White's Tree Frog Care Sheet

White's Tree Frog Enclosure and Setup

One adult needs a tall 15- to 20-gallon aquarium, and more frogs need more room ^[1]. A tight-fitting screen top with a locking mechanism gives ventilation and stops escapes ^[1].

• Perches as wide as the frog's body, mostly horizontal. If you angle them, keep the slope gentle so heavier frogs can climb ^[1].
• Sturdy plants such as snake plants or philodendron are optional. Avoid silk plants ^[1].
• Easy-clean substrate: brown paper towels, butcher paper or artificial grass carpet with sealed edges ^[1].
• Merck says amphibian enclosures need about 1 to 2 fresh air changes an hour to prevent disease ^[2][3].

White's Tree Frog Temperature

Keep the daytime enclosure at 76 to 85°F with a basking area that does not go over 90°F, and don't let nights fall below 65°F ^[1].

Give 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night ^[1]. For night heat, use a pure red incandescent bulb or an under-tank heating pad on a thermostat ^[1]. Check with a digital thermometer.

White's Tree Frog Humidity and Water

We follow the Merck Veterinary Manual's amphibian range of 75 to 80% humidity ^[2]. Merck says every amphibian enclosure should have a humidity gauge, and moisture can be kept up with misting ^[2]. Mist the frogs each evening with chlorine- and chloramine-free water ^[1].

• Water must be available at all times, shallower than the frog's height when it sits with legs folded ^[1].
• Add small rocks or a ramp so frogs and insects can't drown ^[1].
• Clean the bowl daily ^[1]. Use bottled spring water, charcoal-filtered tap water or tap water aerated for at least 48 hours ^[1]; never distilled water ^[2].

Lighting and UVB

Use a UVB-emitting bulb such as a ReptiSun 5.0 ^[1]. Merck says UVB is required to prevent metabolic bone disease in amphibians and bulbs should be replaced every 6 to 8 months or as the manufacturer directs ^[2][3]. Keep the light within 18 inches of the frog and don't shine it through glass, which blocks UVB ^[3].

What to Feed and How Often

Crickets are the usual staple, with roaches for variety ^[5]. Offer gut-loaded, dusted insects in the early evening when frogs are active, so the food is found and eaten within about 60 minutes ^[1]. Banded crickets are naturally resistant to the cricket virus that wiped out many house-cricket farms, and ours are virus-free and parasite-free. We use a special high-quality cricket feed and have a state-of-the-art watering system.

The size rule: prey no bigger than the width of your frog's head ^[5]. Dubia are wider than crickets, so go one size smaller when switching ^[7].

Counts and schedule from Exotic Pet Vet ^[1]; sizes from our frog feeding guide. If few or no crickets are left after 30 minutes, add a few more next time, and never leave piles of uneaten insects in the tank ^[1]. White's tree frogs are prone to obesity, so watch body condition ^[5]. Once a month, earthworms can replace insects ^[1].

Mealworms from CCF are coming soon.

Gut-Loading and Dusting

• Feed insects a gut-loading diet with at least 8% calcium for 24 hours before feeding them to your frog ^[1].
• Dust with a multivitamin that has calcium and vitamin A 3 to 4 times a week, and feed right after dusting ^[1].
• Merck notes amphibians need a vitamin A source because they can't make their own carotenoids ^[3].

When to See a Vet

Amphibians can get very sick quickly. Call your vet for any of these ^[1]:

• Loose stools, or little or no stool ^[1].
• Weight loss or poor appetite ^[1].
• A normally active frog that is listless ^[1].
• Cloudy eyes, or reddish skin on the belly or legs ^[1].
• Swelling on the head, body or legs, a swollen belly, or trouble breathing ^[1].

Find a vet through the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians ^[4].