Red eyed tree frog

The red eyed tree frog It is an exceptionally interesting amphibian to keep. It has to be said that it is not an easy job looking after one of these creatures. It is a good idea to have looked after other varieties of tree frogs before you attempt caring for this one.

Their housing should consist of a medium to large, tall vivarium. If you are keeping a group of 3 or 4, then they need at least 60 x 60 x 38cm housing. They originate from the tropical and humid rain forests of central America and so they need to be kept warm at around 25 - 30 degrees centigrade during the day and this temperature can drop to around 18 degrees at night. Ventilation is an important issue - it can be 50% humidity during the day, but at night this can be increased by mist spraying. Try to keep humidity between 30 and 80% to avoid health problems. The key elements to keeping this species healthy and happy is to get the right balance between temperature, ventilation and humidity.

The red eyed tree frog likes to have a shallow water area at all times, and this water has to be kept clean. Ideally, you should use bottled or filtered water and change it every day.

An arboreal set up should consist of branches to climb and real plants. You could use Monstera and Scindapsus which have wide leaves and are hardy and strong. The plants can be left in the containers they are in or alternatively can be planted in a natural substrate inside the vivarium. Don't use moss or anything that might stick to the frog, as obviously this could be harmful. If you are able to maintain the right humidity levels then you could leave the vivarium floor bare.

In the wild, the red eyed tree frog breeds in bushes and trees and their eggs are attached to leaves which overhang the water.

They are absolutely nocturnal, spending the daylight hours out of sight fast asleep under a leaf or in the corner of a vivarium. They should not be disturbed at this time. It is an idea though to consider natural spectrum fluorescent lighting during the day as this will be of benefit to the frog and also useful in keeping the plants healthy.

At night time the red eyed tree frog starts to become active and will start looking for food to eat. They will eat insects like moths and crickets and these could be dusted with a calcium and vitamin supplement. Each frog should be fed 3 or 4 crickets two or three times a week.

These tree frogs are fantastic jumpers so don't handle them more than is necessary. They also have very delicate skin - another reason why not to handle them.

When the red eyed tree frog is a baby frog, it should be placed in a smaller container than the adult frog and the substrate should consist of paper towelling that should be changed regularly. This should be kept damp to encourage a desired level of humidity. The baby frogs should be fed a bit more often than the adult frog, but don't offer too much food as too much can cause distress to the frog. Also, make sure you give the right size food according to the size of the frog. As th frog grows then change the size of the container in which it is kept.

The red eyed tree frog reaches maturity around 12 months.