White’s tree frogs make great starter pets for new frog owners. Native to Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea, this green or blue-green species boasts petite sizes with sleepy-eyed eyes and smiling mouth expressions, along with waxy skin coating that allows it to tolerate more arid environments than most common tree frog species – making them suitable companions in home environments.
White’s Tree Frog Behavior and Temperament
White’s tree frogs are nocturnal animals that become active at nightfall. Although their activity levels fluctuate greatly between evening and morning hours, these sedentary and docile amphibians become relatively tame over time and tolerate being handled. Furthermore, these social animals thrive with company.
However, amphibians possess highly permeable skin which absorbs chemicals readily; therefore special caution must be exercised when handling these creatures.
White’s tree frogs live their lives among trees in nature and require an enclosure with plenty of climbing enrichment for optimal living conditions. A 15-20 gallon aquarium should provide ample room to house one adult White’s tree frog. A hexagonal tank would be optimal.
An aquarium must have a tight-fitting lid, as these frogs have suctioning footpads which enable them to easily scale the walls. You may keep multiple frogs together in one habitat provided their sizes are comparable – otherwise larger frogs may attempt to devour smaller ones!
A piece of paper placed around the edge of the tank may help if frogs tend to rub their nose against the glass in an attempt to leave their habitat; they don’t understand opaque barriers as much (they will move towards objects they can see), but black walls do understand them.
Provide numerous branches, large pieces of cork bark and foliage for climbing, keeping in mind that these surfaces must be durable enough to support the weight of these stocky amphibians. When selecting natural live plants with strong stems that do not contain fertilizer or pesticide residues on them or any soil sources in your terrarium. Keep live plants in small moveable pots to make cleaning simpler.
Covering the back surface of a tank with dark paper gives frogs a safe place to sleep during daylight hours, such as diagonally placing large pieces of bark across it a few inches from its back wall and placing diagonal pieces of bark diagonally across from it to provide them with some cover as they sleep on its back surface. Thicker plant cover or interior spaces with many exits also help provide enough hiding places and restful places.
Every day, spot clean your frog’s cage by wiping off any large chunks of waste matter from plant leaves and the bottom of the tank. Use non-chlorinated water when changing out their water dish daily.