Need help with Red Eyed Tree Frog - still wont eat

[MantidBro]

Sorry to hear you're having trouble - hope your froggy will be Ok. Try putting a dark cloth/paper over three sides of the tank for a little while. often new frogs that are having trouble adjusting just need that extra security. Plus, it helps them feel like they are well hidden and its ok to start hunting. I know you mentioned you have part covered, i couldn't figure out how much you meant. Some of my ruby eyed tree frogs will only eat when it is pitch black - i suppose you could try that

also, Ive found that with pickier frogs, the bowl feeding method can really stress them out. maybe try just putting food into his terrarium for a little while until you know he has gotten a good meal. Some pet stores carry an appetite stimulant as well that you could try. I haven't used those before, so I would do some research about it first.

good luck

3 sides are covered, sides and back, all with naturey designs. Then i put a blanket over half the screen to keep humidity in, and let the blanket hang down over the front, the free side, so half the free side is covered. So the only spot that shows outside the cage is half of one side.

BUT... I am so happy... He just ate! the cricket was climbing up a fake plant and he snatched it! then went right back to sleep, lol. Im so glad!!

I had changed a few things... I quarantined some moss and added it in. And i let more crickets lose, so instead of 10, there are like 20.

Someone told me to keep the humidity at 70-80%... Accidentally, it got up to 95%, im thinking because of the moss i added. But thats when he ate! Could it be that the humidity just had not been high enough? Maybe at his previous home, his owner kept it closer to 90%, so having less than that wasnt feeling right for him. I did read that some people will keep it closer to 90%.

Or might the moss be making him feel more lively?

Or did I just not let enough crickets lose in there?

I dont know, he seems healthier than usual, i personally think its related to the humidity! Maybe my digital guage is off?? or maybe he really just needs it around 90% to feel good.

[Randy]

i think you're doing fine . Hes gotten used to his enclosure and is eating now .All frogs have their own desired humidity level but you will hear a specific number here ,do what works try the higher humidity for a bit then slowly bring it down and see what happens .If he seem to eat with igher humidity you found his sweet spot , if he eats when its lowered to 80 percent he was merely stressed .

[lnikkiy]

So glad to hear he ate! have fun with your new pet!

[MantidBro]

So glad to hear he ate! have fun with your new pet!

Yeah im frikkin stoked!! i was getting worried. He has eaten a few times times tonight. Thanks man!

[DigitalPunk]

Great news! Glad he finally ate for you. Nothing like the feeling of knowing your frog is eating well and behaving normally


Quick question. What are you using to measure the humidity of the tank. It is possible that the gauge you are using is wrong and when it reads 95% it is actually much lower or even much higher.

Analog gauges are horribly inaccurate and Digital ones are only slightly less crapy. If you have an analog one you would be better off with it in the trash as it will be so wrong it won't be of any help. Digital ones I have seen off by as much as 25%. If you have a digital the best way to gut check it is to remove it from the tank for a few days to make sure the sensor dries out completely. Then add it back right after a misting and check it every 10 mins until it normalizes. When you mist try not to mist directly onto the sensor, but you should expect it to be off on average of + or - 10%.

[Randy]

Great news! Glad he finally ate for you. Nothing like the feeling of knowing your frog is eating well and behaving normally


Quick question. What are you using to measure the humidity of the tank. It is possible that the gauge you are using is wrong and when it reads 95% it is actually much lower or even much higher.

