My first frog

[lraulston]

okay guys, tonight I am going to get my WTF. I have had my eye on these frogs from a local petco. Yes, I know how most feel about chain stores and for the most part I agree. However, these frogs look healthier than those I have seen at smaller stores that specialize more in herps. I went today and saw that they had been moved from their nice large aquarium to a teenie one. now I want to bring them home to a good home. I had some concerns though. I asked an employee about them and he said that their fancy computerized system kept them at 80 degrees all the time. My tank is around 80 during the day, but close to 70 at night. I can run a moonlight, but that just bumps it a few degrees. He also said that they are fed 2 times a day and eat 2-3 large crickets each. I thought most people fed every other day. Of course these are young frogs and I know they must be fed a little more often. But we sometimes spend the night out of town. Does it hurt for them to go a day without food? Are my temps okay since it is summer and in general everything is hotter? Instead of running the moonlight could I just drape a towel at night to keep heat in? Is 70 at night when these frogs are used to a constant 80 bad? Also, should I get one frog or two? They had three left, but I don't think I want them all, though I feel bad leaving one. Thanks in advance guys


sorry for all the questions

[daydreaming]

i normally keep my whites tree frogs at about 75 during the day and it drops to about 68-69 at night naturally they do have a drop in temp at night. i woulnt drap a towel over as they need humidty levels to be high but also the air needs to get into the tank. also the towel could make the temp go even higher.

i feed mine about 10-12 crickets every 2-3 days.

how young are they?

depending on the size of your tank depends on how many you can keep.

i sometimes use a moonlight but thats more to stop the temp dropping to 60 but they dont give out much heat its more so that you can watch them without disturbing them.

i always feed my wtf late at night about 9pm but i spray them 20 mins beforehand and they have realised that if i mist them late at night that they will soon be fed and they take there positions waiting for the food.

normally i mist the tank in the morning and then in the afternoon when i get home.

this is what i do with mine but i know others have there own systems when it comes to their wtf's

[lraulston]

Thanks for the input. tank is 18"18"24" exo terra. So, would it be a major shock to them for the temp to drop to 70 at night when they are used to 80 all the time?

[daydreaming]

same size tank as mine, if its one of the complete set up tanks can i recommend purchasing some more hiding places (branches, plants etc) i have just done my tank up including all the bits they gave me with my complete set up, i will say they do need more in the tank, more hiding places and possibly a larger water bowl as i found only 1 frog will sit in it at any time.

i keep 3 whites in mine, shop told me i could easily keep 4. but they also said i could keep another species in the tank as well.

dont take everything they say as them being honest most the time they will lie just to make you purchase and if they can see you feel bad for the others they will try and talk you into buying more.

[lraulston]

It did not come in the setup, I bought it from someone and added branches etc. It is not 100%, and I may add stuff once I find out where my frogs like to hang out etc. after they have settled in.

[daydreaming]

i know wtf are suppose to be fairly hardy when it comes to drops in temp and humidty they are normally recommended for first time frog owners as well.

they are cute and sweet as hell, well until they start croaking at 2am when your trying to get to sleep lol.

i would recommend lookinmg at pictures on the internet to see what a healthy frog looks like then when you go to pick them up have a good look all over them to make sure they look healthy if you are happy with their condition then get them if you have any doubts in the condition of the frogs then maybe look around at other places that sell them.

[lraulston]

yea I will for sure. I have been looking around for months, and these are the healthiest I have seen.

[Kurt]

I would buy them. Just between you and I (and everyone that will read this ) my White's came from Petco. And so did my tomato frogs, some of my fire-bellied toads, my rosy boa, and my snow corn snake. I have had the corn for 11 years now.

[lraulston]

lol okay thanks. I have had my eyes on these same frogs for a while- just waiting for the right time to strike lol

[Kurt]

If they are healthy, then I see no reason not to buy.

[lraulston]

I got 2 froggies tonight! They seem very healthy, good skin color etc. The other one in the cage with them had a teeny miscolord light green spot on his head that I did not see until I had chosen mine, which concerns me a bit, but the other frogs that I got look great. Don't know if it was color change from stress since he got all of them out or not. Should I keep an eye out for this on mine? They look fine and bright eyed and good. Is there anything preventative I can do? What are signs of them being ill? As I said, I have watched these same frogs in the store on and off for months and they have always looked healthy and eaten very well.

[John]

The first sign of an ill frog is usually when it refuses to eat. I wouldn't worry but do keep an eye on them. Since they're new, try to keep them in a part of the house that doesn't get very noisy or a heck of a lot of traffic. Which Petco did you get them from? The Frisco one? I've been to the mall there by 121 and Preston but never gone further up Preston to the Petco. I did notice that the Petco in west Plano had some very nice White's a few weeks ago - I had never seen any that nice in a chain store before.

[lraulston]

It is the one on El dorado Parkway/Dallas north tollway in North Frisco. Nice looking frogs and reptiles, nothing like the one at 121 and preston.

[John]

Wow that's a long way from here.

[John]

Of course now you owe us photos Laura .

[lraulston]

I will have them up tomorrow probably. Don't worry I took some . Frog 2 (no names yet) has wanted to sleep so far tonight, but Frog 1 was out and hunting as soon as the light went off tonight. I put in 6 large crickets (guy at store said they had been eating large) and Frog 1 has eaten atleast two and is stalking the rest. I think he's going to be a lardo. lol. THey sure hit things hard when they miss a cricket. Does that ever hurt their noses?

[John]

I don't suppose you want some baby Gray Treefrogs do you? I was going to let them go up in Hagerman Wildlife Reserve but you're so close locally I thought I would ask. They are voraciously eating fruitflies and very small crickets. Obviously you couldn't keep them with the White's Treefrogs since they'd be dinner.

[Kurt]

How about naming one "Kulathirrie". It's Australian Aboriginal for frog.

[Iceni]

I got a WTF a few moths ago, and there ace! Love mine to bits, Even when you open the tank and he jumps on your face!

I feed mine a mixture of locust hoppers, Crickets, meal worms and the odd wax worm if we get them as a treat for the beardie.

There a very undemanding animal for the most part, I started mine on coconuts husk, with a large water bowl and some bogwood.

The set-up has then been changed to the water bowl, a bigger more spindly piece of bogwood, and some terrarium silk plants. These frogs don't seem overly stressed by anything! they will quite happily be picked up and sit in your hand provided you don't try to stroke them too much. There very attentive, and mine will croak at the kettle! They also know when it's feeding time. And watch you like a hawk when there feeling hungry! Be careful tho as they will overfeed if you let them! Mine has been known to eat 4-5 decent sized hoppers then keep searching for more! You can tell if the frog is getting overweight by the folds above his ears, after a few weeks of having him you will soon learn they will eat far more than they need, and you have to ration them to feeding every few days.




As for colouration, When mine was on coconut husk he was a brown green, Since i have added the plants and removed the substrate he has gone to a Bright blue green. Often he will have have spots of other colour about his personage, I think this is more to to with where he has been sat and and if he has bumped himself. If i feed him locusts he's normally got a few light scratched on his face as well. He will generally leap on them with little or no regard for his safety! I don't think it harms them tho! and he seems to enjoy the larger food much more than crickets.




Don't take any of my post as advice per say, I'm still very much a noob when it comes to frogs, I'm probably doing a lot of things incorrectly myself as i'm still on a learning curve and having my own problems with a smaller set of frogs that a recently purchased!

[Kurt]

Don't take any of my post as advice per say, I'm still very much a noob when it comes to frogs, I'm probably doing a lot of things incorrectly myself

Your advice was good, and what you wrote was the correct husbandry for this species.