Care Guide and General Information
Red-eyed tree frogs (Agalychnis callidryas) are unique frogs from the rain forests of Costa Rica and Central America.
These are not the type of frogs you are looking for if you want to interact with them. They live very happily in groups, or pairs. They are one of the most beautiful frogs to keep, but they have their challenges.
Appearance
True to their name, red-eyed tree frogs have red eyes, along with orange toes. They are a bright shade of green with blue and yellow sides. Depending on their mood, they can be bright green or a light shade of brown when stressed. Red-eyed tree frogs get 2-3 inches in length.
Handling/Aggression
Red-eyed tree frogs are delicate, and should not be handled like a corn snake or leopard gecko. When you reach for them, they will hop away from you.
Feeding
These frogs are insectivores, which means they eat a solid diet of insects. They will get all the nutrition they need from a staple of crickets. You cannot avoid crickets, so if you are squeamish around them, this frog is not for you.
In the wild they will also eat grasshoppers, moths, and anything that they can fit into their mouths. Before you feed any insect to your frog, gut load them. The crickets should feed on carrots or cricket food and water that can be found at most pet stores. Give the crickets 24 hours to feed before giving them to the red-eyed tree frog. What the crickets eat, is what the tree frog will eat.
Red-eyed tree frogs need to be fed every three or four days about 15 crickets of an appropriate size. Crickets should be no longer than the width of your tree frog‚Äö?Ñ????ë?¬•s head.
Housing Requirements
A pair of red-eyed tree frogs can live comfortably in a 10-gallon enclosure. For every frog, add 5 gallons. Choose a vertical tank instead of longer as these are an arboreal species of frog. They have suction pad-like toes so they can climb any surface.
A secure lid should always be placed on the tank. If given the chance, they will escape.
Substrate
Bed-a-beast and non-fertilized potting soil works well as a substrate. They are both attractive and hold in humidity. Your substrate should be about 2-3 inches deep. Other substrates that work include reptile bark, paper towel, and peat moss. Mix peat moss, soil, and bed-a-beast together and it will have a stunning effect.
Sand and gravel are not good because they are the worst to swallow, and do not hold humidity well. Being from rainforests, red-eyed tree frogs need humidity.
Shelter
One shelter for each frog is appropriate, even if they may not use them. Coconut halves work great, and so do plastic containers. During the day is when they will use them the most, they are nocturnal.
Temperature
Red-eyed tree frog enclosures should be kept in the upper 70‚Äö?Ñ????ë?¬•s during the day, and can drop to the lower 70‚Äö?Ñ????ë?¬•s at night. Heat lamps work well because a heat mat will crack the glass when the water comes into contact with the hot glass.
Water/Humidity
For your tree frog to survive, 60-70% humidity needs to be achieved. Over a long period of time with dry conditions your frog will die. Mist the cage three times a day including the soil. If you are having trouble keep the humidity up, place a towel over two thirds of the screen.
Water is needed as well because frogs like to soak in it, and drink. Most of the time they will drink from misted glass and plants. Bottled water that has been purified is preferred over tap, but either is okay. Clean this water every other day.
Cleaning
Cleaning is not very hard. Just remember to clean out the feces and change the water. Substrate should be changes every couple of months. Mist the cage when needed, and you will have a happy frog.
Breeding
Since red-eyed tree frogs live best in groups or communities, breeding is a fairly simple, and popular process. In Costa Rica, there is a dry season and a wet season. When you are ready to breed, lower the temperatures in the cage to 73F during the day and 65F at night.
Do this for a week. Be sure to bring down the humidity percentage to 30 or 40. After that, mist the cage very often, especially when you go to bed. Don‚Äö?Ñ????ë?¬•t forget to bring the temperatures back up. At night, males can be vocal, calling females to him.
If you wake up, and two frogs are still attached, don‚Äö?Ñ????ë?¬•t worry. Let them take as long as they want. They will separate when ready. This will happen about a week until the actual egg laying begins.
Females will lay around 75-100 eggs. They should be incubated at 75F, and will hatch in a maximum of 9 days. The eggs‚Äö?Ñ????ë?¬• sex cannot be determined by temperature.
Hatchling Care
Tadpoles should be fed finely crushed fish food until they can walk on land. They can be kept together as long as they all get enough to eat or else you may end up dealing with cannibalism. Keep them in 2-3 inches of water, and make sure that the tank is big enough so they are not swimming on top of each other. If so, add more water.
Their metamorphosis will be complete in a little over a month to two months. Once they can walk, feed crickets no longer than the width of their head. Once they are completely transformed, treat them as you would adult red-eyed tree frogs.
Conclusion
Red-eyed tree frogs are interesting creatures with care a little higher than beginner. They eat crickets, and need high humidity. If you put all the elements above together, your tree frog will thrive.
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