this is about the green treee frog and i dont have them but i am trying to get some (i plan to just get some tadpoles and raise them) FOOD:
Green Tree Frogs eat crickets, grasshoppers, potato bugs, worms, beetles, ants, spiders, worms, and mosquitoes. It is better for all frogs to be fed a variety of food. A Green Tree Frog eats about six insects every other day at night.
THE SETUP:
This is the most basic set-up you can offer your frog. It works well if you do not want to spend a lot of time and money on your frog but still want to provide him with enough to keep him healthy and happy. It also works well if you are mixing your frog with other species, such as Green anoles, that do not like to be around a large section of water. If you are looking for a more elaborate system.
Ok, How do I do it?
Here's what you'll need:
1. 10 gal. tank. 20 gal. High tank works nicely for this set-up as well All-Glass Aquarium, 10 gal., 20 x 10 x 12 in., Black (Click to buy from Petstore.com)
2. Perlite and vermiculite free potting soil Esu Reptile Jungle Mix Lizard Litter *This stuff is perlite and vermiculite free.
3. Fish Gravel (This is optional if you plan on using fake plants instead of live plants)
4. A container at least 4in. x 4in x 2in deep.
5. Good quality distilled or drinking water
6. Moss Green Tree Terrarium Moss You need plants in order to create a suitable environment for your frog. Here's the low down on fake plants v. real plants. You decide.
Fake plants:
Advantages: Fake plants require little care or maintenance and they can't die- no need to replace! Disadvantages: Going with fake plants can be expensive! The ones that they sell at the pet store cost a small fortune when compared to real plants. Also, fake plants tend to look, well, fake. I personally don't recommend decorating your entire terrarium with them, though a few can be a nice touch.
Live plants:
Note: Don't just pull plants from outside... buy them at a store
Advantages: Live plants can add realism to a terrarium. Also, if you go to Price Chopper or even Home Depot, you can get plants for about $1 a piece, making them cheap as well. Disadvantages: Live plants can die. Growing anything indoors can be tricky, and when using just artificial light you can really run into problems. It's quite possible (most of the plants in my cages are real) but it does require some extra work. For a 20 gal. tank, use a 60watt bulb. For a 10gal. tank, use a 45watt bulb (see heating and lighting for more information.) Other things you'll need: Of course, if you're going to have live plants you'll need to get some soil for them to grow in. DO NOT get soil that contains perlite (those little Styrofoam balls) as they may be harmful to your frogs if ingested! I also STRONGLY recommend that you cover the bottom of your tank with some fish gravel and then put a layer of soil on top. This is important for drainage.
Hint: Look for plants that like shade or medium light. Don't go with plants that require a lot of sun!!
Whether you use fake or live plants, you'll need to make sure you find a log for the frogs to climb on. The pet stores sell great ones for about $15-25 each. However if you're anything like me (broke that is) you don't want to spend that much for something you can find around home. If you do get a log from outside, make sure it is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick and a good size for your tank (not too big, but not too small either.) Also make sure that you bake it in the oven at 200 degrees overnight. This is done to kill anything harmful that may be lurking on it. You could also soak it in a mild bleach and water solution overnight, then soak it in water for another night and allow to thoroughly dry. This will kill more germs, but it also has potential to be bad for your frogs (say the bleach isn't rinsed enough or there are fumes....) If you use this method of cleaning, MAKE SURE you rinse it off enough!!!
Getting Started
Ok, so now that you've got all the stuff, what do you do with it?
Step 1: Fill the bottom of the tank with 1/2 to 1 in of gravel. Again, this is optional depending on whether or not you're going to use fake or live plants. Live plants require it for drainage. Fake plants, obviously, do not.
Step 2: Put a layer of soil down that is about 3 to 4 in thick.
Step 3: Work the container into the soil so that it doesn't stick up too much from the top. Kind of like an underground swimming pool?
Step 4: Arrange plants, branches.
Step 5: Fill the container with water.
Step 6: Cover the ground with a thin layer of moss. Introduce the frog to his new environment.
CARING FOR THEM:
Green Tree Frogs are a fragile type of frog so you must take care of them responsibly. You should feed the frogs about six crickets every other day. Clean the tank once a week. In order for the frogs to keep moist you must spray them at least once every day. Green Tree Frogs live in the trees so you should have a tank with at least as much space vertically as horizontally. To make their home more natural you will need to have branches for them to climb on. Green Tree Frogs can live in temperatures from 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit. They will also need a water dish. Make sure it's not too big, they are not good swimmers. Change their water every day. Make sure the lid is secure, Green Tree Frogs are good at escaping.
MATING HABITS:
Male Green Tree Frogs can be recognized by their unique breeding call, which sounds like a duck. In the wild the breeding season begins in March and lasts all summer. The frogs are more likely to call before a storm, which has earned them the name "rain frogs". The brown and yellow eggs are laid in clumps that are connected to the stems of plants in water. The tadpoles complete their metomorphosis in about two weeks.
HEATING AND LIGHTING:
You're going to need to get an incandescent bulb (60watt for a 20gal tank, 30-45watt for a 10gal tank if you have live plants---- 30-45 watt no matter which tank if you have all fake plants) and a reflector type fixture. Put it at one end of the cage and make sure that the light leaves some shady spots where your frog can retreat to if it gets too hot. The best way to monitor the temperature is to buy two temperature stickers (at a pet shop or at Pets.com-Reptile section) and put one near the top of the cage at the end closest to the light. It should be level with the tallest plant at that end. Make sure it's visible and reads between 80-90 at any given time during the day. The second sticker should be placed at the opposite end of the tank semi close to the ground. Again, make sure it's visible and reads between 65-75 during the day. The light should remain on for 10-12 hours (depending on the time of year... winter: 10, summer: 12.) Frogs are active during the night so make sure you give them enough time to "play." Hint: Placing the tank in a sunny location will not work. In fact, I strongly suggest that you keep the tank away from the sun and use the lamp as your only source of heat and light.
