Culturing Fruit Flies

There are two species of fruitflies that are commonly reared and used for feeding small herps. Drosophila melanogaster is the smaller of the two and completes it's life cycle in 2 ½ to 3 weeks. D. hydei is a little larger and takes an additional week or two to complete it's life cycle. They are not as prolific as D. melanogaster but make up for it with their larger size.

When you receive your shipment, carefully unpack the cultures from the shipping box and allow to reach normal room temperature. If the media has shifted during shipping, firmly tap the container down onto a counter top to re-settle it. Most of the adult flies should have survived shipping, however in the rare event that there are no obvious adults the culture will produce more within a couple days as they contain hundreds of larvae and eggs. The cultures should be kept away from temperature extremes as they will breed very slowly when too cold (60's) and become sterile at temperatures at or above 90 degrees. Feeder Cultures of D. hydei and D. melanogaster will produce several thousand flies over a 4-6 week time period. To ensure a steady supply never use all of the adults at one time for food. Always leave some adults in the culture container to continue laying eggs for the next generation.

To feed from the culture, gently but firmly tap the culture down onto a counter top to settle the flies away from the lid. Open the lid and shake some flies into the tank. Continuously tapping the sides of the culture cup will help keep the flies from crawling up the sides until you get the lid back on. Dusting fruit flies with a vitamin or mineral supplement can be done by tapping the flies into a cup containing some of the vitamin/mineral powder and then swirling and gently shaking the flies to coat them. The flies can then be fed in the same way described above.

There are several different types of media that can be used for culturing fruit flies. The instant formula we sell is one of the easiest and most reliable to use. It comes in a powder form that is simply mixed with water and yeast and is ready to use in minutes. It contains anti-oxidants and mold inhibitors- both of which help the cultures to last as long as possible. It is also odorless, allowing you to culture the flies indoors without offending the rest of the family. This type is colored blue to make the larvae more easily visible and is completely harmless to your pet.

It is also very important to make sure that the container used for culturing the flies be cleaned and sterilized between batches. Failure to do so can cause molds, fungi and bacteria to overrun the culture. Using our new disposable culture cups is the fastest and easiest way to be sure your cultures are set up clean.

Culturing Flies using Instant Formula and 32 oz. Disposable Culture Cups
Add ½ cup of dry media to the culture cup
Add ½ cup of water* to the media and swirl to mix thoroughly. A thin layer of water remaining on top of the media just after mixing is normal and will be absorbed as the media solidifies.
Dissolve ¼ teaspoon of dry activated yeast in ½ cup of warm water. Allow it to sit for about 10-15 minutes. Stir the mixture and add about one tablespoon of the mixture to the culture cup trying to get even coverage across the surface of the media.
Once the yeast solution has been absorbed into the media add between 50-100 adult flies to the culture cup and close the lid.
For best results, a loose handful of shredded aspen (Excelsior) can be added to the culture cup to provide more surface area for the flies and achieve greater production.
Place the cultures in an area where they will not be exposed to temperature extremes. Normal room temps. of 70-75 degrees are ideal. Larvae should be evident within a week and new adults will begin hatching in approximately 3 weeks depending on temperature. *NOTE: Adding white vinegar to the water in a ratio of one part vinegar to 4 parts water will significantly reduce the chances of mold growth/contamination.

When culturing D. hydei it is important to wait 7-10 days after the initial hatch of adult flies before using them to start new cultures. This is because the first ones to hatch out are mostly females and the males follow a few days later. Production of D. hydei can be markedly improved by following this rule.The best flies to use for starting new cultures are those from the initial hatching. They are the largest and healthiest flies the culture will produce and will help maintain strong cultures. Waiting until the culture is almost completely spent before starting new ones will result in cultures becoming weaker and weaker.

