New to frogs with some questions!

[frozensponge]

Hi all, my name is Ifan and am recently beginning to take a huge interest in frogs. i think they are very lovely and beautiful. Im not sure if im suppose to ask questions over here so maybe any one of you can reply me or send me a message. In any case, I have an exo- terra 18x18x24 lying around and so i thought it might be great to try and have a couple of frogs. Firstly, since I am new to frogs, i wonder what type of frogs would be a good start for me since the glass cage is pretty tall and would be more vertical than horizontal? secondly, i live in indiana, bloomington and it is difficult to maintain humidity and temperatures and so i wonder if the screen top of the exo-terra cage would be fine? In any case i just hope that someone may introduce me some species of frogs that may suit the cage best. i know that we do not find the species to suit the cage but i hope i can utilize whatever i have first before venturing in more investments. Thanks in advance!!!

[bshmerlie]

Welcome to the forum Ifan. Your Exo Terra is perfect for frogs, especially tree frogs. That tank is what a lot of us use here. As far as frogs go check out the care articles on the left. The Whites Tree Frog, the Red Eye Leaf Frog and the American Green tree frog are all good frogs to start with. As far as the humidity is concerned using live plants with the proper ground cover will help with that. You can also cover up a portion of the screen on top to keep in some moisture. Hand misting in the morning and at night is usually good enough to keep your humidity in the proper range. If you can get your tank set up before you get your frog that way you can make sure you are meeting the frogs environmental needs consistently. Good luck with your decision. Take a look in the photo albums that will give you some ideas.

[1beataway]

Hi there! Welcome.

White's Tree Frogs are a fantastic starter frog. They have a great temperament, they're active (though it's mostly at night), and they're just fun! Also, they can stand a pretty good range of humidity. And I think they're really cute. That size tank is the size of my White's tank. It's a good size.

Good luck in your decision!

[frozensponge]

thanks a lot guys! I have checked the tree frogs as you told me so. the red eye leaf frog seems amazing. they looked so vibrant and more colorful. As I checked the different types of frogs on the left, i stumbled across the dart frogs. their colors are so amazing. do you guys have any experience on dart frogs? how viable is it for a beginner like me and how different are they from the tree frogs mentioned?

[bshmerlie]

I mentioned tree frogs because your tank is vertical. Many of the beginner dart frogs would prefer a horizontal tank. You could do it but I think it would be benifical to landscape properly to help the frogs use more of the vertical space.you would also need to get panes of glass cut to cover up the screen lid to keep in moisture. You would need to learn how to culture your own fruit flies. Although that seems like a big hurdle it is actually one of the easiest parts of keeping darts. There are some beginner darts that I would reccomend that you check out. Dendrobates Leucomelas, Dendrobate Azureus, Dendrobates Tinctorius just to name some popular ones. These frogs are diurnal unlike the nocturnal tree frogs and they are bold so they will be moving around more than the tree frogs. BUT they are less forgiving to beginner boo boos.They need very specific environmental requirements and the owner must be certain he can maintain them consistently. Only you know if you are a diligent pet owner. If you have a dog out back that you rarely visit or fish that you haven't fed in a week than darts would not be good for you. Or really you would not be good for the darts. They are the most active as far as frogs go but they do require a higher level of responsibility. If you think your up to it check out those species that I mentioned and if your still interested then we can go into details.

[frozensponge]

after reading what you have to say, i believe that i will need more time and research to come to a conclusion. I prefer to have set up everything correctly first before making a jump and purchase an animal. while taking care of the temperatures and humidity level is not a problem for me, i think i have to take my every day habit into consideration as well. i guess even diurnal or nocturnal makes a whole lot of differences as well.