How to Care for a Red-Eyed Tree Frog

Red-eyed tree frogs, or "monkey frogs," are small nocturnal amphibians. They usually grow to be about three inches long. Red-eyed tree frogs have orange feet and hands, a bright green dorsal and blue or purple stripes on their flanks. Their care is somewhat demanding; follow these steps carefully.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tank with a reptile screen
• Substrate
• Plants
• Crickets
• Flies
• Moths
• Plastic spray bottle

1. Use a tank with a reptile screen that covers half of the top as a home for your red-eyed tree frog. It should be at least 10 gallons, but can be as large as you would like.

2. Cover the bottom of the tank with substrate. A three- to five-inch layer of orchid bark or potting soil and sphagnum moss will help to retain the tank's humidity.

3. Plant the tank with various plants. Japanese evergreen, devil's ivy and philodendron work well with red-eyed tree frogs.

4. Keep the temperature of the tank around 76 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity around 50 to 80 percent.

5. Feed an adult tree frog medium-sized crickets, flies and moths. You can also provide them with reptile supplements, like calcium and vitamin D.

6. Mist the tank as needed to maintain an appropriate humidity. Use a plastic spray bottle filled with distilled water.

7. Clean the cage and change the substrate as needed.

Tips & Warnings

• Wash your hands before and after you care for your frog or any part of its environment.
• Wash plants before you put them into your tree frog's home. This will remove the pesticides from the leaves and roots.
• Never use a heat lamp as part of your red-eyed tree frog's care, as this will dry out the air. Dry air is harmful to your frog.