Red eye tree frog

[Shelby]

I'd really like to get a pair of red eye tree frogs. Would I need to heat the enclosure? Room temperature in my house is usually in the low-mid 60s.

Can you handle these guys? I imagine they can really jump.. but they're so cool. How much do they eat, and how often?

I've got some great branches from my chameleon's cage that I could use for them, and I have a somewhat green thumb too, so they could have live plants.

Lastly.. where should I get them?

[green_man]

Yes you need to heat their enelcosure. They need an ambient temp of about 80.

You can handle them, but dont do it often. Skin oils and such can be bad for them and yes they do jump . They also need a fairly high humidity.

I feed mine crickets every other day, although my female looks like she is getting a bit too chubby.

Read lots of care sheets before you decide. Ive noticed info differs quite a bit on them depending on the site. They can be a bit more difficult then other frogs, but not too hard.
I suggest ordering them online. They are somtimes hard to find at pet stores and they dont always know how to take care of them...

good luck!

[mlededee]

i LOVE my red eye gertie. i originally got a pair, but the little male died, i think due to some ailment he had previous to my obtaining him. they can be more delicate than other tree frogs, but as long as you provide the proper care you should do well with them. i keep gertie in a 30 gallon tall enclosure with temps between 78-82 and humidity around 75%. i also use live plants, which not only look good, but help keep humidity up. they need a constant source of shallow water--i use a short square rubbermaid sandwich container. you have to change the water often because while hydrating themselves in it, they will also excrete in it. i feed gertie 2 large dusted crickets every 2-3 days. i also have to watch her though, because she started getting too fat so i reduced the crickets until she returned to a more acceptable size. i have read that obesity is actually a big problem with red eyes, and it is very dangerous to their health, so you just can't let them convince you that they are hungry every day. they really aren't made to be handled much. plus, if they get onto the carpet or something, every little piece of fuzz and fiber will stick to them, and you don't want that. they are really fun little guys though, just make sure that you want something that you will mostly observe and not interact with so much.

[Shelby]

Ok sounds cool. I'm totally ok with not handling them much. they're so cool to look at anyway.

How do you heat the enclosure? UTH or light? I read on a care sheet that you shouldn't keep them around 80 degrees for an extended period of time.. I guess that was wrong.

I thought they'd eat more than that. Good thing you told me or I'd have a fat froggie.

Is a 10 gallon ok for one frog? The care sheet said 5 gallons per frog..

Also.. what do you use as substrate?

[green_man]

I heat mine with two heating pads, one under and one on the back. I have a 19x19x30 enclosure though. I put one on back to give them a warm spot. They dont use it very often, but it gives me peice of mind knowing they have some where to warm up if they need to.
I lower the temps a few degrees at night 76ish.

I use eco earth for substrate with a nice layer of moss over it. Eco earth holds moisture for a longer period of time, but moss doesnt stick to them like eco earth does. Using substrate like that in a high humidity enclosure, you need to replace substrate often. Its easy for mold and bacteria to grow.

An easier albiet less appeasing to the eye aproach is paper towel. You dont get the same humidity raise, but it makes for a more steril enviroment.

[Shelby]

Do you get the night temp drop using a dimmer?

How often do you replace the substrate? Would bed-a-beast be ok to use? When you replace it, do you disinfect? I hear nolvasan is safe to use with amphibians.

[green_man]

actually, I just turn the back heat pad down to low. A dimmer would work well though. I change the substrate once a week. I disinfect with hot water with a little bit of alchohol in it, then rinse well. Nolvasan would be better, Ill be getting some of that soon... if you use a alchohol/bleach solution, make sure you rinse the heck out of it and air out the enclosure well before returning the froggies.

[mlededee]

i use bed a beast and i like it a lot for the frog enclosure. a 10 gallon would be ok for one frog, maybe two if they are babies if you turn in so that it is oriented vertically. they are arboreal, so height is much more important that floorspace. i keep my frog in a room that is heated with a space heater, so i don't actually use any other heat elements for her. the frog enclosure is the farthest away from the heater though, so it isn't quite as warm in that corner of the room. it is always slightly warmer at the top of the aquarium during the day because i do use a flourescent bulb for lighting for the plants, but it really only raises the temp at the very top a few degrees and it is slightly cooler in the room at night also. probably 76-77 at night and 77-79 during the day, with the very top of the aquarium 80-82 because of the light. nolvasan is great stuff and i like that it has pretty much no smell at all so i don't have to worry that my frog is absorbing any harmful fumes after i clean.

[Shelby]

Is it necessary to rinse out the nolvasan, or can you just wipe it out?

Thanks for the info.

[mlededee]

you don't have to rinse. i just spray it on and wipe the surface clean. i also use it for soaking branches, bowls, etc.