Valuable advice

[night crawler]

Hello all! This is my first post on the forums after finding this great site a couple days ago. I have been reading and searching through the site since I found it. So far im really liking this place!
So I had found a young adult Gray tree frog relaxing on the railing of my deck a few mornings ago, and have since taken him or her in. Things are going well, it seems to be enjoying the 30gal tall tank. I am currently trying to ease my way past the stage of a new and nervous frog...

Anyway on to the real thread topic...
One thing I noticed while reading on here were several posts about sick or dead frogs, this is of course sad to see so much of. I was glad however to see Eric's post: Too many dead frogs, he explain how important the right environment is for such exotic creatures. His post also made me realize how lucky I was to find this site! Its great to see how many people are willing to help out.

So in adition to his thread I say we all offer a peice of advice to beginers, maybe something someone may only learned from trial and error, or perhaps just a simple general knowledge concept...whatever it may be I think it would be great to have people post anything they have learned along the way in hopes of saving a few frogs.

I guess i'll start it off; I admit I may have jumped into this to quickly...after finding the frog I scrambled to grab my old gecko setup and modify it for the frog.
A better alternative would have been to do all my research first, then setup the cage, then consider getting a frog. So my tip is be always prepare ahead of time!

Hope this helps...Thanks guys!
-Kevin

[clownonfire]

Kevin, I like your approach. I think sharing our knowledge with others is a great way of making sure proper care is being given to our animals. Through education, we can teach others about the best practices of this hobby, and like you said, one advise at a time. The idea of offering one piece of info by each is a great idea. I was thinking about having a word from us popping up within the next few weeks about the situation, and the urgency of doing something about it fast.

Or when a new member signs in, we could have a post he sees right away about improving husbandry amongst enthusiasts.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops. I'm eager to learn, as always.

Eric

[bshmerlie]

One tip: Make all the space in the tank usable.

For tree frogs having one plant on one side of the tank and one plant on the other side with a big empty space in the middle is useless. Fill in the vertical space with branches, stick or plants for the frog to climb on. So basically fill in those empty gaps in the tank to make it usable for the frog. Tree frogs need trees.

[clownonfire]

Here's my tip.

For the Atelopus hoogmoedi: Keep a humid but dry tank. 80-85% will be sufficient. These toads are from the woodlands of Surinam and like to bask on rocks. Therefore keep very large rocks in the tank under basking lamps (temperature can go up to 80F under these lamps). These rocks must stay dry too. Add plants that have large leaves, Pothos, Philodendron, Alocasia. These toads, mostly the males, will like to perch themselves on the highest of these leaves at night, to sleep on. They must also have access to very clean water to soak in, as they come from an area where the water is extremely clean and pure. Atelopus are very slow. For feeders, D. buzzatii are suggested. If you do not have access to these fruit flies, then feed D. hydei. As these are climbers, add a piece of fruit in the tank to attract the flies, and make it easier for the toads.

I'd like to thank Corey W. for this information.

Eric

[ViperJr]

Might as well post my tip:
When finding enough plants (like Cheri said), be sure to plant it a great while before the frogs are moving in. This way, you will have alot more of every plant. And if the plant has trouble surviving, you will have time to adjust or change species (the plant that is).

[night crawler]

Great tips guys! Thanks for such quick responses.
I do think this thread could be a great way to teach the new folks things that they might not find in starter guides and certainly won't learn in the pet shop.

I'll throw in another tip, since im short on time i'll just steal one I found reading on here hehe
The glass bowl trick! I have just started using this and I must say it works great. To feed crickets to your frog simply place the desired amount in a small glass bowl about 2 inches high. The crickets cant get out but the frog can reach in to eat! No more lost crickets... The full thread on this tip can be found here: http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...owl-trick.html

Hope that helps!

Keep the tips coming!
thanks guys
-Kevin

[ViperJr]

The glass bowl trick is really nice. But, if you like me, wants to have a both good looking and functional bowl, here is want you can do:

1. Get yourself a good looking feeding dish (i.e. from Exo-Terra)
2. Get yourself a plastic box
(I used http://www.mathem.se/images/products...l-gb-glace.jpg )
3. Get a glue gun and a knife

Just cut out enough plastic to cover the insides of the bowl with it. It needs to be approximately as high as the glass bowl needs to be (it works in the same way, the crickets can't climb the plastic either). Then just glue the plastic to the inside of the bowl (and be sure it's completly dried and ventilated before putting it back, if you have frogs in the terrarium while doing this), and tadaa! A nice looking, escape-proof feedish dish!

[Mushrooms]

Wow i've already leaned some things!

I think my advice would be.

Learn not only about your frogs housing and habitat needs but also their behavioural and social. If you have a solitary frog make sure it is just that, so many people do stupid things like buy 'friends' for solitary animals becasue they would feel lonely in that situation.
If they are Sociable then make sure you have a pair or a small group - my greatest joy was the day i introduced my FBT who had been alone for a year to two new companions. He sang his heart out and almost imediately began interacting with the others. The change was immense and he went from a shy animal that sat in a flower pot all day to one that's now a bold character who likes to hang out in the water with his favorite 'ladies'.

[ViperJr]

Great post Mushrooms! People are still extremly stuck in a mamalpet mindset, so to speak. Not only does it sometimes make people setup a bad habiat, it also greats alot of misconceptions. Like petting a reptile/frog as you would with a cat or dog.
I've seen alot of times where snakeowners creating human feelings in their snake. Like looking at the snake in it's terrarium and say "Aaa, look, he wants to come out" and "He really likes to watch tv with me in the couch". No, they don't...