hibernation question

[Fergie14]

my Astralian green tree frog is burying itself in its bedding and has stopped eating does this mean its going into hibernation? and if so how can I get it out of hibernation,

[HerpetologyBarbie]

It's unusual for a tree frog to burrow down on the floor for brumation (mammals hibernate, reptiles/amphibians brumate), unless there is not sufficient plant cover up higher.

A few questions;

• Do you only have the one frog?
• How old is your frog?
• How much does it weigh and/or is it skinny or chubby?
• How long have you had your frog?
• How long has it been in it's current enclosure?
• What are your temperatures like in the enclosure?
• Do you provide a basking lamp or heat mat?
• Do you provide UV lighting?
• Have your ambient temperatures been dropping lately?
• How long has it been without food?

[Fergie14]

yesI do only have one frog, I don't know how old it is but I know that its not full grown yet, Its not particularly skinny or chubby, I've had my frog for 4 days, It's been in its current enclosure for 4 days, the temperature is in between 70F and 80F, I do provide a basking lamp, I do provide a UV light, My ambient temperatures have not been falling, It stopped eating and started burrowing 3 days ago

[HerpetologyBarbie]

Hello again,

GTF's very rarely dig and your situation doesn't sound like brumation. Young frogs will almost never brumate, even adult frogs in captivity virtually never brumate unless their keeper is specifically trying to trigger it. Rather the issue you are experiencing is more likely to be related to a few things such as illness, stress or your husbandry.

Does your frog have plenty of hiding spaces? If your frog is experiencing stress due to a lack of ability to properly hide itself in it's new enclosure, it may be driven to try and bury itself. This is especially seen when frogs are kept in a high traffic area in the house with few hiding spaces.

Does your frog have a bowl of water that they're able to properly submerse themselves in? If they're skin looking moist and sticky? Dehydration can cause frogs to go to ground to try and absorb the moisture in the soil. Misting can also help if your frog is too nervous to soak.

What are your temperatures like? If your frog is too hot, it may be going to ground to try and cool itself off.

Otherwise, if all of your husbandry is correct, you may wish to take them to the vet for some cultures to see if there is an underlying issue that is making your frog feel unwell.

Also, quick note: Is this the same frog that was showing the patches/spots of discolouration from your other thread? Is it still demonstrating these symptoms?

[Fergie14]

It is the same frog that had the patches of green but the patches of green have gone away. I think it might be burying itself in the ground because it does not have enough hiding places, what should I use as hiding spots, Thanks so much for the advice.

[jasonm96]

Make sure the UVB lighting is of the right percentage at the right distance for an example I would use a 5% above screen on a 24 tall. Then I would plant it to for cover and allow light gradients where the frog can adjust its exposure to the lighting. The reason I'm mentioning this is because if the frog is getting too much without enough cover it may go down to the bottom half as the UV output will be lower.

[Fergie14]

yes I do have a UVB light, And its Right on top of the screen but whenever I have it on, half the time my frog will just go up and get as close to it as possible but the other half the time it just stays burrowed.