Welcome to the Red-Eyed Tree Frog care sheet section, this area is divided into several separate sub sections – the introduction (this page), the housing Red Eye Tree Frogs page, temperature, and humidity, feeding Red Eye Tree Frogs, and breeding Red Eye Tree Frogs sections.
Red-Eyed Tree Frog Care Sheet
Agalychnis callidryas is the Latin name for this species of frog. It is native to Central American (guatemala, el salvador, honduras, nicaragua, costa rica) where it inhabits the tropical rainforests living alongside Cattleya orchids and Poison Dart Frogs.
These frogs are always in great demand due to their somewhat bizarre appearance, bright green skin, vibrant red eyes and blue sides make it a real gem of a frog.
The other reason that they are becoming more popular is that they aren’t too difficult to look after.
Buying Red Eye Tree Frogs
If you are buying these amphibians via mail order then you should ask how they will be sent. As they come from tropical and subtropical regions they will need a minimum temperature of around 15°C (65°F) and a maximum of 24°C (75°F) whilst in transit,
they will also have to be packed in appropriate packaging such as damp sphagnum, soft damp foam, damp kitchen towel or another inert moist packing.
The outer package should have enough air holes to allow the frogs to breathe and should be waterproof – to prevent the absorption of the moisture from the moss etc.
If your chosen supplier can’t provide these safe packaging measures then you may be disappointed when you frogs arrive, they may be limp, dehydrated, weak, and may even be dead
In order to preserve the natural population you should buy captive-bred frogs whenever possible, no one wants a world without these fantastic creatures, and keeping them at home is too high a price to pay for their extinction – always ask the supplier before making a purchase. During the day Red Eye Tree frogs spend their time either hiding under leaves or stuck to the tank walls like a fridge magnet! |
Immediate Aftercare
Once your tree frogs have arrived safely it is advisable (if you have a colony) to keep them separate from your existing frogs to make sure that they have no diseases or parasites.
You should keep your new frogs in a separate tank for about 2 weeks and monitor them closely if they are feeding well and are healthy then you can introduce them into your colony.
If you are just starting and these are your first frogs then you can place them straight in to their new home once they arrive.
Housing Red Eye Tree Frogs |
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These frogs are territorial and will require quite a large tank or vivarium around 18 inches x 18 inches x 36 inches high with sliding doors, this will be large enough to maintain a small colony of around 3 to 4 red eye trees frogs adults or up to 7 juveniles.
If the tank is too small or you overcrowd it then they may become stressed by the invasion of other frogs in their territory. Conversely, if it’s too large they may never meet each other and breeding will be affected. These frogs like humidity but not as high as the Dendrobate frogs, here is our recomended setup for the tank. The tank for tree frogs, unlike traditional tanks, needs to be taller than either the width or depth. This is because tree frogs are normally arboreal and will spend much of their time living well off the floor on plants and branches. Setting up the tank or vivarium for red-eye tree frogsIn this illustration the tank is an Easy Exotics tree frog tank, a tailor-made vivarium that has more height than width, sliding doors at the front, and vents at the top
If you are intending to create an ecosystem in the tank which includes all living plants and mosses then with the care you can leave the tank longer between cleaning as a well-planted tank can sustain itself for some considerable time. You’ll still have to clean the glass though!
Typically the base of the tank should be covered in 3 inches of vermiculite or pebbles with 10% activated charcoal pieces in it,topped with fresh moss around 2 inches deep, rocks, logs and leaves for effect and hiding places should be positioned on the surface. This is the basic set up.
In either case, there should be a water area that covers around 1/4 of the floor space and is 2 – 3 inches deep with a bank of pebbles for easy escape, the easiest way to accomplish this is to use a water dish/rock pool which has a removable insert. The water in this dish will double as drinking water and bathing water so it should be changed on a daily basis.
The heating for all the setups is up to you but you can use either under tank heat mats, cables or an aquarium heater in a hiden water tank – overhead heating is not recommended – see heating. Cleanliness in a warm, moist tankCleanliness is next to godliness and your tank or vivarium is no different. This will need emptying of contents regularly and the rocks, logs, etc will need thorough cleaning to remove the waste from the frogs. The moss should either be replaced or it can be thoroughly rinsed through with clean water if it is still alive. It must be replaced completely every three to four weeks at least otherwise it will harbour bacteria and health problems can occur. If you are using living plants in your tank or vivarium then these too will need to be wiped down to remove the droppings. Good plants include Phalaenopsis orchids, bromeliads and ferns. You will also need to clean the inside of the tank by wiping it with a clean cloth soaked in a diluted non toxic anti bacterial liquid, remember that frogs skin is very, very thin and will absorb whatever it comes in contact with so it is important to use a non toxic cleaning agent such as Dettox. The tank and any items which have been in contact with the Dettox should be thoroughly rinsed with clean water to remove any traces before re introducing the frogs. The water in the dish should be replaced with fresh water at least once a day as this will become contaminated with the droppings of the frogs. |
Feeding Red Eye Tree Frogs |
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Red Eye Tree Frog Feeding RequirementsAdult tree eat nothing but insects in one shape or another, under natural conditions they would have hundreds of varieties of tiny insects to choose from but in captivity they are limited to what you decide to feed them. You should give as wide a variety of different insects as possible which will include the various minerals and essential oils that a single insect species would not offer.
When feeding your frog it is better to give 3 to 4 small feedings rather than just one a day, this will encourage them to move around their home in search of food and meet other frogs along the way – interaction between the frogs is important to their well being. This interaction will also help with breeding tree frogs – if they don’t meet a potential mate how are they going to breed We’ve come to an end of our red eyed tree frog care sheet for beginners. Do share and comment if this is helpful to you! |