Good Frog for Beginner?

[MaeDay97]

I live outside of town, so I don't have many garage sales to go to. But if I do see any I'll definitely check if they have anything.

[MaeDay97]

So with the terrarium I'm looking at, how would you recommend keeping a steady temp?

[Mentat]

OK, so we are going with AGTFs, cool ! Each frog needs like 5 gallons; so an ET Small Tall (18x18x24) works out to around 30G and you could keep 5-6 AGTFs in there.

Recommendation is to get a plain enclosure and then buy the items you really need for it versus buying a kit and paying for items you won't use .

[MaeDay97]

Alright, so if I do that, what else will I need? I know I'll need substrate, thermometer and hygrometer, water dish, some sort of plants/decor type things. What suggestions do you have on those? And anything else I need? Oh and for heating?

[ColleenT]

live pothos plants are nice bc they don't need special lighting or anything. very easy plant and many frog types love them. my baby gray tree frogs love their pothos plants. you can either plant it in the substrate or leave it potted. i have fake hanging plants that suction on, i got myself a piece of grape tree wood and it's like a small tree so that is in mine, a fake vine with suction cups and rings to hang it on the walls. tree frogs want to be up high, so things that help them do that is good.

[Mentat]

Material needed will depend on decor desired. You could keep simple and use coco liner sheet (or EcoWeb) material for back and side walls... or build an intricate decor with pond expanding foam and driftwood. If using the later, will need foam, Titebond III, and shredded coco plus the driftwood. If a water feature is desired, this is stage you would engineer it in and depending on design might need a pump or filter too. Myself manual mist; but some use auto misters or foggers and those have to be bought too. If doing auto-mister would only do MistKing.

For the false bottom will need egg crate material, couple feet 1 in. PVC pipe (and saw to cut and notch it); and plastic window screen to make barrier to lay substrate on. For that will use ABG type soil; can make own or buy ready kit at Josh's. Maybe throw in couple light plastic pots to use as molds during foam background construction stage. Finally add any other driftwood or decor items desired. And obviously will need to either get enclosure drilled for a bulkhead or get drill bit and do so yourself.

At this point you add plants and your cleaners team (springtails, etc). Let the vivarium cycle up for at least 30 days and add frogs . Simple right? Most important thing now is to read through a few builds in vivarium section and learn from them to avoid any pitfalls in yours.

[MaeDay97]

I've been reading articles on the neherp website, and learning about the options with substrate. And now I noticed the red eyed tree frog. How easy are those to care for? I've absolutely fallen in love with their coloration. I know I've changed my mind on type of frog like four times now, but I suppose that's what the research stage is for

[MaeDay97]

And is a bulkhead necessary? I'm just a bit worried about whether I'll be able to drill without screwing up the glass.

[MaeDay97]

Also, I've read some pros and cons of the false bottom drainage layer versus the more traditional one. I think I'm going to go with the more traditional, since there's more surface area for the beneficial bacteria to grow. Although if you think the false bottom is better, then by all means share your thoughts on it, after all, you know more on the topic than me, lol

[MaeDay97]

Oh, and one more thing, I think I'm going to go with the exoterra one without the kit, which comes with a background already in.

[ColleenT]

Red Eyed Tree Frogs are more delicate, their needs are more specific. it all depends on what you are willing to put into it, the green or White's tree frogs are much easier. if you decide on RETF, please do a lot of research and and take your time learning about them.

the Exo Terra backgrounds can allow crickets to get behind it, and sometimes frogs too. there are ways to secure it down to prevent this.

[Heatheranne]

I'd have to agree on the RETF's. They can be sensitive and tough for a beginner. Best to wait until you have a bit of experience behind you .

Another thing to think about is which species are awake during the day (diurnal) or awake at night (nocturnal). Many tree frogs are awake at night. Dart frogs and fire belly toads are awake during the day and are fun to watch. Both species are energetic and entertaining.

Just a thought .

[MaeDay97]

The dart frogs are gorgeous, and by their looks alone would be first choice, but everything I've read says they're not for beginners. Though I suppose with enough research I could possibly be prepared for the level of care they need. I'm leaning towards the RETF. I have quite a bit of experience with animals in general, so with enough research I'd be pretty confident that I could handle it.

[deranged chipmunk]

Having kept both, I can, without a doubt, say that darts are far easier. Retf are definitely not a beginner frog, while any of the dendrobates genus of darts are perfect for beginners. I would even include some of the ranitomeya and epidibates to that list as well.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[MaeDay97]

Oh, alright. Well, I'll do a lot of research on both types. I still have plenty of time to decide.

[MaeDay97]

Okay, I think for the setup I want, the dart frogs would be great. I really like the el cope ones, those are gorgeous.

[MaeDay97]

Considering my room gets really cold in the winter, i need a heater of some sort... what size heating pad would i need?

[Bombina Bob]

Depending on the size of your tank, there should be heat mats of different sizes for different
size cages. If you can, use a thermostat gauge to ensure the heat pad wont overheat.

[MaeDay97]

Yeah, that's what i was gonna try. I'll have to find the one that'll fit 18x24. Cause its supposed to go on the side, right?

[Bombina Bob]

the side is the best place for the heat mat so the ambient temp is raised