My first frog! (common gray)

[SomethingIsFishy]

A coworker found this little guy chillin under the hood of a car he was changing the oil on... after some quick research I decided to take him home! I've got him in a standard 29 gallon tank with some twigs, a decent sized aquarium plant and a water dish filled with spring water. I've got crickets for him, or her. Pretty sure it's female...

Will get some pics up soon...

My name is Jon and I have always liked frogs. I am no stranger to pets in glass boxes, I've always had fish, and have three tanks running now. This is my first terrestrial adventure, however.

Off to find the "how to post pictures" thread... pics coming soon...

[SomethingIsFishy]

Home sweet home!

Froggy!

[SomethingIsFishy]

Here's a better shot...

[LilyPad]

Congrats! Make sure your spring water is dechlorinated, depending where it is bottled, it could still have chloramines in it. Eventually, you'll want to get more plant cover in there. Enjoy your new friend!

There is an awesome care sheet on here that taught me a lot about caring for my greys when I first came here (and I admit, you're already at a much better start than I had when I got my first frog) Frog Forum - Gray Tree Frog Care and Breeding

[brian c]

im not trying to be a downer but (s)he might have a family parasites or something else just think about his needs can you care for a wild frog it might not eat and did in the wild (s)he will est so if it was me i would let him go and buy a captive bred one and let him go where you found him but be hoppy

[LilyPad]

im not trying to be a downer but (s)he might have a family parasites or something else just think about his needs can you care for a wild frog it might not eat and did in the wild (s)he will est so if it was me i would let him go and buy a captive bred one and let him go where you found him but be hoppy

I typically agree with that sentiment. Here in Wisconsin though, it is illegal to buy or sell grey tree frogs. It is legal to collect them with a fishing license and possess up to 5 at a time. That's mostly to prevent them being caught and sold as fishing bait. We have an abundance of them here in SE Wisconsin and their numbers are not currently in any danger here. I am okay with someone who is willing to learn about them and care for them properly. I am NOT okay with the bait shops that collect them by the hundreds and sell them to fishermen. I didn't catch any of my grey tree frogs, but they were all taken from the wild (and one from a basement) by others and eventually given to me.

Fecal testing would be a good idea though, especially if you want to own other frogs in the future, you do not want to accidentally pass anything between tanks.

[brian c]

yeah im a little ok with that but still they might have a family...

[SomethingIsFishy]

I understand and appreciate your concern. I have read the care sheet on this site, and information from other sources and do feel that I can care for this frog. She is eating well and appears healthy and happy. As a matter of fact, she is hot on the trail of a cricket right now...

As for the water, I am using "Ice Mountain 100% pure spring water". Doesn't say anything about any additives... doesn't seem to be adversly affecting the frog...

[SomethingIsFishy]

Amy posted as I was typing... thanks for the input!!

[brian c]

uh.... i dont see an amy post

[LilyPad]

uh.... i dont see an amy post

I am Amy.

Whereabouts in SE WI are you, Jon? I am just north of Milw.

[brian c]

and....ok... im finally ok with it besides what are the chances of a frog with a family they dont provide parents stuff as they dont take care of them at least these frogs dont i think

[SomethingIsFishy]

I'm in Union Grove... not too far from you...

[brian c]

uh i am sorry about that amy i meant i thought there was gonna be a post just before the one that said that you posted before her

[LilyPad]

and....ok... im finally ok with it besides what are the chances of a frog with a family they dont provide parents stuff as they dont take care of them at least these frogs dont i think

They are not communal frogs, so you will not find them living in families. The parents lay/fertilize the eggs and move on. Do not get me wrong, I usually frown upon wild caught. Even with these frogs, when people will not offer them proper care, it upsets me. While common here, I still do not want to see one suffer and die because someone caught one, threw it in a container, and tried to feed it foods that are not proper. With rare and endangered frogs, I personally feel the only people who should keep wild caught are people who could eventually breed them and help to expand their numbers. Not everyone agrees with this, but that is my feelings on it.

I'm in Union Grove... not too far from you...

Not at all! You are probably the closest to me that I've met on here so far. Only about an hour away.

[brian c]

im with you on the frog breeding is the only reason im ok with that its like turtles people take them for pets

[SomethingIsFishy]

I do understand the wild-caught dilemma. I certainly wouldn't take an endangered animal from the wild. Since these guys are so common here, I don't have any objections to keeping this guy.

I have a feeling that I might eventually end up with some red eyes, they are such cool little frogs. I will seek out captive bred frogs when I get to that point... That's a long ways off though...

As for my gray's diet, are there any specific things I should be gut-loading my crickets with to keep him well nourished? I've heard of fruits, veggies and cheerios...

[mpmistr]

I myself, and keep in mind this is my own ideology, would not take a frog out of the wild. Don't let my opinion sway you though, I myself just prefer to leave wild things in the wild. I like to observe the bullfrogs at the pond behind my workplace all the time, would I ever take one and put it in a cage? Heck no, I like observing them in their natural habitat. On the other hand, I think so long as you are providing appropriate care, having a wild caught frog is fine, especially a species as common as this one. My only concern is will a tree frog adapt to captivity or will it stress? I honestly have no idea. As a child I would keep wild toads for a while and then release them back in to the wild and nothing bad ever happened (I think).

As far as gut loading crickets. I would pick up some water crystals, it's cheaper then the gel stuff and since crickets are awesome at drowning themselves in the smallest amount of water they're necessary. For gut loading, I feed my crickets broccoli, carrots, kale, really whatever is in my fridge. You can toss an orange or fruit in there if you want too, I am pretty sure crickets eat most everything -- I saw some eating paper towel the other day, obviously they're not picky..

You may want to look in to breeding roaches, I know I am. Crickets are noisy and smell terrible, and tend to die for no reason. Did I mention they smell?

[LilyPad]

Michael, you have a point with the stress level. I was not the first owner of any of my WC grey tree frogs, by the time they came to me, they were already acclimated to captivity with exception of Atlas, who was barely alive and just a baby when I got him. My kids did catch some common green frogs from the pond behind our house and wanted to keep them. We had them for about a week and we still couldn't move or speak in the room they were in without them rushing for cover. We released them because of it.

If your new grey doesn't adjust well, it's about the time of year that you can start watching for newly morphed froglets or even tadpoles.

[SomethingIsFishy]

Great point about stress! This one seems to be adjusting well. She sleeps during the day, and is active at night. She doesn't "spook" at all when we are in the room. She eats very well, she took a cricket right in front of me, didn't seem to even notice I was staring at her.

(for the record I am just guessing that this frog is female, I don't know for sure)