Red-Eyed Tree Frogs?

[froglover27]

Hi! I am REALLY interested in keeping Red-eyed tree frogs(: I was wondering....
1)Are they hard to care for?
2) How many could live in a 10 gallon tank?
3) Would a Vertical or Horizontal tank be better?
4) What size crickets could they eat(Which other insects)

Thanks for any help given(:

[Jon K]

Amphibian Care >> Red-eyed Tree Frog Frog (Agalychnis callidryas) Care
Try this link i think you will find it helpful

[bshmerlie]

Red Eyes are easy to care for as long as their requirements are met. If they are not met they will stop eating and go downhill fast. Have a densely planted tank where they can completely hide from you if they want. In a tank like that the environmental conditions are easier to maintain and your frogs will feel more secure and less stressed. So lots of plants.

[Katieasaur]

vertical tank is better
size of crickets depend on size of frog
a pair usually do fine in a 10g but more room the better
and I have found that my RETFs are not as easily stressed as most and have proven to be extremely easy for me to care for

[froglover27]

okay so vertical tank is better with lots of plants. And a 10 gallon will fit a pair. Does the pair have to be M & F or can it be MM etc.?? Do they prefer live plants ? If so, any specific types? Thanks for the care sheet Jon(: Are the usually shy in the beginning and how long does it take them to adjust? Thanks everyone!!

[ViperJr]

Live plants are a good choice. They help providing a stable humidity level, they provide hiding and sleeping space, and you create more and more volume for them to travel on. Red eyes will almost never be on the floor, so the more climbing volume they have, the more they can move about.

A couple of good plants:
Photos - They grow like crazy, sometimes a few centimeters a day. They are almost impossible to kill, thrive in frog terrariums and provide excellent climbing space.

Bromeliads: Air plants, so they do not need to be planted in the soil, but can be placed in the background or anywhere.

Snake plants: Extremly sturdy plants that provide excellent sleeping plants.

Creeping fig: Grows alot and provide alot of climbing space.


They can take some time to adjust, it all depends on where the terrarium is placed, how it looks etc. If they appear stressed in the beginning, try covering 3 of 4 sides with something black, so they achive total blackness at night. Not using a night lamp might also make them feel at home more quickly.

[Kisa]

I don't think the sex of the frogs in a pair matters much, but I don't own Red Eyes so I can't be certain. I am pretty sure they do well in groups, despite the gender, but you'd have to ask someone more experienced than me to get the whole truth. Usually though when we say "pair" we do mean a male and female together.

All Tree Frogs prefer live plants to fake ones, most of the time they can tell the difference, even if they are really good fakes. Pothos and bromeliads are really good for any frog tank. Thin bodied Tree Frogs like Red Eyes like to plaster themselves flat on broad leaves to sleep, so broad leafed plants with thicker foliage would probably work best. Make sure if you do get live plants to plant them densely but leave enough room for each to take root and grow successfully in your enclosure.

All Tree Frogs tend to be shy when you first get them, this usually last a few weeks, to maybe a month, month and a half depending on the type of tank you provide. If you give them lots of places to hide and lots of plants and foliage they may feel more comfortable and gain a good sense of security quicker which will allow them to get over their fear and come out more often sooner.

It took my P. tomopterna (which are similar in body type to Red Eyes) three weeks until they finally felt safe enough to wake up in the night and move around with me watching them. I got them in March and now they're happy as can be in an 11 gallon vert.

Another good thing to do is go through and look at other people who have Red Eyes and take looks into the photo albums to see the types of set up they have. This will give you ideas and make it easier to decide what types of plants and reptile furniture you might want to have in your tank.

Hope this helped!

[Katieasaur]

it doesnt matter what sex the pair is, but males do tend to run cheaper too
i love pothos, chinese evergreens, and other large leaf tropical plants

[Treefrognewbie]

i have two red eyes in a 29gal tank. All of my plants are live, and i have a little pool for when they are adults and can possibly breed. mine are still young, so i feed them smaller crickets. That will depend on the size of the frog, like everybody else is saying. along with the vertical tank.

[froglover27]

Thanks for all of the help and advice everyonr!!!! So, basically pothos, bromeliads, snake plants, etc Would it be better to have a larger tank?? Thanks soooooo much everybody

[Treefrognewbie]

i think it would be better to use a bigger tank. The bigger the better, with any type of animal

[Rae]

I agree with Cam your tank should be bigger for 2.

