White's tree frogs heading our way...

[rosaphile]

Well, I took the plunge and placed my order with Josh's Frogs this morning - two White's tree frogs, 2 inches long. I am as nervous as a new mommy.

We have a batch of small crickets fattening up for them. We have a 10-gallon tank set up as a temporary home, and I got some dark posterboard to cover up the sides and back. My son is going on a Cub Scouts camping trip tomorrow night so the frogs will have at least a full day of peace and seclusion to get settled in. The only thing I'm concerned about is keeping their home warm enough. We heat with a wood stove, and the bedrooms can get quite cold, especially at night but also during the day. I have a 75W infrared bulb in a clamp lamp and I'm not sure it's going to be able to maintain a temp of 75 during the day, even with the dimmer turned all the way up. I'll keep an eye on it today and go get a higher wattage bulb if need be. I will definitely be getting a higher wattage bulb for the larger terrarium, anyway.

So that's all for now, but I will definitely try to post some pics once they arrive tomorrow morning!

[maimedophelia]

I started with a 10 gallon and a 75W light got a temp around 75-78 during the day - you should be good assuming that they're no where near the stove room - I grew up in a house with a wood stove so I know that sometimes they can really raise the temps in a house to the "smothering" level quicker than one might think - be careful the tank doesn't get overly hot, excess heat is more dangerous than the cold in most cases. I personally feel that a night bulb is essential to establishing a good rhythm/cycle and it helps ensure that the night temp doesn't get to low - winter can be harder to keep stable temps at night - I use a 60W NightGlo bulb and it keeps the night temp around 68-70. Enjoy your new frogs!

[Badger]

my house can get down to high fifties at night, and I use a 40 watt, and keeps it~70 at night which is perfect, and 77-80 in the day. I'm also using a bigger tank, so the 75 might be overkill

[rosaphile]

Last night it got down to about 60 in the bedroom, and with the 75W dimmed to about 80% it was right around 68 this morning, which was fine. I turned it up to 100% this morning and the house has been at about 65-66 degrees and the tank is still just 70 degrees. So I'm just guessing that even with the daylight CFLs on the bigger terrarium, I may need a more powerful IR bulb to keep it at the right temps. Of course I will monitor it closely.

[Badger]

Thats wwierd...it's 66 in my frog room and the tank is at 78....hmm. What type/brand of bulb are you using?

[rosaphile]

It's one I grabbed at Petsmart, I'm 98% sure it is the Exo Terra Heat Glo. It just occurred to me I should double-check the thermometer too. I'll have to see if I have any other thermometers with the right temp range.

[flybyferns]

Well, I took the plunge and placed my order with Josh's Frogs this morning - two White's tree frogs, 2 inches long. I am as nervous as a new mommy.

We have a batch of small crickets fattening up for them. We have a 10-gallon tank set up as a temporary home, and I got some dark posterboard to cover up the sides and back. My son is going on a Cub Scouts camping trip tomorrow night so the frogs will have at least a full day of peace and seclusion to get settled in. The only thing I'm concerned about is keeping their home warm enough. We heat with a wood stove, and the bedrooms can get quite cold, especially at night but also during the day. I have a 75W infrared bulb in a clamp lamp and I'm not sure it's going to be able to maintain a temp of 75 during the day, even with the dimmer turned all the way up. I'll keep an eye on it today and go get a higher wattage bulb if need be. I will definitely be getting a higher wattage bulb for the larger terrarium, anyway.

So that's all for now, but I will definitely try to post some pics once they arrive tomorrow morning!

Lori,
How exciting ! It sounds like you are all set.
As I'm sure you know, you will have plenty of support here.
Enjoy, Lynn