housing baby RETF

[mlededee]

i used to use a tupperware sandwhich container as a water dish. i buried it down into the bedding and then put a tall rock in it and draped a few vines down into it so that the frogs could climb out of it easily. i started out using a fountain type thing which looked awesome, but having to take it out, disassemble, clean and reassemble every day quickly became too much of a pain.

you will have to pinch off the backlegs of the crickets to keep them confined to a feeding cup. it only takes a second--if the crickets are small just make sure to pinch and not pull the legs as that can tear their bodies and they quickly die. depending on the size of the frog they may eat 3-4 crickets every 2-3 days or so. babies you can feed a little more often, but adults you don't want to feed every day because they can actually become obese.

i'm not sure if they prefer to be kept in groups, but i always kept mine that way. they never bred because i didn't provide a rain chamber to spur the females to produce eggs (but the males did try to do their part ). during rain storms in the spring the males would call to the females and chase them around--funny how they knew it was raining outside even though they were inside with no view of what was happening outside.

you will probably need to use a uvb/uva light for the plants. some people recommend them for the frogs and some don't but i figure if there is any possibility that it is good for them, why not use it? it certainly isn't detrimental as long as it doesn't cause the temperature to get too high--as long as you use a fluorescent bulb that shouldn't be a problem.

you can use a red infrared bulb near the tank at night for viewing purposes but those do usually put out heat so keep an eye on the temps. i wouldn't put it right over or next to the cage.

[ADEE]

as always, great info!! so they really dont eat much at all?! do i supply them with anything else to eat, i guess since they are small they wouldnt *need* to eat very much, i was thinking at least several crickets daily, shoot for that its cheap to feed them lol, do they do that crazy long tounge thing to eat (lol stupid question im sure but ive never seen frogs eat besides on like national geographic).. just tap into canon and nikons supply. im excited to hear them call to one another if i get more than one later on.. what size enclosure did you use and how many did you house in it? i think i saw you say you liked to use 10gal per frog? I had heard using a fountain was neat but not at the expense of that much cleaning, its good to hear you agree.

are the flourecent bulbs the house bulbs or speciaty (buy in pet store) bulbs? i always get them confused. On the tab of the ivy it said it wasnt required to use the uva/uvb bulbs as long as there is indirect light.. it did say to keep it OUT of direct light in big letters lol.. it was suggested in offices, houses, exc.

[mlededee]

all of the frogs i had i got as subadults and adults and i fed them crickets and lateralis roaches every 2-3 days. they didn't seem interested in any sort of worm although if i start up another colony i'd like to try silkworms. babies may need to eat more than that, i'm really not sure but you can see how many crickets they tend to eat at one time and kind of go from there.

they don't have long tongues like chameleons. they just pounce on their food and grab it.

i quarantined new frogs in 10 gallon tanks and kept my (small) colony in a tall 30 gallon octagon shaped tank. the most i ever had in it at once was 5 adults.

this is my favorite uvb bulb and is highly recommended for a lot of different herps: http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...5-50-uvb-bulb/.

[ADEE]

great to know!! how you ever aquired all this information Ill never know! I would love to have an octagon shaped tank for them.. ahh, eventually At least I know its safe to have a group.. I will see how it goes with feeding, after we see how the show goes that is lol.. if not it will be at least another week before mark can get more of the cbb babies, so as always i will let you know what happens its so wonderful having such a knowledgable community to come to.

thats way awesome to hear they pounce on their food lol

[mlededee]

it is hilarious watching them eat. they can really jump too!

i like to fill my brain with reptile related things. it just comes from reading and researching and talking to other people. soon you brain will be full of these things too.

[catawhat75]

Great info Emily. I just picked up a nice 20 gallon bowfront for my frogs, along with some driftwood I got at the local lake (boy is that going to be fun to disinfect but well worth it). Ashley, your tank looks amazing. Good luck finding a tree frog to put in it soon

[ADEE]

thank you catawhat.. be sure to post pictures of yours!!

[littleindiangirl]

I was thinking about a RETF setup for my office, (I didnt want a fish tank like others because of the big cleaning job). Of course I wouldn't do it because I think someone would flip out with a frog in the office... :/