New American green tree frog tank questions.

[ionaday]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum and just collected my frog today. I have wanted a frog for sometime and as christmas is coming up seemed like a good xmas prezzie from the hubby. I am unsure of the sex so have named my frog Charlie just incase. I was told at the pet shop I didn't need much in the tank but after researching last night discovered this to be wrong. I have added to long fake plants one at either side of my 12x12x18 tank and a long piece of drift wood and another fake plant in the bottom. The tank came as part of a package and with this was a large water bowl, this fills much of the bottom of the tank. Do I need such a large bowl for this frog? Also I am struggling with the temp of the tank. I bought a thermometer but the suction cup was not in the pack so have to take it back. The tank does however feel cold. I managed to get the humidity up by covering the top whilst Charlie was still at the pet shop and have left it half covered will this be ok? I have a large heat mat stuck on the bottom of the tank that has been on since I set it up yesterday afternoon, it covers much of the bottom. I'm not sure if the substrate is to thick its around 5cms?
The pet shop did not have any crickets due to delievery problems, so I had to get mealworms. I understand its not good to feed them to many of these. I put three in with Charlie, placing one in front of her and she gobbled it up. I did it with another but it got away. I think they have now buried themselves in the substrate. Will she find them or will I need to try anf fish them out? Also how many should I feed her and how often?
She seems fairly happy she has taken to sitting on the dirftwood in the center of the tank in full view so I'm taking this as a good sign.
I will try and get some pics put on. Any advice ect would be much appreciated, I want her to do well.

Iona x

[ionaday]

Pictures

[Jace]

That is a very nice setup; tree frogs love to have branches to climb and added plants make them feel more secure, so good call on adding more. Your substrate is a bit thick for an undertank heater to be very effective. Have you thought of getting a small overhead heat lamp instead? These frogs actually do very well at moderate room temperature; mine seems to be thriving at an average room temperature of 22 degrees Celcius. Covering part of the top ventilation will help with humidity; if you swap out some of that soil with moss and keep it moist but not soggy, that will help too. Mealworms are fine if that is all you have, just do not feed too many at once and get crickets as soon as you can. If any are buried in the substrate, I would try and find them, but if you can't, they will merely turn into beetles and then you will be able to catch them. If you cannot get crickets for a bit, feed her three mealworms every other day or so, and allow her to pass what she has eaten before offering her more.

Are you able to take a closer shot of Charlie? Her markings look to be a bit unusual compared to my American Green Treefrog. Oh, and welcome to the Forum!!

[ionaday]

Thank you for the reply. I intended o get some moss today and thought I had but when I got home I realised the shop assistant had forgot to add it to my basket I will pick some up as I had read it helped with the humidity. I will try keeping the house temp up and that may help with the tank. I was going to place the tank near a radiator but then changed my mind, if I cannot get it to heat up I may give this a go. I should be able to get some crickets by Friday fingers crossed. I'm thinking of changing the water bowl to a smaller one and getting a mealworm bowl so that I don't lose them. I intend on adding some more branches and making the water bowl smaller will give me the room to do this. Do these frogs need a large water bowl or would a small one be enough?
I will post some close up pictures of Charlie as soon as she comes out of hiding .

Thanks agan for the reply

Iona x

[Jace]

As long as the water bowl is big enough to fit their whole body into it, they do not need a huge one at all. All they need is enough water to have a soak in as they are not big swimmers. Good call on the mealworm bowl-those little worms can be quite the escape artist! As for heat, I sometimes place my tank (which is exactly like yours! ) either above the t.v. or on top of the fridge at night if the temperature drops; it gives just enough warmth to not overly dry out everything and cause the humidity to drop. Best of luck and I can't wait to see some more pics!

[ionaday]

These aren't great but I didn't want to stress her out to much taking snaps. However having taken these and then looking at some pictures of the pacific chorus frog, I'm starting to think that I may not have an American green tree frog at all. What do people think?

[Jace]

Well, that is what caught my eye in your first group of picks. It's hard to tell as it is not all that clear, but my first thought was either a Pacific Chorus frog or a Grey's Treefrog. I've included a pic of my American Green Treefrog, Rongo, for you to compare to Charlie. I have a feeling that Charlie is not a American Green Tree Frog though...

[ionaday]

Thank you for the reply and for pointing out that Charlie may be a Grey's tree frog. I have just google this species and this is infact what Charlie is. I saw a picture highlighting the yellow on the legs, I noticed this on Charlie whilst bringing her home today. Looks like I may have some more research to do, oh and to have a word with the pet shop.

Your frog looks very cute, I love the green colour. But I'll love Charlie all the same. x

[Jace]

Where I am, I have never seen a Grey's Treefrog, so I am a bit jealous! Regardless, you have a great set-up for Charlie and she will be a wonderful pet for you to enjoy. I would definitely speak to the pet shop, as they should know what they are selling to their customers, but I bet Charlie will be one lucky frog with you! Best of luck to you and Charlie.

