White dumpy info!!

[scarletts003]

Ok, this is the bark that I just bought to put in his cage.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...:referralID=NA


And also, whats the best thing to keep humidity up? I think that it might also be a issue.

Thanks

[Dog Shrink]

That stuff looks pretty good. Kinda chippy tho so you might want to consider mixing it with some sphagnum moss. Regular misting maybe a couple times a day until you get the bedding good and moist will help with your humidity levels as will adding the sphagnum moss. Another nice thing about sphagnum moss is it is a natural antifungal antibacterial substrait so it won't mold from excessive moisture.

[amisbeef]

I seriously would consider investing in coco-fibre. In all my years of herp keeping, I have always given my frogs coco-husk bedding. It is the best for keepign humidity up and it is the least dangerous substrate for your frog. Dog Shrink is right pine and cedar shavings can give off aromatic hydrocarbons - Phenols - which can be harmful to reptiles and even some rodents kept on this substrate - never mind frogs which such delicate skin - I mean, these guys breathe and drink through their skin, heaven knows what they'll take in accidently.

In regards to impaction - coco-husk is also the safest as if taken in by these ferocious eaters, it will just pass through. A problem with sphagnum moss is that when eaten by White's it is very hard to pass through, and can put your frog in a lot of pain. Bark isn't as big of a problem as moss can be, as it is rarely accidently eaten as it is so big, these frogs will generally notice when they've accidently got a bit of bark and swipe it away with their 'hand'. Another problem that can arise with too much sphagnum moss is that it can retain your frogs toxicity which is no problem in small doses, but once built up within the moss, can cause some problems to your frogs health. Also, I would not recommend putting any sand in your substrate! That will surely only irritate your frogs skin and just isn't a good substrate for a tree frog.

With regards to other solutions to raise humidity - I'd imagine with the exo terra terrarium you have described - your bulb is resting on the metal mesh at the top of the tank? I would recommend finding a slightly weaker bulb, as it could be contributing to the drying out of your substrate.

Finally, another way of raising humidity is placing something on top of the mesh at the top for a short while - always raises humidity quickly.

[Dog Shrink]

I was doing some reading last night about waxy monkey frogs and barred tiger salamanders and it actually recommended against cocofiber alone as it can be quite dusty and get into the animals nose and eyes possibly causing infection. Have you ever had any troubles with this in your experience?

[Rocko]

Well while I haven't seen infections from it, if you do not keep the coco fiber damp, yeah it does get really dusty and even wet just coats your frog, which I can't imagine is good long term. With a waxy frog that seems to prefer drier climates than most of the other tree frogs, it seems to me you'd get dry coco fiber pretty easily. At the very least covering it in leaf litter seems to be a good solution to that. I agree that coco fiber is probably one of the safest substrates, but it does have a tendency to compact or spoil quickly, meaning that if you do use, be prepared to replace it regularly.

[Dog Shrink]

Would you suggest for herps that like a damper environment maybe mixing the coco fiber with maybe sphagnum moss or another more "durable" substrait to keep it more user friendly or is it gonna sour and stick regardless of how you mix it?

[amisbeef]

Frogs getting covered in coco fibre has been an inconvenience! I use some orchid bark on top of the coco to stop my frogs getting too messy. I have used small amounts of moss before too, but not at the moment. It's more of a bark layer though, not a mix.

It does have a tendency to dry out after a while due to lamps and heat mats, so misting the substrate directly helps the humidity and keeps the substrate fresh In my experience it only dries or spoils if left untouched for a few weeks.

Also, never had infections before

[Rocko]

Well as amisbeef said, there are some concerns with the sphagnum, although I know a lot of people do use a mixture of the two, which I think will help keep it from compacting and provide good moisture. The problem with spoilage I think is partly dependent on what you keep. White's frogs are large poop machines, and combined with a damp substrate, funky things just can't help but grow and flourish in a short time. I'm not going to say I am an expert yet on managing waste for the white's although from other keepers I have talked to some of the happiest are the ones that just use damp paper towels on the bottom and change them out quickly and easily daily. I of course chose the planted tank route and so that option wasn't available to me. Having a full "ecosystem" of waste managing bacteria, bugs, and the like may extend a particular substrate's life time.