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Red-Eyed Tree Frog Care Sheet
Introduction
The Red-Eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas) is the iconic representation of
amphibians. These beautiful, vibrant, and graceful tree frogs are becoming
increasingly popular despite the misconception of difficult care. This little frog is just
as easy to care for as most other tree frogs.
Enclosure
When choosing an enclosure for your red-eyed tree frog, remember they are almost
entirely arboreal (live in trees) so they love to climb! With that said, the focus of your
enclosure should be height rather than width or depth. These frogs need a high
humidity environment so you should have as little surface-screen face as possible.
This will make maintaining the humidity in your enclosure much easier. An enclosure
that is 30 inches tall, 20 inches wide and 20 inches deep will easily house up to five
red-eyed tree frogs without complications. A 20 gallon tank can house up to three
frogs, but a taller enclosure would be a better home for your frog.
Substrate
The type of substrate you choose for your enclosure will depend on whether you will
have live or artificial plants. To properly set up your enclosure with live plants, you
will need to start with a two inch layer of gravel. Top that with four to six inches of
organic soil. If you choose to go with artificial plants, you will need just one inch of
moss, eco-earth (ground coconut husk), or organic soil to hold moisture well.
Water and Humidity
Always have a clean, shallow water dish available in your enclosure for your frogs.
The dish should be large enough to hold all the frogs in the enclosure, and deep
enough to go up to their heads, but not over. These frogs love to sit in their water
dish every evening!
Red-eyed tree frogs prefer and require approximately 60% to 80% humidity in their
enclosures. Misting the enclosure heavily twice a day should support this, as will
your choice of substrate and the size of the water dish you use. Misting first thing in
the morning and last thing at night is an easy and especially useful habit to develop.
Once it becomes routine it will not seem to be a chore!
Hides and Décor
Red-eyed tree frogs are native to dense rain forests where plants and branches are
in abundance. While they may not be the best jumpers, they are expert climbers
who love to play and hide, so use plenty of both plants and branches in your
enclosure. During the day, you may notice your frogs sleeping, and that most of
their color has disappeared except the dull green on their backs. This is called the
“ghost effect” and it allows the frogs to sleep in perfect camouflage within the
confines of their enclosure.
Heat and Light
These frogs are native to Central and South American where there is little
temperature fluctuation during the year. In your enclosure, keep temperatures
similar to equatorial locations with daytime temps between 75 and 85 degrees
Fahrenheit, and night time temps dropping about 10 degrees. These temperatures
can be monitored using thermometers at the top and bottom of your enclosure.
Place either an appropriate wattage ceramic or red bulb on top of the enclosure.
The use of a thermostat is highly recommended to prevent overheating, a major
killer of amphibians.
Being nocturnal (active at night), no artificial lighting is necessary unless your
enclosure has live plants.
Food
Crickets of the appropriate size are the most commonly used and available food item
for red-eyed tree frogs. Be sure to “gut load” (feed prior to giving to your reptile),
and dust your crickets before feeding them to your frogs. Most reptile shops will
carry cricket diet as well as a calcium supplement. An adult red-eyed tree frog will
generally consume three to five crickets per day.
Conclusion
While red-eyed tree frogs may be more sensitive than some other tree frogs, the
care is nearly the same for all. The reward of owning them far surpasses the extra
care you will provide to this icon of the amphibian world. Whether you are looking for
a challenge or simply a beautiful addition to your collection, this frog will quickly
become a favorite!V
Introduction
The Red-Eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas) is the iconic representation of
amphibians. These beautiful, vibrant, and graceful tree frogs are becoming
increasingly popular despite the misconception of difficult care. This little frog is just
as easy to care for as most other tree frogs.
Enclosure
When choosing an enclosure for your red-eyed tree frog, remember they are almost
entirely arboreal (live in trees) so they love to climb! With that said, the focus of your
enclosure should be height rather than width or depth. These frogs need a high
humidity environment so you should have as little surface-screen face as possible.
This will make maintaining the humidity in your enclosure much easier. An enclosure
that is 30 inches tall, 20 inches wide and 20 inches deep will easily house up to five
red-eyed tree frogs without complications. A 20 gallon tank can house up to three
frogs, but a taller enclosure would be a better home for your frog.
Substrate
The type of substrate you choose for your enclosure will depend on whether you will
have live or artificial plants. To properly set up your enclosure with live plants, you
will need to start with a two inch layer of gravel. Top that with four to six inches of
organic soil. If you choose to go with artificial plants, you will need just one inch of
moss, eco-earth (ground coconut husk), or organic soil to hold moisture well.
Water and Humidity
Always have a clean, shallow water dish available in your enclosure for your frogs.
The dish should be large enough to hold all the frogs in the enclosure, and deep
enough to go up to their heads, but not over. These frogs love to sit in their water
dish every evening!
Red-eyed tree frogs prefer and require approximately 60% to 80% humidity in their
enclosures. Misting the enclosure heavily twice a day should support this, as will
your choice of substrate and the size of the water dish you use. Misting first thing in
the morning and last thing at night is an easy and especially useful habit to develop.
Once it becomes routine it will not seem to be a chore!
Hides and Décor
Red-eyed tree frogs are native to dense rain forests where plants and branches are
in abundance. While they may not be the best jumpers, they are expert climbers
who love to play and hide, so use plenty of both plants and branches in your
enclosure. During the day, you may notice your frogs sleeping, and that most of
their color has disappeared except the dull green on their backs. This is called the
“ghost effect” and it allows the frogs to sleep in perfect camouflage within the
confines of their enclosure.
Heat and Light
These frogs are native to Central and South American where there is little
temperature fluctuation during the year. In your enclosure, keep temperatures
similar to equatorial locations with daytime temps between 75 and 85 degrees
Fahrenheit, and night time temps dropping about 10 degrees. These temperatures
can be monitored using thermometers at the top and bottom of your enclosure.
Place either an appropriate wattage ceramic or red bulb on top of the enclosure.
The use of a thermostat is highly recommended to prevent overheating, a major
killer of amphibians.
Being nocturnal (active at night), no artificial lighting is necessary unless your
enclosure has live plants.
Food
Crickets of the appropriate size are the most commonly used and available food item
for red-eyed tree frogs. Be sure to “gut load” (feed prior to giving to your reptile),
and dust your crickets before feeding them to your frogs. Most reptile shops will
carry cricket diet as well as a calcium supplement. An adult red-eyed tree frog will
generally consume three to five crickets per day.
Conclusion
While red-eyed tree frogs may be more sensitive than some other tree frogs, the
care is nearly the same for all. The reward of owning them far surpasses the extra
care you will provide to this icon of the amphibian world. Whether you are looking for
a challenge or simply a beautiful addition to your collection, this frog will quickly
become a favorite!V
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