[passon13]

i have an american green tree frog and looks nothing like yours. where did u get it? i know at petsmart they keep their greys, golden and green tree frogs together also i just Added moss to my terrarium and the temp and humidity are alot stable. it helped alot.. this is a pic before i added a black background to it.

[Jace]

Nice set-up passon13! What are you using for the water dish? I think it looks really cool and natural in there!

[passon13]

Nice set-up passon13! What are you using for the water dish? I think it looks really cool and natural in there!

thank you! i got a half coconut from petsmart it
s pretty cool. i just buried a bit and had the moss go up to it so he could climb in easy. i just got a new live plant that is on the left and that is his fav. now and hardly uses the fake ones anymore. you have 2 gtf right? hows your setup looking?

[DonLisk]

Hi Lona, Very nicely done one the setup for your new frog.

As stated, the under tank won't do much for you and I would definitely see if you can return it and bring home a lamp for on top. A small daylight bulb will create more than enough temps (15 watt) and adding a partial covering of the top will allow for the humidity to not escape too fast. Your frog doesn't need a special bulb since he/she is nocturnal.


If you add moss a misting once or twice a day will keep the humidity up.

You probably don't need heat at night as long as you home feels comfortable.
Feeling the inside of the setup with your hand will probably feel cold since its moist. Rely on your temp gauges.

You'll get a lot of awesome advise on this forum so ask.. there are so many experienced people that will step up to help.
Good luck with Charlie and again.. nice setup.

[Jace]

thank you! i got a half coconut from petsmart it
s pretty cool. i just buried a bit and had the moss go up to it so he could climb in easy. i just got a new live plant that is on the left and that is his fav. now and hardly uses the fake ones anymore. you have 2 American Green Tree Frog right? hows your setup looking?

I changed my setup a bit when I lost one of my GTF...unfortunately, Elton passed away a couple of months ago. But Rongo is doing great and seems to be thriving. I love the half coconut idea...I might have to track one of those down!!

[DonLisk]

I changed my setup a bit when I lost one of my American Green Tree Frog...unfortunately, Elton passed away a couple of months ago. But Rongo is doing great and seems to be thriving. I love the half coconut idea...I might have to track one of those down!!

Is the coconut shell big enough for a few frogs? I wouldn't mind changing out my large water dish for something smaller and cool looking.

[Jace]

Depends on the size of the shell, Don. I've come across some pretty awesome sized coconuts that would be perfect for a group of frogs. The one passon13 has would be absolutely perfect for Rongo-stylish yet macho!

[DonLisk]

Depends on the size of the shell, Don. I've come across some pretty awesome sized coconuts that would be perfect for a group of frogs. The one passon13 has would be absolutely perfect for Rongo-stylish yet macho!

After I posted me question I had to laugh. I have a terracotta cup that I found at a flower shop that was for a small cactus or plant and three of my tree frogs forced themselves into the one cup. They were packed right in and there was three cups to choose from... why all in one I'll never know.

[DonLisk]

After I posted me question I had to laugh. I have a terracotta cup that I found at a flower shop that was for a small cactus or plant and three of my tree frogs forced themselves into the one cup. They were packed right in and there was three cups to choose from... why all in one I'll never know.

Forgot I had a pic with two in a cup

[passon13]

yea mine can easily fit 2 or 3 GTF. it was only 2.99 so it was way more affordable than othe water/soaking dishes they sell.

[ionaday]

Hi Lona, Very nicely done one the setup for your new frog.

As stated, the under tank won't do much for you and I would definitely see if you can return it and bring home a lamp for on top. A small daylight bulb will create more than enough temps (15 watt) and adding a partial covering of the top will allow for the humidity to not escape too fast. Your frog doesn't need a special bulb since he/she is nocturnal.


If you add moss a misting once or twice a day will keep the humidity up.

You probably don't need heat at night as long as you home feels comfortable.
Feeling the inside of the setup with your hand will probably feel cold since its moist. Rely on your temp gauges.

You'll get a lot of awesome advise on this forum so ask.. there are so many experienced people that will step up to help.
Good luck with Charlie and again.. nice setup.

Thank you. I intend on adding some more branches for Charlie she seems to really like the one she already has. I have done some reading on the Gray tree frog and they seem easy enough to care for. I will have a look for a bulb for her, I won't be able to take the heat mat back seen as its well and truely stuck to the bottom of the tank. It does seemed to be staying at a nice temp now, I have increased the temp of the room the tank is in and this appears to have helped.
I was a bit concerned as Charlie seems to be bloated. I placed 3 mealworms in her tank yesterday and know for sure she ate one. As I do not know when she was fed before this, I'm think the bloating could be due to having eaten to much? she's moving around the tank, so I'm guessing its nothing serious at least I hope so.

Thanks again, I'm finding this forum very helpful.