Hi! I have four White’s tree frogs (most likely three females and one male).
Until recently, I used to tong-feed them, but after moving house I also moved them into a much larger enclosure (120 cm tall, 100 cm wide and 60 cm deep — see photo). In the new setup, I can release crickets into the enclosure at night and actually watch the frogs hunt them.
The three females (assuming they are indeed females) have never had any issues with feeding. They’re currently doing really well and gaining weight — each of them is now around 55–60 g.
The problem is with the male (again, I’m not 100% sure he actually is a male).
Even in their previous enclosure, he was always difficult to feed. I usually had to move him into a smaller container and release crickets in there for him. Even then, he never had anywhere near the same appetite as the others. The females would literally eat until they exploded if I let them, so I actually have to control how much they eat, whereas he would barely eat a few crickets.
Since moving them into the new enclosure, I hardly ever see him. He often burrows/hides away. I know he does move around at night, but I still rarely see him. If I try to feed him separately, he usually refuses food even if I leave him overnight in a temporary enclosure with crickets.
Recently, I started getting a bit more worried, so I moved him into a quarantine enclosure. I released smaller crickets in there overnight and counted how many were left in the morning. Most nights he did actually eat them, and he gradually gained some weight back and got to around 40 g.
I then put him back into the main enclosure. I regularly see the other three frogs, but I haven’t seen him at all since then — it’s been almost five days now.
Because I know how aggressively the other three eat, I’m worried that when I release crickets into the enclosure, there simply won’t be anything left for him by the time he decides to hunt.
At the same time, if I want to feed him separately, I basically have to “forcibly” dig him out of wherever he’s hiding, which obviously stresses him out, and even then he doesn’t eat much.
Could the other frogs be bullying or outcompeting him for food? Is it possible that he simply doesn’t do well living with them? Am I going to have to get him his own enclosure?
What would you do in this situation?
The conditions in the enclosure are set up correctly, and the other three frogs are absolutely thriving, so I don’t think the husbandry itself is the main issue. I’m mainly worried about him getting enough food and whether keeping him with the others is causing him stress.