Green Treefrog
(Hyla cinerea)
Habitat: Woodland    Diet: Insectivorous    Adult Size: 1-2 1/2 inches   
Lifespan: up to 6 years    Native To: Southern and Eastern U.S.

Did You Know:

  • Naturally communal animals, Green Treefrogs prefer to live in groups rather than alone.

  • Despite their small size, Green Treefrogs can jump long distances. These agile little frogs can also use their feet to stick to the glass sides of an aquarium tank.

  • Male Green Treefrogs will make a loud quacking sound to attract potential mates. A single male can repeat this sound up to 75 times per minute. In nature, when thousands of males are calling at once, the sound can be deafening.

The material below is a general guideline, and is not intended to serve as your sole source of pet care information. Visit a veterinarian trained in caring for reptiles and consult a broad range of literature to ensure that your pet receives adequate care.
 

What You Should Know About Green Treefrogs

The Basics:

True to its name, the Green Treefrog spends much of its time in trees. It is green with a white, cream or yellow stripe running from its jaw all the way down its side. (Albino varieties are also now available to the pet trade.) Its beautiful coloration, along with its captivating expressions, makes the Green Treefrog an attractive pet. The Green Treefrog has relatively large toes, which make it an excellent jumper and climber. Relatively easy to keep, provided a reasonable daily maintenance program is followed diligently, the Green Treefrog is a nocturnal animal. Females tend to be larger, and males often have darker skin under the throat.

Enclosure:
They Need Vertical Space :

Green Treefrogs need an opportunity to climb. So they must be provided with a relatively high enclosure that includes plenty of sturdy climbing branches. A 20-gallon aquarium tank that measures at least 20 inches high can house up to three adults, but more space is always better. A screen top should be placed over the tank to provide ventilation. This top must be very secure to prevent escapes. Placing aquarium backgrounds or other opaque material on three sides of the enclosure will make the frog feel more secure and reduce stress. Commercially available sanitized climbing branches and driftwood, as well as artificial or live plants should be included in the enclosure setup to provide climbing opportunities. Good live plant choices include philodendrons and ferns, provided they can support the frog. Whether live or artificial, foliage setup inside the tank must be dense. This will serve the added, and very important, function of providing the frog with hiding places.

Substrate:
Carpeting Can Scratch Them:

A substrate that holds moisture, can’t be swallowed, and is easy to keep clean is ideal for Green Treefrogs. Coconut fiber is a good choice. Substrate must be inspected daily, so soiled material can be removed. Reptile carpet substrate should not be used with Green Treefrogs, since its rough surface can irritate a frog’s skin.

Temperature:
Extremes Are Harmful To Them:

Green Treefrogs do best with moderately warm temperatures. Their enclosure should be 72-80º Fahrenheit during the day and brought down to 65º at night. A thermal gradient can be provided by positioning a low wattage bulb over a section of the tank during the winter months. Important - see the Note About Day/Night Light Cycles and Heating below.

Lighting:
UVB Lighting Contributes To Their Health:

A 12-hour on/off light cycle is essential to the health of Green Treefrogs. Too much light exposure will be detrimental to the well-being of these nocturnal animals. Although they are nocturnal, Green Treefrogs still benefit from limited exposure to UVB rays on a daily basis. Provide a Green Treefrog with a supplemental UVB light using a fluorescent bulb designed for a frog terrarium. The fluorescent bulb should be replaced every six months. Glass blocks out UVB light, so overhead light sources should be kept behind a wire mesh cover, not a glass or acrylic tank top. Important - see the Note About Day/Night Light Cycles and Heating below.

Note About Day/Night Light Cycles and Heating:

All reptiles, including this pet, must have distinct day and night periods in their enclosure to maintain their biological rhythms. (See the lighting entry above for the specific length of this animal’s day/night cycle.) The day period must be light; and night must be dark. A timer should be used to set day/night periods. If a heat source is required to maintain correct nighttime temperatures, use heat mats or strips mounted below or on the side of the tank, infrared heat lamps, ceramic heat emitters, or a combination of these products. This will allow the enclosure to be heated while remaining dark. Follow directions carefully with all products. If ceramic heat emitters are used always choose fixtures with porcelain or ceramic sockets and to protect against fires do not place them by dry wood or flammable fabrics. Ceramic heat emitters must be kept out of the reach of children and all pets, including dogs and cats.