The use of shredded aspen (Excelsior) also helps to increase yields from the cultures. It provides additional surface area for the flies, keeping them out of the media and potentially drowning.In areas with very low humidity, or during winter in most of the country, the cultures may tend to dry out prematurely. This can be avoided by using a little more water when first starting the cultures or by placing a sheet of cardboard over the lids of the culture cups to reduce the amount of ventilation.Molds and fungi are usually problems encountered when using homemade formulas and tend to be more common during the warm and humid summer months. When a culture becomes infected it should be destroyed. It should not be used for food and never to start new cultures. Using disposable cups will greatly reduce mold incidence.Dissolving the yeast in warm water and evenly distributing it across the surface of the media when starting new cultures will also virtually eliminate any mold problems. This is because the yeast will quickly out-compete any molds before they can get started.

Mites can sometimes wipe out entire cultures in just a few days. Fortunately, this usually only happens when flies are introduced from infected cultures or from wild stock. To prevent this, never use cultures that have been contaminated by wild flies and thoroughly check any cultures before using them to start new ones. Additionally, the use of insecticidal shelf paper will help prevent the spread of mites between cultures.Over time culture production may start to decline due to constant inbreeding of the flies. We recommend acquiring new flies once or twice a year to help keep production strong. When feeding small froglets it is sometimes helpful to keep the flies concentrated in a small area to make them easier to find. An easy way to do this is to place a wedge of orange on a baby food jar lid in the middle of the terrarium. The flies will be attracted to the orange and thus become easy targets. The orange should be replaced out every couple days to prevent it from spoiling in the tank.

Tadpole Propagation

Ultimately, if you keep Dendrobatids, you will eventually come to this topic, so we will attempt to briefly go over some of the important points to successfully breed Dendrobatids in captivity. As far as breeding goes, most Dendrobatids can be broken down, somewhat, into three groups… Ones that will lay eggs in bowers, ones that lay eggs on plants, and Egg-feeders. Many of the larger frogs such as Phyllobates, and Epipedobates, and those in the D. tinctorius group will readily lay eggs in a secluded covered spot called a bower. A bower is anything the frogs can find cover under to carry out their breeding activities. It could be overlapping leaves, a petri dish under a coconut shell, a flowerpot, or a film canister. The male frog usually initiates breeding by calling to a female. If the female is willing, she will follow the male around, stroking his back until he leads her to his bower. This process may take hours. When the eggs are laid, the frogs return to keep them moist. In the wild, the male frog will check on the eggs until they hatch, then carry the tadpoles to a source of water, after which all parental duties end. In captivity, the eggs may be removed at this point to be raised apart from the parents. It generally takes about 8-14 days for the eggs of most species to hatch into tadpoles.

There are many different methods to raising tadpoles. The easiest method is to raise the tadpoles in individual containers until they metamorphose into froglets. Other methods include raising them in groups or using containers floating in an aquarium with a filter to clean the water. We feel that the individual container method is still one of the better methods. Cleaning the water in individual containers can be time consuming, but it reduces the risk of cannibalism or spreading diseases through a group of tadpoles. Once the tadpoles are placed into their individual containers, they can be raised on a diet of high quality tropical fish food. Other items fed to tadpoles include spirulina, chlorella, and mosquito larvae. The water should be changed as it gets dirty, depending on the size of the containers they are being kept in. Obviously, an 8-ounce cup is going to need changing before a 32-ounce cup. The tadpoles should be treated similarly to tropical fish, and similar water quality precautions should be followed, such as treating hard water before using it for the tadpoles. If kept in the mid 70’s, the tadpoles should metamorphose into froglet in about 6 – 8 weeks. Before the tadpole absorbs all of its tail, the water level in the cups should be reduced to avoid drowning. Placing the cup at an angle of less than 30 degrees will also aide in allowing the froglet an easier transition out of the water. Froglets can be managed similarly to adult frogs, except that they are smaller, and so the food items should be adjusted in size, accordingly. Some hobbyists prefer to raise them in smaller enclosures to assure that they can find the food items with ease.

