Help(!) with Grey Tree Frogs

[LilyPad]

OKay, yes, the water is a big issue. It needs to be treated. I use seachem prime but there are others out there.

Second, the tanks are too short/small for the amount of frogs you're putting in them. 10 gallons per frog when it comes to grey tree frogs is the standard recommendation and is very fitting to this species, in my opinion.

Third, all new frogs should be quarantined. Unfortunately, when you do a naturalistic viv, and have a frog die in it, you HAVE to take it apart and disinfect or replace everything. You can dip the plants in a 10% bleach solution, bake the cork bark etc. But you cannot just leave it or you'll perpetuate a cycle of infection. It could be fungal infections, parasites, bacteria, we do not know but obviously something is very wrong.

Fourth. They use the water like a litter box, that is where they potty. So it either needs to be changed daily, or filtered and changed weekly. I bet if you got some test strips out, you'd find some major issues with the water that live plants will not fix. It's going stagnant and becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.

I would quarantine all frogs as you get them. A bare tank, maybe a branch and some leaves to provide coverage. Damp, unprinted paper towel as substrate that is changed every 1-2 days. A bowl of treated water that is changed daily.

As for the compost, I would just get rid of it, get abg soil if you want to grow plants. I would get rid of the water bottom, they do not spend their life primarily around water, they spend it in trees. You need a tall tank. I would put the abg in with a drainage layer and just a bowl for water. Try having only 2 frogs for a while and see if you can keep them alive.

They need sturdy branches, they can be heavy frogs and if they do not feel comfortable and secure on those leaves, it could stress them out.

Right now, I would get the remaining frogs into a quarantine tank and get a fecal test done. Being wild caught and having been exposed to pathogens in the tank where other frogs have passed, that's pretty much necessary.

[Rebel]

Thanks everyone for the insights. I have begun using a water conditioner, and while I have it, I may as well treat the water for all my animals. My next step is to quarantine all of my new frogs. Rather than tear down my existing setup (it took years to grow) I am going to try and fit it for an external filter that can maintain the small sump at the at the bottom of the tank. I realize I'm not at that level with this species, but unless I'm mistaken, a dish of water may be too small for breeding purposes. Meantime, in reference to the possibility that pathogens rather than chlorine was the cause of death, I am wondering if the existing tank, if left vacant (of animals) for several months, would once again be safe to use, or if pathogens are likely to be species-specific, and the vivarium could be safely used for an unrelated species of animal. Will keep you posted on my last two greys.

[Mentat]

Myself do not think it was pathogens that caused their demise; although they probably helped give frogs the final blow after their immune systems collapsed . Home Depot Top soil has stuff on it that is not good for any frogs or amphibians. The only soil we recommend for planted frog vivariums is Atlanta Botanical Gardens or ABG type soil. You can buy pre-mix or Google the recipe and mix it yourself. The second problem was chronic chlorine exposure. Amy and others have already given you fixes for both issues. Good luck !

[LilyPad]

Thanks everyone for the insights. I have begun using a water conditioner, and while I have it, I may as well treat the water for all my animals. My next step is to quarantine all of my new frogs. Rather than tear down my existing setup (it took years to grow) I am going to try and fit it for an external filter that can maintain the small sump at the at the bottom of the tank. I realize I'm not at that level with this species, but unless I'm mistaken, a dish of water may be too small for breeding purposes. Meantime, in reference to the possibility that pathogens rather than chlorine was the cause of death, I am wondering if the existing tank, if left vacant (of animals) for several months, would once again be safe to use, or if pathogens are likely to be species-specific, and the vivarium could be safely used for an unrelated species of animal. Will keep you posted on my last two greys.

"Breeding" set ups are only temporary. There is work to get grey tree frogs to breed, they are usually only moved into a breeding set up when they show signs that they're ready to breed. Other than that, they only need a water dish. In the wild, they move away from the water other than at breeding time. Have you looked into your state laws regarding grey tree frogs? Here in WI, we have laws about how many we can own and we cannot sell them because they are a native frog. So breeding them here would be pretty much worthless.

I'm not sure how much time would have to pass in order to get it to the point of safe for another animal, you could take it apart, bleach dip things, and then put it back together.

[Rebel]

They only sell for $3-$4 anyhow, so selling would only be a secondary goal, if that. My main goal with animals is to create naturalistic displays which are self-sustaining and do not cause me to continually purchase plants or animals.

[Rebel]

they only sell for $3-$4 anyhow, so selling would be my secondary goal,if even that. My main purpose with animals is to create naturalistic displays that are self sustaining,at least in the sense that I do not have to continually replenish plants or animals.

[LilyPad]

Then you could skip breeding altogether if you wanted. I've had mine for over 4 years and never bred them. I have found them in amplexus, but it didn't result in eggs. They usually do not sporadically breed, so unless you're actively trying to breed them, putting them through a season, then you do not need to worry about setting up a tank for breeding at all. A water dish (water changed daily) would be plenty sufficient.