Diet:
Insects Are Their Favorite Meal:

Green Treefrogs do best on a diet of insects, primarily crickets. Feeder crickets should be gut loaded (fed a nutrition rich diet) for 48 hours before being offered to the frog and dusted with supplements. Mealworms and wax worms can be given only as an occasional treat. Feed adult Green Treefrogs 2-6 insects every other day or every third day, depending on the size of the insect and the frog. Juvenile frogs should be fed pinhead crickets or fruit flies every day. The juveniles should be given as many insects as they can consume in a feeding. Important -- It is necessary to provide calcium and vitamin supplements as part of the diet. Please read the supplement section below:
A Note About Gut Loading Feeding crickets a nutritious diet will pass on vital nutrients to your reptile. When reptiles eat these insects they are able to absorb the nutrients. This is why it is important to gut load crickets at least 48 hours before offering them to a reptile. Commercial cricket foods provide a convenient way to gut load crickets. (Always follow manufacturer’s directions.) Crickets should also be provided with water, preferably in the form of oranges or a commercial water gel product designed specifically to hydrate feeder insects. Putting a shallow dish of water in the cricket holding tank will result in insects drowning and promote the spread of bacteria.

You can also create your own gut-loading formula. Our vet recommends a mix of ground up dog food, cereal and fresh greens with oranges or a commercial gel for water.
Supplements: Dust insects with calcium supplement and vitamin supplements. As a rule, a growing juvenile's food should be dusted more often than an adult's. Follow product label directions when applying supplements, and avoid over-supplementing food.  Too much calcium can contribute to calcification and indirectly to gout. The following is a possible supplementing schedule for this pet. Our veterinarian recommends dusting insects with a plain calcium supplement every other feeding to every feeding. (Avoid using a calcium supplement with added phosphorous, unless specifically directed by your veterinarian, since this can promote kidney disease.) Our veterinarian also recommends dusting insects with a D3 supplement once a week and a vitamin supplement two times a month. This is only one recommendation, consult your veterinarian for specific directions on supplementing your pet’s food, since there are many variables that go into determining the best supplementing regimen for a given animal.
A NOTE ABOUT WATER: All water given to this pet for drinking, as well as water used for misting, soaking or bathing must be 100% free of chlorine and heavy metals. (Not all home water filtration systems remove 100% of the chlorine and heavy metals from tap water, so check your system's specifications before using it to filter water for your pet.) We recommend that you use unflavored bottled drinking water or bottled natural spring water and never untreated tap water. If tap water is used, you should treat it with a dechlorinating treatment. Do not use distilled water, which can cause severe medical problems, since it lacks minerals that are essential to important body functions

Water & Humidity:

Green Treefrogs require high levels of humidity, generally in the 50-75% range. This can be maintained by misting the enclosure daily with chlorine free water. Avoid over misting and over humidifying, since this will promote infections and
other ailments. Keep a large bowl of clean, fresh filtered water that is free of chlorine and heavy metals in the enclosure. The water in this bowl should be very shallow (about one inch), since Green Treefrogs are bad swimmers.

How to Handle an Green Treefrog:
 Like all amphibians, Green Treefrogs are meant to be observed and appreciated, rather than handled and petted. Frogs breathe through their moist delicate skin, and this important organ can be damaged when rubbed against and handled. If it is necessary to move a Green Treefrog, it is best to guide it to a fine mesh net or plastic cup, rather than lift it. Always wash your hands, and rinse them thoroughly before touching a Green Treefrog. The skin of these frogs will absorb residual traces of soap or perfume left on a hand. You should also wash your hands thoroughly after handling any frog.


Look Out For This:
Almost all Green Treefrogs are wild caught specimens. They often experience stress during shipping, so extra care should be taken to ensure their health while they become acclimated to captivity. Once they pass this period, these little frogs are relatively hardy and healthy animals. They should be taken to a veterinarian to be de-wormed.

Bright Idea:
Small frogs are often too weak to break the surface of water if they do not have a solid, non-slippery surface to cling to when climbing out. Putting a stone or other good traction object in the corners of a water area will help a frog exit.


Recommended Green Treefrog Supplies:

  • A secure vertically oriented enclosure

  • Sturdy climbing branches and perches

  • Foliage in the form of live plants or artificial plants

  • A large, but shallow water dish

  • A suitable substrate

  • A UVB fluorescent light source

  • Two thermometers

  • A hygrometer

  • A misting bottle