If the frogs are laying the eggs in the provided hut, then life is simple! You just need to remove the lid, or whatever they laid their eggs on, preferably about twenty four hours after they have laid them, (to allow them time to fertilize them) and place the eggs in a container with super high humidity. Before you place the clutch in the humid spot for incubation, clean any debris away from the clutch, and remove any obviously bad eggs with a pair of tweezers, or the corner of a piece of paper towel. Add a small amount of de-chlorinated water, just enough to wet the bottom of the lid or dish the eggs are in. Keep the eggs at around 75 degrees, and you will either begin to see development within a few days, or the eggs will go bad. Many dart frogs do not start out laying good eggs, but may do so after a season or so of bad eggs, but some lay good eggs right from the start.
While the eggs are developing, remove any obviously bad eggs, and keep the clutch damp. After between fourteen and twenty days, the fully developed tadpoles should erupt from the eggs. I assist tadpoles which have erupted, but are having problems getting out of the gel around them, but don't generally break them out of their egg.
At this point set the tadpoles up in a cup with a shallow layer of water in the bottom. The water should be de-chlorinated, or you might consider using spring water, I find the newly setup tadpole to be the most delicate stage of the whole process. Make sure the water is near the same temperature as the tadpole has been, so it doesn't shock the tadpole. If the tadpole seems active you can put a very small amount of good quality flake fish food on the surface of the water, a couple of specks the size of a pepper corn would be about right. You can also wait two or three days before feeding the tad the first time, they do not do much the first few days. As the tadpole begins feeding, water changes every two to five days are required to keep water quality high. You may need to keep a lid on the cup to keep water temps high enough, since evaporative cooling can bring the temperature of water down as much as five degrees. Check the actual water temperature, and keep it in the seventies most if not all the time. The tadpole should emerge at around sixty to eighty days, depending on species, and conditions. When the front legs pop out of their skin, you will want to lower the water level to a quarter inch or so, and stop feeding them. In a few more days you can set up your new frog in a container similar to those I recommend in my froglet care sheet. The new froglets will take their first food within a few days.

The Perfect Set Up

This tank was created to house both tree frogs and dart frogs. Currently it is housing Clown tree frogs and Blue and black dart frogs.

The Tiger Leg Tree Frog

Common Name: Tiger Leg Tree Frog, Tiger Leg Monkey Tree Frog, Maki Frog, Tiger Striped Leaf Frog, Barred Monkey Frog
Scientific Name: Phyllomedusa Tomopterna
Description: The dorsal color, including the sides of the face, the shoulders, and the dorsal surfaces of the limbs, is a bright green. The throat and chest are white, and the belly is orangish. The flanks and hidden surfaces of the limbs, upper arms, fingers, and toes are variably orange with strong purple-brown vertical barring. Males have a nonconvex snout that slopes in a straight line from the nostrils to the upper lip; the snout of the female is seen to be convex in profile.
Range: Widely through much of tropical South America. Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela
Habitat: These frogs, like other members of the genus, live high up in the canopy of the South American rainforest. This species of frog is arboreal and they will only come to the ground for mating and breeding.
Life Span: About three to five years.
Size: Females attain a length of about 3 inches and males about 2 1/2 inches.
Call: The vocalization is a chucking note with little carrying power.
Breeding: Forest frog that breeds in newly freshened swamps, temporary pools, and even cavities in logs, and ponds isolated from streams. Between December and May. Breeding takes place like that of red-eyes. They amplex while in a rain chamber and eggs shortly follow.
Egg Clutch: Clutches contain about 70 unpigmented eggs in a gelatinous mass that are deposited in leaf nests over ponds which they fold up to a nice funnel. The edges are sealed by a special secretion. Tadpoles fall into the water after hatching, where they develop until metamorphosis.
Sleep Cycle: Nocturnal
Feeding: They will eat half sized crickets, larger fruit flies, small wax worms, etc. The food should be dusted with a mineral supplement about every 10 days.
Care: Live plants with the leaves should be large and strong enough to hold the frogs’ weight. Regular access to clean, fresh water is a must.
Terrarium: Tropical, Humid. It is better to have a tall tank so that you can put tall leafy plants in so they can climb and hide under. Plants which are suitable for tropical temperature and humidity such as Ferns, Bromeliads and other plants.
Lighting: A full-spectrum fluorescent bulb and a 12-hour light-dark schedule.
Temperature: The temperature should be kept around 77*F with a slight drop at night. A regular bulb or heat bulb can achieve those temperatures. The watt depends on the size of tank.
Humidity: Humidity should be kept around 70-80%
Discussion: The Tiger Leg Tree Frog (Phyllomedusa Tomopterna) very similar to the Oranged-Legged Tree Frog (Phyllomedusa Hypocondrialis).

