Care Sheet for Tree FrogsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 0 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 06/14/2009 |
Main Category: | Aquatic/Land |
Sub Category: | Tree Frogs |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | The Frog Freak |
Years Experience: | Under 1 Year |
Species: | American Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea) |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Hyla versicolor, the Grey tree frog, has similar requirements but prefers a little more heat. The barking tree frog, Hyla gratiosa, also has similar requirements, as does the European green tree frog, Hyla arborea (again prefering slightly warmer temperatures). Do plenty of species-specific research on whatever type of tree frog you acquire, or you could end up with a pet that perishes very quickly in your care. |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Male green tree frogs have large vocal sacs and produce a loud call. This is probably the easiest way to sex these frogs, but because they are very rarely bred in captivity, few dealers will bother to sex them for you.
These are small tree frogs, growing to about 2 inches in length. Coloration is variable in this species; they are usually have a bright green dorsum with a white stripe down the sides, although some specimens are brown or darker green, and others lack the white stripe. The belly is off-white and they have large, golden eyes. Albino specimens are sometimes available. It is a nocturnal species found in the Florida Keys, some parts of Texas, southeastern Illinois and the Delmarva Peninsula. On average, they live for four to six years.
|
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | These tree frogs do well on a substrate of bark chips, covered with moss and then sprinkled with leaf litter. If you collect the leaf litter from a local woods, freeze it overnight to kill any resident pests. Other suitable substrates include nonaromatic mulch, smooth gravel, or potting soil. Smooth gravel does not have good moisture-retaining qualities, so it might be best avoided. If you plan to put live plants in the terrarium, use a drainage layer of smooth gravel, covered with potting soil. The substrate does not have to be very deep; about 3-4 inches is fine.
Provide these frogs with a shallow water bowl. Also mist spray to keep humidity high (see Temperatures And Humidity) |
Lighting and UVB: | Green tree frogs are a nocturnal species that do not require any additional UV lighting. If kept in a well-lit room, the light coming from the room should be all you need to create a photoperiod of about 12 hours. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | These frogs are content to live at room temperature of 65-77F during the day and 54-68F at night, so no additional heating is required. This means that they are much less expensive to keep than tropical tree frogs like the red-eyed or White’s.
Mist spraying should help keep humidity up high enough for the frogs. If humidity is too low, they will quickly dry out and perish. Stick a hygrometer on the wall to measure humidity. It should remain high at 70-80%, which can be achieved with mist spraying. Other ways to increase humidity generally are to include a waterfall or use live plants (Pothos or philodendron are good choices). |
Heating and Equipment: | None required. |
Caging Provided: | Exo Terra terrariums or Zoo Med’s Naturalistic Terrariums are the best way to house these charming frogs. The 12 x 12 x 18 inch sizes are perfect for single specimens, while the 18 x 18 x 24 inch models would easily house a pair or trio. Alternatively, use a 10-15-gallon aquarium with a tight-fitting screen lid or plastic storage boxes with holes drilled into the lid.
Decorate the terrarium with real/replica plants and branches to provide climbing places. Good choices of live plants include Pothos, Bird’s Nest Fern, and Philodendron. Tio provide hiding places, use cork tubes. If you use branches you collected from a wood, sterilize them by soaking them in boiling water for an hour. Then, leave them in the water with a 5-10% bleach solution. Wash them well to remove ALL the bleach and leave to dry before placing them in the terrarium. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Green tree frogs eat all readily available food insects. As a staple, crickets are recommended, with grasshoppers, flies, wax worms and wax moths thrown in for variety. They will eat pretty much any invertebrate that will fit in their mouths so you can try all kinds of non-poisonous species. If you collect them from the wild, ensure that they are safe and not collected from a place regularly sprayed with chemicals. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Use a vitamin-mineral-calcium supplement once a week for adults, twice a week for youngsters. |
Maintenance: | Clean out the terrarium every 1-2 weeks. All amphibians should be considered "Look But Don’t Touch" pets and if it becomes necessary use latex gloves. |
Some Words on this Species: | This is a charming frog that makes a great first amphibian. It is extremely easy to care for although pretty much never bred in captivity. Some specimens arrive in very bad condition so avoid these. |
How Members Rated
This Care Sheet | Rate This Care Sheet
Please keep all comments constructive to American Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea) husbandry methods and care. Any degrading, sarcastic, or disrespectful comments will be removed. |
Total Members Rating: 0
| 1 |  ( 0 ) |
| 2 |  ( 0 ) |
| 3 | ( 0 ) |
| 4 | ( 0 ) |
| 5 | ( 0 ) |
|
|