Analog gauges are horribly inaccurate and Digital ones are only slightly less crapy. If you have an analog one you would be better off with it in the trash as it will be so wrong it won't be of any help. Digital ones I have seen off by as much as 25%. If you have a digital the best way to gut check it is to remove it from the tank for a few days to make sure the sensor dries out completely. Then add it back right after a misting and check it every 10 mins until it normalizes. When you mist try not to mist directly onto the sensor, but you should expect it to be off on average of + or - 10%.

you know an accurate humidistat can cost as much as $700 if its digital and dewpoint makes things feel a lot more humid.you have relative humidity and absolute humidity .relative humidity is the ratio of partial pressure of water vapor in the mixture to saturated vapor pressure at a given temperature which is water content and temperature.absolute humidity is the total amount of water vapor in a given volume of air it does not take temperature into consideration.then we have specific humidity which is what most guys here are measuring .that is ratio of water mass to the airs total mass of dry air.its a mixing ratio .A hygrometer is a good way to measure humidity content.what you really want to measure is relative humidity because our pets also require heat.

1. Relative humidity is computed from the ambient temperature as shown by the dry-bulb thermometer and the difference in temperatures as shown by the wet-bulb and dry-bulb thermometers. Relative humidity can also be determined by locating the intersection of the wet and dry-bulb temperatures on a psychrometric chart. as i am a licensed hvac and refrigeration technition i know about this. A hygrometer is a device used for measuring the humidity of air. Relative humidity (abbreviated RH) is the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor to the equilibrium vapor pressure of water at the same temperature. This is why my frogs can be left at a different humidity level and be comfortable .And griff if you are reading this i am a mechanical engineer , you can have 80 percent humidity in the winter .you have the metal paper type of hygrometer whose accuracy is very limited with variations of 10 percent or more and actual hair tension hygrometer like the one i use is much more accurate.a psychromter is the actual best thing to use along with a psychometric chart.So we want to measure relative humidity in the tank .I used a psychrometer and set a mark on my hair tension hygrometer and thus i get what i consider to be the proper humidity for my frogs.

[MantidBro]

you know an accurate humidistat can cost as much as $700 if its digital and dewpoint makes things feel a lot more humid.you have relative humidity and absolute humidity .relative humidity is the ratio of partial pressure of water vapor in the mixture to saturated vapor pressure at a given temperature which is water content and temperature.absolute humidity is the total amount of water vapor in a given volume of air it does not take temperature into consideration.then we have specific humidity which is what most guys here are measuring .that is ratio of water mass to the airs total mass of dry air.its a mixing ratio .A hygrometer is a good way to measure humidity content.what you really want to measure is relative humidity because our pets also require heat.

1. Relative humidity is computed from the ambient temperature as shown by the dry-bulb thermometer and the difference in temperatures as shown by the wet-bulb and dry-bulb thermometers. Relative humidity can also be determined by locating the intersection of the wet and dry-bulb temperatures on a psychrometric chart. as i am a licensed hvac and refrigeration technition i know about this. A hygrometer is a device used for measuring the humidity of air. Relative humidity (abbreviated RH) is the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor to the equilibrium vapor pressure of water at the same temperature. This is why my frogs can be left at a different humidity level and be comfortable .And griff if you are reading this i am a mechanical engineer , you can have 80 percent humidity in the winter .you have the metal paper type of hygrometer whose accuracy is very limited with variations of 10 percent or more and actual hair tension hygrometer like the one i use is much more accurate.a psychromter is the actual best thing to use along with a psychometric chart.So we want to measure relative humidity in the tank .I used a psychrometer and set a mark on my hair tension hygrometer and thus i get what i consider to be the proper humidity for my frogs.

Interesting! Thanks!

[MantidBro]

Great news! Glad he finally ate for you. Nothing like the feeling of knowing your frog is eating well and behaving normally


Quick question. What are you using to measure the humidity of the tank. It is possible that the gauge you are using is wrong and when it reads 95% it is actually much lower or even much higher.

Analog gauges are horribly inaccurate and Digital ones are only slightly less crapy. If you have an analog one you would be better off with it in the trash as it will be so wrong it won't be of any help. Digital ones I have seen off by as much as 25%. If you have a digital the best way to gut check it is to remove it from the tank for a few days to make sure the sensor dries out completely. Then add it back right after a misting and check it every 10 mins until it normalizes. When you mist try not to mist directly onto the sensor, but you should expect it to be off on average of + or - 10%.

