My Frogs Came!!!

[Geofrog707]

I know exactly how you feel, when I brought my first White's home I couldn't bear to keep my hands off of him. I was always peaking at him while he was sleeping and I'm sure it was bothersome to have me staring at him all the time. Just remember that these animals don't know your intentions, they probably think you're a predator that wants to eat them, actually, so staying away from them and trying your hardest not to bother them is the best way to ensure a healthy frog.

Unfortunately I think my actions were part of the reason why my White's became sick, and I have learned from that mistake. I paid for it dearly, believe me...

By coco husk I meant substrate. XD; What kind of substrate do you have them on? And as long as they have a place to hide while they sleep in the day time, they should be relatively happy.

lol, I do the same EXACT thing.. It is making me feel a little creepish. But who wouldn't if they had one? I have been trying really hard to not stare at them as much but still check on them about 4 times a day to make sure they are breathing.. Well probably a little more than 4. lol I only stay for about 20 seconds though. I have a bromeliad now and the purple lights that I will test tonight.. I also have my little cricket enclosure set up. I am pretty proud of it, although it doesn't look natural at all, lol. My frogs alternate from the ground to the top of the tank for sleeping. I am shocked I found the other one so fast who choose to sleep on the floor today. My temps finally seem normal and it is easier to keep my fogger on without the humidity going too much. I just hope I can control it when I am at school.

The temps can get almost to 80, which I hope is somewhat similar to an Australian spring day (since they are AUSTRALIAN White's Tree Frogs). When we went to Australia, it was freezing. So their temps seem about the same as ours in the temperate parts at least. I also try to keep the fogger on in the morning for "early morning dew" and I leave the windows open so when it turns daytime outside, I can turn back on the light. It is sort of a gradual thing in the morning with the light. I want it to be as close to the wild as possible, which is why I am not a big fan of the thongs. But they seem ready to hunt so I might try it again, I don't know. (Sorry for all the extra info, but I had to tell someone, lol)

The substrate is some plantation soil from the "Exo-Terra Medium Rainforest Habitat Kit". I also have some moss mixed in throughout it as well and a water bowl so humidity stays pretty decent. It is also warmer down there because of my heating pad that is still on the bottom of the tank. I was gonna move it but then I noticed that it might overheat them because the temps were actually turning quite warm. Also, thanks for taking the time to read this whole message considering you got this far! I also definitely see how you could make that coco-husk/substrate typo. Unless... that is just another term for substrate and my joke just failed in my own stupidity.. Thanks for all your advice again! I would give you more rep if I could!

[Geofrog707]

Update: I tried using the tongs but it took me like 10 mins to catch one cricket and probably more to catch the second one.. They also jumped of the tongs several times and by the time I had the second one ready to feed to the bigger frog, she just declined because it was already pretty much dead from my constant trying to pick the cricket up. So I just gave up and caught a few and put them in the tank. The one who I call a girl so far went crazy. She was on a hunting spree! It looked awesome watching her go in predator mode too! The purple lights gave her a orange color as well. The other frog however was still just sitting there and he wasn't going to get to eat if he didn't get up quicker. So I kind of nudged him to get up and he went straight for the warm top of the tank. The exact opposite to where the crickets were. He seemed petrified of my hand (the larger one doesn't seem to care as much) so I tried to guide him toward the bottom. It failed.. Hopefully he will still get to eat some..

[Kisa]

Haha no, that wasn't a typo, coco husk is the name of the type of substrate you should sue for tree frogs. These substrates are made from the husk of a coconut, hence the name. XD That's ok though, easy mistake for a first-timer to make.

Any temp between 75-80 during the day is ideal for White's so you're ok there, what's the humidity like? I know you're using a fogger but I don't have one myself so I'm not sure exactly how much moisture those can produce at any given time. Try to keep it below 80%, as anything higher could be harmful and breed bacteria.

And that's ok about all the info, I know I wanted to share as well when I brought Bruce Campbell home, he's my pride and joy I couldn't shut my mouth about him. XD

One thing that concerns me though is that you're sort of panicking about them eating. This really isn't necessary, as I said they are new frogs and might take time to adjust before eating. You shouldn't try to force them by moving them from their comfortable position to the ground to eat. The frogs will eat when they're ready, if otherwise the frog seems healthy you should leave him alone until he decides he's hungry. Forcing them to eat could cause undue stress. Also, make sure you feed them at night, these frogs are strictly nocturnal and feeding them during the day could mess up their natural sleep cycle, causing more stress.

