Retf??

[finny]

i have just aquired two retf however this is my first foray into amphibians and i would like to benefit from the forums knowledge on this species so that they arn't stressed and maintain a healthy existence any and all tips are greatly appreciated

[Andry]

Well, I'm new to RETF's as well and have read a whole lot on them in forums and different care sheets. But now having owned them for 2 weeks and got another new one this past weekend, I've seen a pattern. When you first get them, they will stick to the glass for approx 3 days and 2 nights. Mine did this and are now into more of a pattern of waking at night and eating and sitting in the water bowl and then going back to sleep around 6 a.m. This new one I got on Saturday did wake up the first night, but after that has been sleeping all Sunday, Monday and now we are into Tuesday and still has not woken up. I hope to see her wake up tonight to eat.

They have two water bowls although they are happy with the water bowl that contains the live plant stem. I have changed this bowl three times and each time, they choose that water station vs. the other. Not sure why. The other water bowl is hidden under a tree just like the one they use but they still prefer the one with the thick plant stem in the water. Just an observation. I change their water every day.

I feed them crickets every other day although in between I'll let 2 or 3 linger in their cage just in case one of them is hungry.

That's all I have so far. Hopefully others will have more info.

[Grimm]

-They require a tall tank, with lots of sturdy folliage. Typically 24" or taller
-Temps ranging from 75-85 during the day, and 65-75 at night. (Typical home temps should be fine for a night drop, and lighting should keep the tank slightly warmer throughout the day)
-Humidity +70%
-Crickets/food dusted daily with calcium/d3 supplements for juvies, and every 2-3 days for adults.
-Cricket size NO larger then the width of the frogs mouth, I learnt the hard way on the fact.

[finny]

thanks y'all that really helps that observation bout sleepin on the glass after they get to the new home was really helpful

[Grimm]

Andry is your tank humid enough? I have high humidity and have never seen my frogs near my water section. They may be dehydrated if you constantly see them sitting in the water dish. Typically they will spend 90% of their time up in the folliage, awake or not.

[Andry]

hmmm...I'm not sure. I mist morning and night. But the humidity does stay from 49-60 sometimes more right after I mist. The reason I keep it low is from several people who breed and who have kept them a very long time. They swear by keeping it lower than 70% because of bacteria. Besides, I only put that type of water dish in there after someone suggested it to me saying the like to hang from the edge with their bottom in the water and sure enough, that's what they like to do. Almost every night they do this. I will have to observe more and take that into consideration. Thanks Grimm.

[Grimm]

I like thinking of what a retf's habbits would be in the wild. In my mind, no way would they ever be near a body of water during the day, especially not with half their bodies in one. My thinking is if a frog is spending most of its time on something artificial, instead of something natural, odds are the enclosure does not suit its need perfectly. Im not saying your tank doesnt do a good job (because I havent seen it), but it probably could do a better one if certain things were changed/added to make it more natural.

Im not taking this thread off course either by stating this. I think its important to duplicate the natural environment as best you can. My own tank doesnt even seem perfectly suited towards my frogs. I definately should have originally planned for a higher enclosure, and sought out some more study folliage. I will be redoing it soon enough because of this fact and hopefully by thinking things through you guys can save yourselfs the hassle haha.

[froggsong]

When a tree frog is sleeping on the glass, it is because there is no suitable foliage for it to sleep on. RETFs sleep on the leaves during the day to help camouflage themselves. If you pay attention to their markings (I recommend taking a look at Grimm's posts for some GREAT pics of RETFs), you can see how they are designed to look just like a green leaf, but then pop open with bright colors when startled so they can scare off predators. It is just sooooo important to have the sturdy foliage, and enough of it for them to feel secure.

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by Grimm

Andry is your tank humid enough? I have high humidity and have never seen my frogs near my water section. They may be dehydrated if you constantly see them sitting in the water dish. [b]Typically they will spend 90% of their time up in the folliage, awake or not.

Looks like I just jinxed myself!!! My new super fat RETF somehow managed to eat 2 of my guppies while they were sleeping!!! I just did a thourough pump, filter, and water section cleaning and found no signs of my missing fishies. My god I dont think Fred is a suitable name for him anymore, Fat Bastard comes to mind!

[beckdg]

andry, what kind of lid do you have on their tank? seems to me with several mistings a day and average humidity the lid's not fully covered. i suggest you close that in a bit. if those breeders are worried about bacteria then they really need to consider concerning themselves about prolapse. it's a nasty thing and humidity that low is definitely one way to ask for it. if you are worried about bacteria and such you might consider a fan for circulation once you get the humidity up a bit. if your enclosure is completely enclosed your fan actually might help to raise the humidity so long as there's enough water on your surfaces/in your substrate/etc. for the fan to draw out. just be sure not to vent the fan into or out of the enclosure. you'll need some kind of vent tube or channel to draw out and return the same air back to the tank. it's fairly simple to make and honestly i've yet to see 2 people do it the same way.

for example: on my hermit crab tank...

i have a screen top lid covered with only a slight hole for the light... which is covered completely by the lamp. in the back i've made a channel with pink foam boards and i have a fan blowing into the tank on the opposite end from the light. this way the channel draws air in on the same side as the light. this reduces air loss since the air is being blown back in at the more enclosed end. this helps me keep this tank between 70% and 90% humidity as opposed to the 100% i would get if i enclosed it completely.

others have used different methods and there's a great example posted in a thread titled "fan placement" or something of the likes by user "mtupup". i'm pretty sure it's a sticky.

i know i'm dragging this thread further off topic but hopefully finny can benefit and learn from this discussion.