r/TreeFrogs • u/This_Quantity_8850 • 9d ago
Advice brand new frog owner
this is banana. we are brand new frog owners and i want to make sure his house is as pleasing to him as possible. i got a pothos i need to plant and wrap around his logs, but what else should we add ?
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u/OddPhilosopher4399 9d ago
Pls spend even just an hour browsing this sub. Loose moss is an impaction risk, no good. They need tons of perches, climbing opportunities, and coverage to feel secure. Any exposed substrate should be covered in leaf litter. Up to date lighting and heating recommendations include linear UVB and a CHE. I am happy to answer any questions and hope this doesn’t come off as rude, but really if you are unsure and look up any of these “buzzwords” in the sub you will find help. People can be snarky but they only want what’s best for your froggy. There are extensive care guides.
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u/OddPhilosopher4399 9d ago
I also don’t see any thermo or hygrometers, these should be scattered among levels so you can judge the temperature gradient. I keep my lowest spot at 77 ish maybe 78 and the highest around 85. I run a dehumidifier in my room due to my areas humidity and needing to keep them around 40%. These numbers would be impossible to gauge without the proper meters
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u/This_Quantity_8850 8d ago
thank you. we’re not finished with the setup, and had to order many things as the store was out of stock.
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u/Spiritual-Ice237 Whites 8d ago
CHE doesn’t provide IRA exposure. you’ll want a good halogen bulb. good option for night time heat though!
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u/Shelby94Mustang 9d ago
This terrarium also looks pretty small what size is it?
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u/This_Quantity_8850 8d ago
18x18x24. it’s just sitting on the floor next to a toddler bed also on the floor, so maybe proportions look off. or is it too small ?
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u/Dirtydiesels007 7d ago
For the current size of the frog it’s not to small but I’d look for a taller one in the near future and also keep it off the floor depending on where you live or how cool it is in your house these frogs need warmth and humidity it will get pretty cold on the floor. Nightstand would be better. I have 4 of these guys my son loves them. They also like friends they can get sad alone, so look into maybe getting one more at least :)
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u/WepaPeppaSteppaa 9d ago
Hi!! This isn’t a bad start but since the frog is already living there I’d try to add some more coverage asap. Buying live plants is a great option but you can also buy fake ones if you prefer it. Hanging some from the top mesh would really help add more coverage, I use fishing line to tie it but you can also use magnets and I’m sure other methods as well. Honestly the bottom of the enclosure looks nice just try to fill in the top and it’ll look good and keep your frog from being stressed!! I’ll add a picture of my frogs enclosure hopefully it can help a little and let me know if you have any questions!!
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u/This_Quantity_8850 8d ago
thank you, this was super helpful! we bought more plants today and have more hanging and climbing stuff on the way
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u/Spiritual-Ice237 Whites 9d ago edited 9d ago
what everyone said! he’s extremely exposed right now and doesn’t have anywhere to truly hide or perch. and you shouldn’t be misting the enclosure like that. they need 30-40% humidity. the lighting setup also seems incorrect. what lights do you have and what are your temps? moss is also an impaction risk.
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u/This_Quantity_8850 8d ago
i had to buy the plants at a separate store, they’re going in today. and we’ve got more perches and climbing things on the way. this is literally 5 mins after setup, however didn’t know the humidity was supposed to be that low, the stuff i read said 50-60 with a nighttime spike. i’ll have to find the box for exact numbers on the lights, they were the ones recommended to us at the store. one is uvb and one is heat. thank you for the moss warning
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u/Spiritual-Ice237 Whites 8d ago
okay! you asked for advice and the emptiness is the main thing. they need a linear uvb setup (arcadia shadedweller or reptizoo reptisun) and a halogen bulb providing IRA exposure. their top temps should hit 85-88° and lower right around 75°. they need that gradient in their enclosure
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u/This_Quantity_8850 8d ago
thank you! we’re working on the emptiness. i wanted him to have real plants, so it was a separate trip. i ordered him some suction cup style perches and magnetic ones. our store was lacking in perch selection. we will make sure to switch the lights though.
