How to Care for Your White's Tree Frogs

The White's tree frog is a green, golden-eyed tree frog from Australia also known as the green tree frog. It can live from 15 to 20 years and makes a great pet. In Australia they actually find their way into homes to live behind sinks. At night they eat bugs at the windows. Keeping one as a pet is fun, especially if you're a night owl.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Arboreal enclosure with screened lid
• Substrate
• Spray water bottle
• Large water dish
• Tree branches
• Plants
• Hollow log
• Insects
• Calcium
• Vitamins
• Liquid soap

1. Locate an arboreal enclosure with a screened lid. A large, 20- to 25-gallon enclosure is a good size especially if it's tall. Vertical terrariums are ideal to accommodate a frog's climbing nature.

2. Place the enclosure in a setting away from direct sunlight. An area where the room temperature is consistently between 70 to 85 degrees F is ideal. It's more common for the evening temperature to decrease to the lower temperature range.

3. Add a substrate such as potting soil or peat moss to the bottom of the enclosure to hold moisture in the enclosure. Paper towels will work as well as potting soil or peat moss in a pinch or for temporary living arrangements for your tree frog.

4. Mist the inside of the enclosure and the tree frogs. This needs to be done two or more times per day. Place a large water dish, one which is 4 inches deep, in the bottom of the enclosure, and fill it with water. Water is an important part of the White's tree frog care since it's a semitropical species.

5. Arrange tree branches, which are as wide as the frog and a few plants around the inside of the enclosure. Place a few branches at varying heights to meet the tree frog's need to climb. Hollow logs offer a sense of security for your frog.

6. Feed your White's tree frog a variety of insects, but only the amount he can eat in a few minutes. Crickets, beetles, locusts and moths are just a few of the insects that are important to your frog's care. Apply calcium and vitamins three times per week to the frog's crickets.

7. Clean the water dish a few times each week and the enclosure at least once each week with liquid soap. Make sure you remove any uneaten, dead insects.

Tips & Warnings

• Young White's tree frogs are sometimes brown. You'll also see ones that have white spots. The spots are an indicator of age. The more spots, the older the frog.
• Increase the enclosure size by 10 gallons or more if you plan to keep two frogs. Tree frogs are social, like birds, and love company.
• White's tree frogs have a proclivity toward overeating and gaining weight. Remember not to overfeed them.
• White's tree frogs breathe through their skin. Moisture is very important for this reason and overhandling should be avoided. Wash and rinse your hands thoroughly before handling your frog and take care that your hands are consistently wet when you handle your frog.