Do my frogs need light or not?

[ikillforkicks]

I have had frogs since I was a little girl. I never bought them lights we have always kept our house temperature around 75 the thermometer reads 80. My boyfriend's mom thinks having a fan on in my room makes them cold and she went to petsmart and asked the manager. she said they need light so we went up there and the girls i asked had no clue. The manager goes over and teaches us both that they need a red and blue light starting at 60w so i bought 30 bucks worth of stuff and researched how long and which ones when and what i keep finding is I dont even need lights and the ones who do use white? now i feel cheated and i think i threw away my receipt. please help because im going to go back and be very angry with them if they were just trying to make money off of me. I almost forgot i have two whites and a cuban in a 30 gallon tank

[John]

Frogs don't need lights. The lights in frog terrariums are for the plants. Unfortunately, most pet store employees don't know much about frog requirements. They mistakenly think they are reptiles.

[JeffX]

Always take anything you hear from pet store employees with a grain of salt. Especially the chain stores. You only need light if you plan on growing live plants in the tank.

[ikillforkicks]

Well thank you very much. I am going to tell them theyre lying to people and that i dont appreciate it. I figured they really needed them because one day i put my frogs in the window and my whites finally turned green. She is brown all the time and i figured it was because she wasnt getting enough light. Does anyone know what that is really from?

[UncleChester]

I almost forgot i have two whites and a cuban in a 30 gallon tank

I don't keep either species, but in general mixing is frowned upon for potential toxicity reasons (and other problems). Specifically, I've read several times that Cubans are high on the toxic list and definitely shouldn't be mixed with other species (also, they will happily eat any other frog they can get down their gob).

So yea, I'd look into that very carefully and hopefully members more experienced with Cubans can chime in here.

[ikillforkicks]

I don't keep either species, but in general mixing is frowned upon for potential toxicity reasons (and other problems). Specifically, I've read several times that Cubans are high on the toxic list and definitely shouldn't be mixed with other species (also, they will happily eat any other frog they can get down their gob).

So yea, I'd look into that very carefully and hopefully members more experienced with Cubans can chime in here.

I did look it up before i mixed i know everyone thinks its better if you dont mix but its not a rule and they are doing fine. The toxins are bad for humans. my whites are bigger than cuban and they get along fine. I was sure someone would say something about that instead of ACTUALLY ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS

[UncleChester]

I did look it up before i mixed i know everyone thinks its better if you dont mix but its not a rule and they are doing fine. The toxins are bad for humans. my whites are bigger than cuban and they get along fine. I was sure someone would say something about that instead of ACTUALLY ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS

I apologize for giving a **** about your frogs and raising an issue that you are apparently already aware of and just don't seem to care about. My mistake...won't happen again.

[LilyPad]

The toxins are actually unsafe for other breeds of frogs in such a small environment. They don't have a giant pond and giant trees to be all spread out in. They share their toxins in a small environment and it will lead to a slow stressful death. If you talk to any educated and experienced herp owners, you will find out that it is unsafe and unhealthy for all the frogs. You are a new owner and didn't even know about the lighting, so I wouldn't think that applies to you and it would be best for your frogs to listen to other people without getting lippy. We truly are here to help and will offer our help if we see something that isnt an ideal situation for your pets.

[DonLisk]

Just a note here: Toxins are transmitted between frogs through the skin and the water they share, the places they sleep, the glass they stick to, all surfaces will retain hints of the toxins your frogs secrete. As one leaves behind the other absorbs, slowly poisoning the other over time.
It would be hard to find a forum on the web where the mixing of frog species is not frowned upon.


As for your question on lighting, nocturnal frogs have no need for UV lighting, but your frog's colors change with mood, to blend in, and when ill.
Some frogs will bask and change from green to brown and back with no reason.

We provide lighting to simulate the change in day to night and to give the frogs the option to bask.
I still use 2.0 lighting in my Whites viv and have no reason to change. Today one Whites was dark brown, while one directly in front of him was light gray. Both were similar distances from the provided lighting.

[LilyPad]

My frogs also enjoy basking, I use a 50 watt blue daylight bulb for basking. I have a 50 watt night bulb but I tend not to use it.

[ikillforkicks]

[QUOTE=DonLisk;69260]

Thank you for your answers. So wouldnt you think the poison being constantly removed from the tank every two weeks would make it ok? When i bought my cuban they had him in the tank with whites. I have actually had frogs since i was little i love frogs and if i thought they were in danger i would move it. I never had lights because my room gets light this is the first i ever heard of it thats why i had to ask.

[nos187]

Thank you for your answers. So wouldnt you think the poison being constantly removed from the tank every two weeks would make it ok? When i bought my cuban they had him in the tank with whites. I have actually had frogs since i was little i love frogs and if i thought they were in danger i would move it. I never had lights because my room gets light this is the first i ever heard of it thats why i had to ask.

That would be like putting a cleaning agent in your bowl of cereal every morning. Then continuing to increase the dosage (because of buildup) for two weeks. Then repeating the starting dosage. At first you might be okay... but after months and months and maybe even years that sickness will become worse and worse. Living a life sick would not be enjoyable and can prove fatal. I'm not trying to be mean but the people above are very smart and do know exactly what they are talking about. They just want you and your frogs to be happy and healthy.

-Kevin

[DonLisk]

Your frogs don't actually need lighting for health reasons as much as having a day night schedule and heat if needed. If your room provides enough light to indicate to the frogs when is daytime and when its night, then your all set as long as you meet the temperature needs of the frogs.

As for the cleaning, it is the water sharing, and the where I sat/walked you sat/walked soon after issue. Poisoning doesn't happen all at once but over time as each absorbs minute amounts of trace left behind by the tank mate.
Its the difference of between having a frog live 2 to 4 years instead of the 10 to 20 he should.