'm not too worried about moving him, he's been resilient so far...he ate the day I got him and as soon as I moved him out of the tank to remove the moss a few days later. I think he's pretty resistant to change, but I'll still try to make it as stress free as possible.

[Mentat]

Hi Chrissy! A five gallon tank is more than enough for a 1.5 in. Ornate. All you need in there is the water dish and maybe a little plant (silk fake ones are good) to provide security. When adult, a 10 gal. will be OK if male, a female might require a larger enclosure.

Another option is to get a medium to large plastic keeper and place that inside the 15G. That way frog is in smaller enclosure and you do not have to worry about climate control because you already dialed in the 15.

You might also want to try feeding it Canadian night crawlers. Cut them from pointy end, same length as frog, and either feed from tongs or drop them in front of face. Good luck !

[ChrissyBee]

Thanks

I've been trying worms with no luck (posted about it recently) but I am going to keep trying. I thought about putting something inside the 15 gallon but I do like the aesthetic aspect of the terrarium, so I'd rather just set up a new tank. I'll try him in the 5 gallon weekend and see how it goes. Thankfully the weather is still warm here so climate control won't be too bad yet, in the winter it's a challenge.

I've been having a lot of luck with a ceramic heater over the 15 gallon. I'm thinking that if I buy a bracket/hanger for it and suspend it above the 5 that should work well.

[danfrog]

That should work. Can also use a light with a dimmer. I'm not sure if ceramic heat emitters can be placed on dimmers.

[ChrissyBee]

I changed the set up today with good results. When I took Alphie out and placed him in a bucket I also threw a cricket in with him...he ate it right away so he wasn't stressed too much

When I put him in the new tank I threw in a few more crickets and he ate them happily. The set up is much better for feeding. Doesn't look as good but I"m happy I did it.

For now I have the ceramic heater on top of the tank (in the wire frame). I bought an Exto Terra light bracket for it and the thing fell off the tank! I'm not happy with it, going to bring it back to the store tomorrow and try for a refund. The temp and humidity are good for now, I imagine I'm going to need to add a heat pad to a side in the winter, the room can get chilly.

Here's the set up and the little guy, finding a new spot to nestle down. Thanks for all the advice with this everyone.

[danfrog]

Nice! That should do it for a while. At least till you get back from your trip. Shouldnt have any problems hunting down crickets in that.

[aGreenCup]

Switch to earthworms, way more beneficial and tong feed is the way to go. I was really worried about my frog taking a bite and ingesting plant material, if prey wonders around at night.