Right?

I'm using a digital temperature-humidity gauge. A couple actually. One doesn't show every line of the number which is why I bought a new one. I'd first bought the analog gauges but came on here and was told by everyone that they suck, lol. So I got a refund for those. But the two gauges are usually the same, you can sort of tell which number is which on it. It's exact even up to the point 5, or whatever it may be.

I have removed the gauge a few times, it immediately goes down, then goes back up once I put it back in. It's very reactive. Okay thanks I'll avoid misting the actual gauge. I have gotten water on it before on accident but try not to for the most part.

Even if the gauge is off, I'll just keep it at the spot that seems right for him. He seems healthier when it's at 90%. That may really be 70 or 80, but he's reacting well with the humidity there. Thanks again!

[Randy]

Right?

I'm using a digital temperature-humidity gauge. A couple actually. One doesn't show every line of the number which is why I bought a new one. I'd first bought the analog gauges but came on here and was told by everyone that they suck, lol. So I got a refund for those. But the two gauges are usually the same, you can sort of tell which number is which on it. It's exact even up to the point 5, or whatever it may be.

I have removed the gauge a few times, it immediately goes down, then goes back up once I put it back in. It's very reactive. Okay thanks I'll avoid misting the actual gauge. I have gotten water on it before on accident but try not to for the most part.

Even if the gauge is off, I'll just keep it at the spot that seems right for him. He seems healthier when it's at 90%. That may really be 70 or 80, but he's reacting well with the humidity there. Thanks again!

oh no im not trying to worry you a simple test can be done to check accuracy btw i use a hair hygrometer.Testing hygrometer accuracy.

You can test an hygrometer's accuracy in two common ways:
1. Wrap a damp cloth on the back of the hygrometer for 6 hours. The indicator should then read approx. 95%. If it reads lower or is off scale completely, merely adjust the indicator to read 95% using one of the methods described above.
2. Another way to check calibration uses table salt, a see-through container such as a Ziplock baggie, and a small shallow open container, like a bottle cap.
Place a teaspoon or so of salt in the shallow container and add a few drops of water - just enough to get it wet. Remember, you don't want a salt water solution, just damp salt. Place the shallow container in the baggie along with the hygrometer. (Make sure the salt does not get on the hygrometer, this may damage it).
Seal the baggie with some air trapped inside and let it sit for 6 to 8 hours. Check the hygrometer reading without opening up the baggie. It should read 75%. If not, remove the instrument from the baggie and adjust the reading to 75% with a small screwdriver.
To maintain accuracy of the instrument, it is advisable to re calibrate every six months. I was just saying that the hygrometer could be off is why you're seeing 90 percent if he likes it keep it there bro.sorry for the misunderstanding i been multitasking .someone wrote a an excellent article here on the salt method.

[MantidBro]

i think you're doing fine . Hes gotten used to his enclosure and is eating now .All frogs have their own desired humidity level but you will hear a specific number here ,do what works try the higher humidity for a bit then slowly bring it down and see what happens .If he seem to eat with igher humidity you found his sweet spot , if he eats when its lowered to 80 percent he was merely stressed .

Thanks! Ive been doing everything i was told to do. But gonna have to go beyond what i was told when it comes to humidity. Hes doing fantastic, the best ive seen him doing since i got him. I really think the whole issue here was that he wasnt getting enough humidity. It seems i did find his "sweet spot". He does seem to be used to his home now as well. He tends to sleep on the wall, behind the fake leaves. I have a hard time spooting him sometimes! which is just what he wants. He just ate again, then had a nice shedding session while clinging to the rim of his water bowl, then ate some more, had a big poop, then went behind a leaf. Thrilled!! What a relief. i realized that it seemed easier for him to shed this time, like it was coming off in globs rather than strings, another indication to me that the humidity was too low for him.