The Red Eyed Tree Frog

Common Name: Red Eyed Tree Frog, Ruby Eyed Tree Frog, Red Eyed Leaf Frog
Scientific Name: Agalychinus callidryas
Description: Their eyes are large and bright red with a vertical dark pupil, while certain southern populations have burgundy-colored eyes. Dorsal side and legs are usually bright neon lime green, and the sides of their body are striped in blue and yellow, with orange toes. The tone and amount of blue or yellow varies between populations. Some specimens have white dots.
Range: Found in tropical lowlands of the Neotropical Rainforest from southern Mexico, throughout Central America, to northern Colombia in South America.
Habitat: Commonly found in lowland rain forests and the adjacent hills on trees and the underside of leaves. This species of frog is completely arboreal or tree dwelling and they are excellent jumpers. These frogs rarely descend to the ground and move in a very stealthy and deliberate manner.
Life Span: About three to five years.
Size: Females, the lager sex, attain about 3 inches in length, and males reach a snout-vent length of about 2.25 inches.
Breeding: The breeding season is during the months of October through March.
Egg Clutch: 3-4 clutches of about 30-50 eggs on leaves that overhang a water source.
Sleep Cycle: They are completely nocturnal. They hide on the backs of leaves during the day and come out at night to hunt for small insects.
Feeding: Crickets daily or every other day. They are carnivores and their diet consists of any animal that will fit in their mouth.
Care: Live plants with the leaves should be large and strong enough to hold the frogs’ weight. Regular access to clean, fresh water is a must.
Terrarium: Tropical, Humid. It is better to have a tall tank so that you can put tall leafy plants in so they can climb and hide under. Plants which are suitable for tropical temperature and humidity such as Ferns, Bromeliads and other plants. No more than 2 adults per every ten gallons of enclosure space.
Lighting: A low wattage bulb, UVB light is not essential, and a 12-hour light-dark schedule.
Temperature: Around 78-85 during the day and about any where from 66 to 77 at night.
Humidity: 80-100% Maintain humidity by misting the enclosure once a day.
Discussion: Red-eyed tree frogs are not endangered. But their habitat is shrinking at an alarming rate, and their highly recognizable image is often used to promote the cause of saving the world's rain forests. What red-eyes may lack in size, they make up for in coloration.

The Clown Tree Frog

Common Name: Clown Tree Frog, Clown Leaf Frog
Scientific Name: Dendropsophus leucophyllatus, formerly Hyla leucophyllata
Description: They have a darker brown base color with yellow, tan or cream markings.
Range: Common in the tropical lowlands of the Amazon Basin of South America, Peru, Guyanas.
Habitat: Around forest clearings with ponds in the Amazon rainforest.
Age: They live at least four to five years in captivity.
Size: Most never exceed a couple of inches in total snout-to-vent length.
Call: A distinctive raspy call with a harsh primary note followed immediately by several equally raspy but shorter notes. Clown tree frogs vocalize when barometric pressure changes accompany an approaching storm.
Breeding: Breeds around temporary forest pools or “floating meadows.” A floating meadow is an oxbow or slow-water area of a river where the surface is covered by floating plants. At the right times, large breeding aggregations of clown tree frogs can be observed with hundreds of frogs participating in the event.
Egg Clutch: Eggs are deposited on leaves of floating aquatic plants immediately above water. Hatching tadpoles drop into the water and live along the bottom of the aquatic system. Average clutches in captivity typically range from 400 to 600 small eggs.
Sleep Cycle: Nocturnal
Feeding: Crickets daily, fruit flies for smaller frogs. Dust crickets every other feeding with Heptivite vitamin and mineral supplement. You can also use Rep-Cal calcium supplements every third feeding.
Care: Live plants with the leaves should be large and strong enough to hold the frogs’ weight. Regular access to clean, fresh water is a must.
Terrarium: Clown tree frogs do well in a taller vivarium. Try to provide at minimum 30 inches of height from the substrate. These frogs thrive in a vivarium with controlled ventilation so as to allow the slow turnover of air with the maintenance of an internal microclimate having a higher humidity.
Lighting: A full-spectrum fluorescent bulb and a 12-hour light-dark schedule.
Temperature: 70-85F The nighttime temperatures not below the low 70s (Fahrenheit). Daytime temperatures should not exceed the mid-80s.
Humidity: 70-100% Maintain humidity by misting the enclosure once a day.
Discussion: The Clown Tree Frog (Dendropsophus leucophyllatus) originating in South America not to be confused with the Cameroon Clown Tree Frog (Afrixalus Paradorsalis) of Africa. Clown Tree Frogs are recognized by their very colorful skin patterns. The patterns can be quite variable. Clown Tree Frogs are common in the tropical lowlands of the Amazon Basin of South America.

