Juvenile Whites: Help Please!

[mrk]

My daughter just got 5 juvenile Whites on Saturday. They are ranging from approx 11/2 to 2 inches. They seem healthy although I am not sure whether they are all eating well yet and it is worrying me. There are crickets left in their enclosure in the a.m. Is it necessary to try to catch and remove leftover crickets? The pet store guy said crickets can eat the eyes and skin of frogs if left in tank but my whites seem to stay up high during the day. I am putting crickets in just before I turn off the light at night. The frogs don't move at all until after the light is off. They have all switched positions by morning but I don't know which have eaten. Also, can someone explain what size tank is best for them. They are in a 10 gallon right now. My husband is building their permanent enclosure (really nice 36x36x18) but I have since read that it might be better not to put them in this until they are almost full grown. Do I need a different temperary enclosure and how do I know when to switch them? Is 36 high too much? Pet store guy said they might get hurt jumping down after food but they're tree frogs! I thought higher was better. . . so confused!

[DonLisk]

Welcome.
The 36 inch height is good for them, they are tree frogs :-)
Have plenty of climbing available, branches, vines, large leaf live plants such as pothos, snake plants and bromeliads. Use a substrate such as plantation soil or coco fiber with a bottom layer of hydroballs or a false bottom, and separate from the substrate with a screen. This will allow for drainage and water evaporation or collection as it passes through the soil.

As for eating, you will just have to pay attention to them and watch their weight.
They will fatten up when they soak in the water dish and usually shed often.
You can use a cricket bowl and here is a link with info on that subject.
Oh, they won't eat your frogs eyes out. :-)


Change water daily and spot clean droppings.
Mist often to keep humidity up.

Read the care sheet

And read the choosing a frog sheet found here.


Don

[mrk]

Thanks for the links, Don! (Love the glass bowl feeding trick and will try it tomorrow!) I'm on the right track with the tank as I have live pothos planted in Coc. husk and that is the substrate also. Glad the 3 ft. height will be good, but is it okay to put them in that large of an enclosure (108 gal.) soon or should I wait awhile? Is the 10 gal. big enough until then or do I need an intermediate size in between tanks? How do I know when to switch them?

[DonLisk]

You can move them right in when its ready. Let it run with a day and night cycle lighting for a week or more to get things going. Introduce them to the enclosure once you know your temps and humidity levels are right for day and night time.

Humidity will go up at night since the lighting isn't burning the humidity off.
Above 50 percent humidity is safe but they will be better off at about 60 - 70 percent.
Usually the normal temps in your home are fine as long as your not freezing them out (under 68 degrees) with an air conditioner, or not letting it get above 85 for most of the day.

[mrk]

That's great news! I didn't want to mess with an interim tank. Really appreciate your help. This Forum is awesome!