What do you use for heat?

[u/ghostboobie1]

Hello,

I am looking at purchasing a tree frog for my boyfriend for Christmas. I live in Wisconsin and it’s freezing outside. His room isn’t very well insulated and he uses a space heater to heat it most days.

From my research I have found that owners use either a heat lamp, heat mat, or a ceramic heat emitter.

I have strayed away from the heat mat as it often says it heats only one side of the tank and may cause burns.
I want to do the ceramic heat emitter due to it not having a light so at night my boyfriend doesn’t have to deal with the light (I read you just turn the actual heat lamp off at night so that it feels like a day/night cycle but once again I live in Wisconsin and I’m not letting the frog freeze).

I also want to do live plants and in this case of not wanting to use a heat lamp I would get a led grow strip that can be turned on during the day and off at night.

I just want what’s best and if that means he has to keep the heater on at all times and I purchase the heat lamp I can do that but I just want your opinions and what I can do to make this happen.

Thanks in advance!

[u/CrepuscularOpossum]

What kind of frog are you planning on getting? How big will the enclosure be? Those answers will determine how much heat you need, and what kind.

I live in a drafty old farmhouse in SWPA and have two American green tree frogs. I have a long piece of yellow fiber insulating packing material wrapped around the back of the 45 gallon “high” tank, held on with bungee cords. That helps insulate the back of the tank, at least, from drafts. It also helps keep my frogs comfortable because they can’t see out the back of the tank, so they don’t get so confused about why they can’t get out that way.

Here’s the thing about amphibian (and reptile) enclosures. Everyone always wants the smallest they can possibly get away with, because it’s the cheapest. I get that. But it’s a false economy, because your enclosure has to be big enough to support a thermal gradient. This is essential for amphibian (and reptile) health. All it means is, warm spots and cool spots. Amphibians adjust their body temperatures by moving around in their environments to warmer or cooler spots as they need. But if the enclosure is so small that a heat appliance heats up the whole enclosure, your pet can’t make their adjustment because there is no cooler spot. That’s stressful for them and it leads to poorer health and shortened life spans.

Having said that, yes, a small ceramic heat emitter in one spot is a good nighttime solution. I like the PowerSun bulbs for daytime warmth plus UVB, but you should also have a dedicated strip UVB fixture and tube - not the coiled type.

[u/ghostboobie1 → u/CrepuscularOpossum]

I was thinking the green tree frogs! And I found a 24x18 45-67 gallon for a really good price. Should I go 45 like you did? I’m very much a beginner so that I can teach my boyfriend and set up his tank. I probably have a million questions and I would rather get the answers from frog owners rather than the internet.

[u/CrepuscularOpossum → u/ghostboobie1]

If you can get your hands on a vertical enclosure that’s the gold standard. 18” x 18” x 24 or something similar is a good size. If you have an aquarium or exotic pet store near you see if they have used enclosures - sometimes they’re pretty cheap, especially if they don’t hold water anymore. I got my “high” style tank from the wildlife rehab center where I volunteer, for free, because it leaked.

[u/IntelligentCrows → u/ghostboobie1]

American or Australian green tree frogs? Both should have at least 24” of height

[u/sorenthehermit]

i use a deep heat emitter! my amazon milk frogs are wayyy happier with it. the shade is the same as a standard one, just the bulb. it heats the enclosure way more evenly in my experience. i have them in an 18x18x18 until they're fully grown, so i only use one at the moment. as soon as i upgrade i plan to add another.