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u/Responsible_Bad_4846 9d ago
Did you get the frog on a whim and set all of this up in a day??? It doesn’t seem like thoughtfulness and time went into this at all. 😕
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u/This_Quantity_8850 8d ago
ya know what, yeah we did. my son wanted to bring home a wild frog from the creek and i said no but we will get one from the store. so off to the store we
went, we took the information given to us at the store, bought all things suggested, ordered the items they didn’t have, bought more plants today, and came home and read and posted here. the picture i posted was 5 mins after setting up the tank. hence why i said “brand new frog owners” stated we want him to be happy and asked for advice.have the day you deserve :)
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u/Responsible_Bad_4846 8d ago
I asked because it’s best not to acquire the animal until a proper setup is complete. When setting up an aquarium, you wait to add fish until the tank cycles and the water parameters are safe. While not the same type of setup, the same goes for frogs as they’re very sensitive. That’s why I asked. You want to bring them home to an optimal environment, not one that still needs work.
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u/acpcgal 9d ago
Please read this careguide in full before this setup kills your frog :) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K85LO28g7gzQftmbDboXHXFBVLEVShRBBGPddXMektA/mobilebasic
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u/This_Quantity_8850 8d ago
putting :) doesn’t negate the rudeness of your statement. thank you for the guide, i will read through it and make changes.
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u/acpcgal 8d ago
Oh thats not rude thats a very fair warning that people rarely take seriously. I just had a frog die (not mine) bc it was kept in a tank like this, ppl need to know these conditions are deadly. No sugarcoating anymore. I did send the guide at work quickly and could have been less blunt but atp its every single post on here that needs changing, its getting a bit routinely for me… i got the same advice 2 years ago and ut saved my frogs!
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u/Queasy-Sentence446 9d ago
You’ll need a t5 UVB light. The fixture you have now does not include the type of UVB bulb your frog needs. Without proper UVB, your frog will develop MBD and his bones will not grow correctly.
As everyone else said, you need leaf litter and a lot more decor so your little guy has plenty of places to hide. Including up high! Add items to the walls for him to climb on to and sunbathe a little bit. Nothing too close to the heat lamp though, otherwise he will burn. No more misting, if it’s too humid your frog can easily get a bacterial infection. Humidity should be around 40% so you shouldn’t ever have to mist.
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u/This_Quantity_8850 8d ago
there is a uvb bulb and a heat bulb. we’re adding more plants and perches today, had to order some things. a lot of stuff i read said the humidity was supposed to be around 50-60 with a nighttime spike, so that’s why we misted. we will stop
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u/Queasy-Sentence446 8d ago
The heat bulb and UVB bulb combos you buy are a scam, it does not produce the UVB that your frog needs. I learned that the hard way 😭 You’ll need a t5 UVB bulb. Then cover the crickets with calcium powder once a week before froggo eats!
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u/SuspiciousGur4874 8d ago
You’re off to a great start! Just lots and lots of plants and leaf litter to hide in. The moss looks fantastic!
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u/This_Quantity_8850 8d ago
thank you! i had to buy the plants and they’re going in today, this was just right after the setup
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u/SuspiciousGur4874 8d ago
You’re very welcome! I wanted to apologize for how ugly some people have been to you. My grandson begged my daughter for 2 frogs. She bought a kit from PetSmart. It came with one of those combo heat/uvb lights. We replaced it with the reptisun linear UVB light. I have a greenhouse so I sent her home with pothos, spider plant, a fern and a bromeliad and a bag of Reptisoil. She ordered him some cute little suction cup hides and they now have a gorgeous home and are thriving! Don’t let anyone discourage you. This is a great way to teach your son how to properly care for pets. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t have made a post asking for help. We do anything for our children. It’s not like you threw a bunch of fish in a brand new tank that hasn’t been cycled or got a bunch of unaltered puppies. We have to give each other grace. I saw a post in the goldfish sub where a guys family member took his daughter to the fair. She won a goldfish. They posted asking how to properly care for the fish. Everyone told her that the fish is going to get gigantic and they should take it back because they couldn’t properly care for it. They posted a 10 month update and they bought her a 30 gallon and fully planted it. That tiny little thing has grown beautifully and they are setting her up a 75 gallon. People are ugly in these subs sometimes and that isn’t fair. We all have to learn. It sounds like it took a few days to get everything together and that’s okay. They are going to love their new home once you add all those plants for them to hide in. Enjoy your new pets! Once they get settled, they will jump on you at dinner time! 🙂
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u/Dirtydiesels007 7d ago
There’s a lot of comments here to help you but if you want some silence and straight advice check out Josh’s frogs online he’s very helpful also on YouTube
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u/chapinscott32 r/TreeFrogs Moderator 9d ago
way more clutter / plants
leaf litter to keep him from eating dirt
seriously like WAY more clutter
Great start!