Breeding Red-Eyed Tree Frogs

When most people buy red-eyes in the store, they probably never think about breeding them, but they are not that hard of a frog to breed, if you have patience and the right setup.

First, you want to read all you can on tadpole propagation and care. Once you feel you have enough knowledge on keeping tadpole's, you are now ready to start a breeding program for your frogs. red-eyes have a better chance of producing eggs if you give the females a choice of males. Almost all of the people I have talked with except one, has told me that you need a minimum of 2-3 adult males for every adult female you want to breed. The reason being that when the males are ready to breed, they will call(chirp), and another male will return the call, but a little bit higher in pitch than the previous call, and usually a bit louder(to show that he his bigger and "toughest" than the previous frog), this can go on for hours at a time. Sometimes, one backs down and the winning male will be allowed by the female to mount.

To get the frogs ready for breeding, you have to simulate the seasons of their native homeland(mostly Costa Rica). Costa Rica has a dry season and a wet season, the dry comes before the wet season. To simulate the dry season, You need to keep the cage cooler(70 to 75 during the day and 65 to 70 during the night), you also need to cut down on misting the cage, but make sure there is some moisture in the cage, if you have a small waterfall setup in there, you wont have to mist at all during the dry season. With the cooler temperatures, the frogs metabolic rate will slow down and will require less amounts of food and less attention, but you should still check on your frogs every day to see that they are still ok and have not encountered any problems such as cuts or scrapes. The photo period should be shorter too, mabey 8 hours of light and 16 hours of darkness. Keep this up for about 6-8 weeks and then slowly make the photo period longer, mabey by 20 min every 3 days till you get back to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. With more light, the cage should warm up to about 75 to 80 degrees, with the longer photo period and the warmer temperatures taken care of, you are now ready to start the rains of the rainy season. You should start to feed your frogs more and powder their food with a vitamin supplement.

If you have an automatic misting system, then this will be a piece of cake, if you dont, its going to take some time each day to mist down the cage 3-4 times a day. Now the males should begin calling at night, you should watch them to find out who your dominant male of your group is, usually its the biggest and loudest of the bunch. You can now keep the frogs in the same tank and watch for them to get into amplexus, or you can remove them and put them in a breeding tank. The breeding tank should be set up like this: A tall aquarium, filled with about 5 inches of gravel and about 4 inches of water. You should put some type of filter system in there to keep the water from getting stagnant and to keep it clean. With a filter in place, you can set up the out take of the pump up to make it "rain" in the tank by using a spray bar thats usually used for canister filters. You dont want the water to be spraying out of that tube, a slow trickle is all you need. Place a couple of wide leafed plants in the gravel. Place some bark slabs in the tank as well as some more plants. The lid should not be solid, it should allow some air to pass in and out of the tank. No artificial light source or heat source should be used at this time, if the tank is near a window, use a white sheet to shield it from some of the brightness and heat of the sun. With this setup, you should have no problem collecting eggs from your frogs throughout the rainy season.