A Rule I have been told numerous times on here is 1 frog per 10 Gallons.

Frogs like space and room to move and hide and not necassarily prefer company so space to be by themsellves when they need it is important to reduce stress levels.

I would get a 20 gallon for a pair ... 10 gallon only should have one frog...

Hope that helped.

[bshmerlie]

Yes a ten gallon can work but a 20 would be better. Just use "smooth" broad faced leaves. They like to suck down to the leaf as they are sleeping. So the leaf should be bigger than they are.

The tank should look like a tropical rainforest. They walk from leaf to leaf so they should be able to reach them. They wont jump so don't leave empty air space. It wont be used. I ten gallon tank densly planted is better than a sparce 20 gallon with empty air space. Viper has a good picture of a Red Eye Leaf frog habitat. Maybe he'll post it for you. It is always better to start off with adult captive bred frogs.

[froglover27]

Okay so I will try to find a 20 gallon or bigger tank And what type of substrate?? Any ideas? If anyone can post pics of their vivarium or ones that they have seen, that would be VERY HELPFUL!!!!!!! Hahaha thanks everbody!!(:

[Kisa]

Okay so I will try to find a 20 gallon or bigger tank And what type of substrate?? Any ideas? If anyone can post pics of their vivarium or ones that they have seen, that would be VERY HELPFUL!!!!!!! Hahaha thanks everbody!!(:

Something made with coco fiber would be the best substrate for tree frogs. Avoid using too much moss if you wanted to mix that in, sometimes they can swallow it and become impacted.

Eco Earth, Jungle Bed, Coco Fiber, etc are all good substrates to try.

[froglover27]

Something made with coco fiber would be the best substrate for tree frogs. Avoid using too much moss if you wanted to mix that in, sometimes they can swallow it and become impacted.

Eco Earth, Jungle Bed, Coco Fiber, etc are all good substrates to try.

Thanks for the helpful advice as always Brit(:

[ViperJr]

At Cheri's request, here is a picture of my Red-Eyed Leaf Frog-tank. Please note that this picture is 2 month old. The plants have all grown alot since, especially the 2 pothos. There are also two live bambuu-sticks that are not in the picture.
As substrate, I use a mix of coco husk and spaghnum moss, with a draniage layer of gravel on the buttom. LECA (or hydraton) works equally well, and weighs alot less (but then again, more expensive).



]http://www.frogforum.net/members/viperjr-albums-agalychnis-callidryas-picture8287-left-side.jpg (Did not post it directly in here becuase for some reason, the ration got all messed up)

[Treefrognewbie]

in my poludarium, i am using the aquarium rocks that were in the tank already. I do not recommend this! mine is just a quick little set-up until i have enough money to build a real one. I've been told MANY times that eco-earth is the best choice. and also that you shouldn't use substrate that is 100% coco-earth.You could also use peat moss, which i might use if my upgrade. Just make sure it's safe if the frog accidently swollows it. Unfortunately, if one of my frogs swollows a rock, it's most likely going to be fatal. So i'm trying to find some land moss or something to cover the rocks. Any ideas what i should use?

[ViperJr]

in my poludarium, i am using the aquarium rocks that were in the tank already. I do not recommend this! mine is just a quick little set-up until i have enough money to build a real one. I've been told MANY times that eco-earth is the best choice. and also that you shouldn't use substrate that is 100% coco-earth.You could also use peat moss, which i might use if my upgrade. Just make sure it's safe if the frog accidently swollows it. Unfortunately, if one of my frogs swollows a rock, it's most likely going to be fatal. So i'm trying to find some land moss or something to cover the rocks. Any ideas what i should use?

I would highly recommend spaghnum moss instead of peat moss, if it's a very humid setup. It stays wet a very long time and is very resistant to mold. It's very rarely it turns bad to due alot of water/humidity.

Like stated in the thread already, coco husk is a great substrate. If you place it ontop of the gravel, you get a good (but heavy) drainage layer. You could then add some moss on top of the coco husk , and/or plant real moss.
Plantation soil is good as well, it's made of the same stuff as coco husk (at least the Exo-terra version).

Note that I assumed you were talking about red eyes, since that's what thread is about.

[Treefrognewbie]

You assumed right! and thank you! I wish i could upgrade soon, but i have to buy a new phone first, and then i'll have to start saving up again. But my frogs seem happy in their home now, so i'm not in much of a hurry to upgrade