I think if you just relax and try to leave them alone as much as possible you're frogs will do great. Remember, the slightest change in a frog could cause their health to drop dramatically. All frogs need time to acclimate, some longer than others. Just be patient and calm down and they'll be fine. If they don't go for food one night, just keep trying until it makes the decision to eat on it's own, that's the best thing to do.

[Geofrog707]

Ok, thank you. I left them alone for a full 8 hours today too! That is a huge accomplishment for me. Although I was at school.. but still. And that is good news about the temps, in the afternoons the temperature gets around that whole range so that is good. I also fed them at night last night so at least I did SOMETHING right. Leaving them alone should be easier now though with my homework and school. Thanks for being understanding about my mistake with the substrate and the whole "talking about my frogs too much" thing though. About the zoo-med fogger, it works really well. I have a decent balance with the light, temp, and fogger so far. I turn the fogger on and the humidity usually won't go passed a certain point (80's) because of the lights, but instead the effects of it last over a long period of time(they usually drop to the 60's or 70;s though). The temp also (as far as I know of) won't go passed 80 degrees but usually stays in the 70's range, although has to get pretty low at night. Maybe that is why the frogs like the purple lights so much. I will take your advice and try to leave them alone more. That is actually a relief hearing you say that (well seeing you type that) the frog will eat when he is ready. Thanks again for all your advice! I really appreciate it!

[Kisa]

Ok, thank you. I left them alone for a full 8 hours today too! That is a huge accomplishment for me. Although I was at school.. but still. And that is good news about the temps, in the afternoons the temperature gets around that whole range so that is good. I also fed them at night last night so at least I did SOMETHING right. Leaving them alone should be easier now though with my homework and school. Thanks for being understanding about my mistake with the substrate and the whole "talking about my frogs too much" thing though. About the zoo-med fogger, it works really well. I have a decent balance with the light, temp, and fogger so far. I turn the fogger on and the humidity usually won't go passed a certain point (80's) because of the lights, but instead the effects of it last over a long period of time(they usually drop to the 60's or 70;s though). The temp also (as far as I know of) won't go passed 80 degrees but usually stays in the 70's range, although has to get pretty low at night. Maybe that is why the frogs like the purple lights so much. I will take your advice and try to leave them alone more. That is actually a relief hearing you say that (well seeing you type that) the frog will eat when he is ready. Thanks again for all your advice! I really appreciate it!

It's totally fine, like I said, we all like hearing about a new member's frogs. I was very giddy when I brought my big guy home I couldn't shut up about him. ^ ^

And trust me, all frogs go through adjustment periods. My baby blue (Bruce Wayne) ate fine when I first got him and then went through a period where he seemed completely disinterested in crickets, a few days passed and I started to get nervous, but when I cleaned his cage all the crickets were gone so he must have been eating after all.

If you have a concern about your frogs and you want some advice, always feel free to PM me with questions before you freak out and do something potentially harmful. I'm not a expert, but I have experience with nursing my big boy back to health and going through some pretty scary ups and downs, and if I can't help you there are plenty of other members who can. If you see changes in your frog's behavior in a negative way, try to post a thread and wait for some replies before you act, unless of course the problem is serious and needs your immediate attention. There is also a really great froggie first aid article to the left there with some quick fixes for little problems that effect frogs on a regular basis and can be a great help if your frog seems down or won't eat or has some minor skin problems, always check that out and try to treat them accordingly before getting too excited and jumping the gun. It's always best to be sure of what's wrong.

Other than that I can tell you really care about your frogs and if you focus your passions in the correct way, you'll make a great frog mommy, I promise. ^ ^

[Geofrog707]

Ok, I will try to get more help before making rash decisions next time. I will try my best to take care of the frogs properly and someday become a good frog Daddy, I think I will pass on the mommy opportunity, lol. I know it sounds like I have said this a lot but thanks again for your advice! And if it hasn't seem like I have then thanks again for your advice anyway, lol

[Kisa]

Ok, I will try to get more help before making rash decisions next time. I will try my best to take care of the frogs properly and someday become a good frog Daddy, I think I will pass on the mommy opportunity, lol. I know it sounds like I have said this a lot but thanks again for your advice! And if it hasn't seem like I have then thanks again for your advice anyway, lol

Nah, we're all frog Mommies, girls AND boys! XD Except maybe John...he can be the Frog King. >>;

But yeah, seriously no problem! You don't have to thank me so much it's the least I could do. I wanna keep your frogs healthy and happy too you know!