When your frogs are in amplexus(picture), dont be alarmed if they stay that way for a couple of days and dont produce any eggs, sometimes it takes awhile. The first time my frogs went into amplexus, the male was attached for 2 days before I got worried and separated them, which was a big mistake on my part, none of my frogs were harmed, but I did not get any eggs that time. Check the sides of the terraria and the plants every morning for egg masses. When you feel that you have enough eggs, I would separate your males and females to let them recoup from the strenuous activity of breeding. If you find any egg masses on the walls of the cage, use a spatula and carefully remove them from the walls of the cages and place them on a clean, cut broad leaf, if they are attached to a leaf, just cut the leaf and place them into a incubation jar. The incubation jar is a one gallon jar with about 2 inches of water in it with a sponge filter running, the leaf should be placed diagonally in the jar, not allowing the mass to touch the water, with in a few days the egg mass should start to dissolve and little black tadpoles should wriggle their way into the water. You should limit the about of tadpoles to about 9 to 10 a jar to prevent overcrowding and cannabilsm. Tadpoles are alot like fish, so rear them just as you would baby fish. They are omnivorous so feed them flake food for omnivorous fish. The amount of time it takes tadpoles to metamorphosis depends on temperature, the warmer the temp, the quicker they metamorphosis. Dont think that if you make the water temp 90 degrees that they will hop out of the water in a few days, no, it does not work that way. Water temperature should be about 78-80 degrees. When their front legs begin to develop, remove them from the jars and place them into a 10 gallon take set up with a wet/dry environment, meaning that there is dry land for them to crawl out on if they need to. The water in the 10 gallon should be aerated and filtered just as a normal fish tank would be. Be super cautious on the amount of Ammonia(NH3) in the tank, it is one of the major killers of tadpoles. You could take some pieces of cork bark and float that on the water too. They will climb out on to the land and sit still for a few days till their tails absorbed. Once their tail is gone, carefully remove them and place them in your original frog tank. Have the approiate size of food ready for them, dust the food with vitamin supplements that contain Calcium and Vitamin D3. with in a few months you should have healthy juveniles ready to sell or you may just decide to let them mature, which takes a minimum of one year and start them breeding. Remember, frogs that interbreed and breed too often, do not live very long. So space out your breeding cycles and it might be wise to separate the kin from the parents when you are ready to breed again.

Caring for your Red Eyed Tree Frog

Introduction: Red-eyed tree frogs are colorful, arboreal frogs native to the rainforests of Central America. Their bright colors have made them very popular in the pet trade, and they can be located from many different sources including breeders, reptile dealers, reptile shows, and specialty pet stores. Their most apparent physical feature is their red eyes. Certain southern populations have burgundy-colored eyes, and have been labeled in the past as ruby-eyed tree frogs. Their dorsal side and legs are usually bright lime green, and the sides of their body are striped in blue and yellow, although the tone and amount of blue or yellow varies between populations. In addition to their bright red eyes, they also have bright orange feet with large toepads that they use to climb with. The ventral side of red-eyed tree frogs is always a solid white or crème color. They are a medium-sized tree frog and adults usually range in size from 2 to 3 inches (5 cm to 7.6 cm), with males being smaller than females. Mature male frogs also call. Red-eyed tree frogs are completely nocturnal and are never active during the day unless they have been disturbed or happen to notice food. They are also commonly called red-eyed leaf frogs.

When selecting a red-eyed tree frog purchase those born in captivity over those that are wild-caught. Captive-bred red-eyed tree frogs are generally healthier, less stressed, and easier to care for initially. Avoid purchasing captive-bred frogs that are very young and are smaller than ¾ inch (1.9 cm) in length as these small juveniles are very sensitive. Unfortunately, captive-bred red-eyed tree frogs are not always available, and in some situations it may be necessary to purchase wild-caught adults. When selecting a wild-caught frog inspect it well for any health problems. Do not purchase frogs that have a patchy coloration (their dorsal side should be uniformly green) and pass up any frog that is displaying unusual behavior, such as sleeping on the ground or being active during the day. Also avoid frogs with any open wounds, such as severe rostral abrasions, as well as any other unusual bumps, soars, or rubs. Bacterial infections and internal parasites are two common problems associated with wild-caught red-eyed tree frogs that may need the attention of a trained veterinarian.

