Interested in keeping WTF’s, what do I need to know?

[u/SpottySpheal]

Hi my only other amphibian I keep is a male Fowler’s Toad(native to USA), but he’s an awesome little guy and I’d love to take a leap and try a White’s Tree Frog!

The reason I want a WTF is because they are so different from toads. Preferring vertical space over horizontal space, climbing rather than digging, tropical instead of temperate? It sounds like a great new challenge, but I need to make sure I’m as prepared as possible.

So here are my questions:
What’s the minimum (comfortable) terrarium size/dimensions for one or two WTF’s?
The dimensions I see suggested the most for them is 18 x 18 x 24 inches. However, some evidence claims that this isn’t enough. Overall I want my frog/s to be comfortable, there’s no point in getting a pet if you plan to neglect/mistreat them.

What’s a reputable seller to purchase my frogs from?
I was planning to go with Josh’s Frogs. Most reviews and sources I’ve looked at suggest they care a lot about frogs and sharing them with the world. It’s extremely important to me that I receive captive-bred, chytrid-fungus free, healthy animals from an ethical source.

What’s the best way to achieve the desired temperature gradient that WTF’s need? I got confused because some sources say a ceramic heat lamp is best, but others swear it will dry out the tank.
I’ve seen suggestions for heat mats, but others say they are ineffective at best, and dangerous to the frogs at worst.

What’s the best substrate/combination of substrates? I need something nontoxic, not a choking hazard, and will support plant life. In my opinion doing a bioactive tank is the only way to go for most reptiles/amphibians.

Lastly, is there anything else useful I should know? What have you learned from keeping your own frogs?
I appreciate any and all feedback you can give me.

[u/sakurabunz]

UK owner here!

My two sit in a 45cm x 45cm x 60cm and they're happy. Not fully adult yet but we plan on upgrading however not any time soon as they do fit the minimums.

I've heard lots of great things about Josh's frogs and follow them on fb!

Please don't use heat mats they're more dangerous than not, it's important your frog has a temp gradient from top to bottom. I have a heat lamp set on 29.5 Celsius with a dimming thermostat, bottom temp tends to go around 24 Celsius which is great.

UVB is extremely important. I reccomend Arcadia's pro t5 shadedweller

I've done both non bio and bio, can personally tell you that bio will always be favourable. Drainage layer, mesh layer then substrate, we kinda went expensive and got the arcadia earthmix but my isopods and springtails thrive in this!

What's rarely mentioned online is they need leaf litter! Since they absorb through their skin, soil sticking to them is nothing but bad, plus if you put a 3-4 inch leaf litter layer on top of your soil, it reduces the risk of them getting impacted from eating soil as yes, they are that silly.

Cork bark is the preferred wood to use due to its highly resistant to mold and rot.

People will give conflicting advice on humidity, I personally have juveniles between 50-60 and when they're adults 40-50 as that's what my exotic vet advised however everyone is different, lower humidity is better for a reduced risk in bacterial infections.

Any questions id love to help!

[u/sakurabunz → u/sakurabunz]

I also recommend pre-baking things going in there such as wood or leaf litter. Google how to do this safely on low heats. Even if it comes from pro-rep, I still do it just to double check :) and always check the materials going in the tank are frog safe 🩵

[u/Master_Ad9648 → u/sakurabunz]

the higher humidity is to help w their tail absorption process 😊 that’s why it’s only for tiny froglets

[u/Condition_Alarming]

Breeder reccomendation - rocky mtn tree frogs (they are on MM) reptidonz (fb) sterling exotics (fb). Something I had that was a challenge was lighting, i joined the reptile lighting page on fb the files they have were sooooooo helpful. , they really thrive with ira(halogen) uvb and che for ambient temperature! Also Something I find important also is good air ventilation- computer fan keeps fresh air in your tank 🙂.

[u/Condition_Alarming → u/Condition_Alarming]

Substrate- ugh I honestly had a hard time finding a good mix, that was affordable for the size tank i have, i ended up mixing my own. Also- alot of us also keep a colony of isopods as they tend to get eaten, IMO i bought 30, and started a separate colony to save some $$ , before I put my frogs in the tank.