Cage: Red-eyed tree frogs need to be provided with an enclosure that offers plenty of space. They are arboreal and will benefit from cages that offer a reasonable amount of vertical room. A standard 20 gallon aquarium that measures 24 inches long by 12 inches wide by 16 inches high (61 cm by 30 cm by 40 cm) is large enough for two to four adult frogs, although more room is better. Young frogs should be kept in smaller enclosures. A secure cover is essential to prevent escapes.

Possible substrates for the cage include coconut husk fiber (bed-a-beast, forest bed, eco earth, etc.) or other safe soil, moist foam rubber, or moist paper towels. Coconut husk fiber works very well because it holds moisture and is safe if swallowed. Red-eyed tree frogs can also be kept well in living terrariums that contain a safe soil mixture and live plants. For more information about creating one see tropical terrariums. Foam rubber and paper towels can be used in simple setups that are cleaned often. They are particularly useful for young frogs and for adults that are being quarantined. It may be helpful to add a few small clumps of moist moss in simple setups to help maintain high humidity levels. Gravel and small pieces of bark should be avoided as they can cause problems if accidentally swallowed while the frog is feeding.

In addition to a substrate, red-eyed tree frogs should be provided with perches and hiding areas. Driftwood, cork bark tubes, vines, bamboo poles, and pieces of PVC pipe work very well for perches. Live or fake plants can be used to create hide spots. These can be draped over perches to form arboreal shelters for the frog. In the wild, red-eyed tree frogs spend much of their time hiding on exposed large green leaves, so providing a plant that has large, sturdy, green leaves works very well. An aquarium background or black poster board can be taped to all but one side of the cage to reduce stress and make the frog feel secure.

Temperature and Humidity: Red-eyed tree frogs are native to tropical rainforests in Central American and the temperature and humidity level that they are kept at should mimic this environment. During the day the temperature should range from 75F to 85F (24C to 29C). At night the cage can be allowed to cool. Avoid drafty conditions where the temperature fluctuates often. A small infrared light bulb can be used to heat the terrarium during both the day and the night if necessary.

Maintain moderate to high humidity levels most of the time. This can be accomplished by misting the cage with water daily. In particularly dry households, you may find it necessary to restrict ventilation by taping a piece of glass or plastic wrap over part of the screen cage cover, but in most situations this is not necessary.

Water: A source of shallow clean water should be available at all times. If tap water is used it should be treated with a tap water conditioner to remove all chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals. Bottled spring water can be used instead of tap water.

Food: Red-eyed tree frogs primarily eat soft-bodied invertebrates. In captivity they can be fed a diet that consists largely of crickets. Mealworms, wax worms, and small silkworms can be offered instead of crickets occasionally, and should be offered in a small feeding dish to prevent them from burrowing into the substrate. Moths, houseflies, and other flying insects can also be offered. Adult red-eyed tree frogs can be fed three to six food items every two to three days. Juveniles should be fed on a daily basis. Adults should have their food coated with high quality reptile vitamin and mineral supplements once every two to four feedings, while juvenile’s should have their food dusted with supplements at every feeding.

Reticulated Clown Tree Frog - Hyla Leucophyllata

The reticulated morph of the clown treefrog also called the giraffe morph. This morph is infequently encountered, with the spotted morph being more common in the area. A common treefrog of emergent aquatic vegetation, and often found together with Hyla triangulum and Hyla punctata.

Blue Dart Frogs - D. Azureus

The only natural predator of most of the poison dart frog family is a snake called Leimadophis epinephelus, which has developed a resistance to the frogs' poison.

Bumble Bee Darts - D. Leucomela

Green & Black, Blue & Black - D. Auratus

Strawberry Dart - D. Pumilio

Lehmann's Dart - D. Lehmanni

Dyeing Dart Frogs - D. Tinctorius

Poison Dart Frogs

Mossy Frog - Theloderma Corticale

Malayan Leaf Frogs