Your new white’s tree frog will require a minimum of a 10-gallon tank (for one frog). I would recommend an even bigger tank than that. My frog LOVES to climb and within months was racing to the top of his aquarium to get a better look around at his surroundings (which consist of a computer, a dying house plant, and his beloved crickets) every time I opened his aquarium for feeding. Your best option is to purchase an aquarium that is taller than it is wide, giving your frog an opportunity to climb high and exercise.
My white’s lives in an extra large Exo Terra Terrarium
When selecting a terrarium, go with a model that has a secure screen to cover for the top of your aquarium. Tree Frogs climb very well and will climb up and out of its home if given the chance.
Substrate
Spread substrate made from coconuts around the base of the aquarium. Coconut is a material that can be safely ingested by your frog when he dives in and gets a mouthful while chasing a cricket. With substrate, there are a couple of good options – T-Rex Cypress Bed and T-Rex Jungle Bed. Your frog will probably get a little bit messier with the Jungle Bed substrate, but both are very good for tree frogs. Mist the terrarium daily (or even a couple times a day) to keep the substrate slightly damp and tropical.
Do not use pebbles or rocks as a substrate for white’s tree frogs. They are not careful eaters and small pebbles could be easily ingested. Stick with the recommended choices.
Stuff to Climb On
You should also add some stuff for your frog to climb on. Fake trees and vines allow your tree frog to leap and climb. Depending on the size of your terrarium, you should add a fake tree or rock formation that allows it to sit and relax up high. The one pictured at right is a great choice and fits both the X-Large and XX-Large Exo Terra terrariums mentioned earlier. I also added a habba hut to allow mine to sit low while looking around the room.
You can use small, real plants in the terrarium, but they must be free of chemicals and pesticides. You should be able to find plants designed for terrarium use at your local pet store.
Water
Get a water dish for your frog to relax in at night. Tree frogs love to take baths, so you will need to change its water daily. Use bottled water (though not distilled). If you prefer to use tap water, pick up an additive at your local pet store to spare your frog from the toxins we ingest from the city water supply.
Lighting
Tree frogs are nocturnal, so you will want to add a lamp. You have two options there: a clamp lamp (which is cheaper, uses one bulb) or a hood lamp (a bit nicer, uses 2 bulbs). If you do opt for an overhead lamp, be sure you buy the right size for your terrarium. The ones made by Exo Terra do fit the Exo Terra terrariums nicely. Turn the lamp on during the day and off at night. An automatic timer is a helpful addition.
Thermometer and Hygrometer
Add a thermometer and hygrometer to monitor temperature and humidity. You will want to keep the aquarium at 70 to 85 degrees F. Keep your frog out of direct sunlight. Humidity should be kept at 50% or more. Buy a spray bottle and mist the aquarium periodically to keep the humidity up.
If your home gets a bit chilly (especially during the winter), you might want to look at a tank heating mat that can go under your terrarium and help keep that habitat temperature in the right range.
Disclosure: please note that I am paid for purchases made through this site. I have used all of the products listed here and my frog has never complained.
HI THERE,
I HAVE A COUPLE OF WHITE LIPPED FROGS IN A TANK WITH A HEAT PAD UNDERNEATH TO KEEP IT WARM. HOWEVER BECAUSE OF THE DAMPNESS IN THE TANK FROM SPAYING THE SUBTRATE IT HAS CREATED MOULD GROWING INSIDE. WHAT DO I DO TO PREVENT THIS
THANKS
LEA
WELL IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT KIND OF SUBSTRATE YOUR USING, IF ITS BARK, IT WILL DO THAT, AND IF THERE IS MOLD, IT SHOULDN’T REALLY DO TOO MUCH DAMAGE TO YOUR WTF’S BECAUSE IN THE WILD THERE IS MOLD ALL OVER IN THEIR HABITAT, BUT, THATS IN THE WILD, SO THESE ONES MIGHT NOT BE ADAPTED, SO IF ITS BARK, THEN TAKE IT OUT, REPLACE WITH MOSS, MOSS IS GOOD BECAUSE IT HOLDS HUMIDITY IN. THATS ALL I CAN THINK OF
SINCERLY, TERRY
Instead of using a heat pad all the time….instead use a heat lamp.Then in winter if the house gets cold then use the heat pad.
Frogs Rock!!!!!!
Hi, i curently have a 20 gallon tall tank, top half mesh bottom half glass with a fire salamander, and a BUNCH of fish on the bottom, the salamander and fish only use the bottom of the cage, so i have 10 gallons of unsued space. Could i get wtf? He would have a water dish, because the fish’s water is a foot deep. And also do they do well with orchids?
thanks, lisa
I am getting 4 blue dumpy tree frogs but i dont know what to feed them because they are really small. Should I feed them regular things like crickets?
thanks
stella
Hi I’m bussy with creating a habitat for future dumpys, but I have a question according with the lamps. I want to put the lamps inside, but how do you prevent the frogs from climbing on the lamps?
thank you,
Nicky
Can we mix white tree frogs with pacman frogs
Stella- There’s tiny crickets called “pinheads” that should be small enough, or they sell fruit fly cultures or baby dubia roaches.
Nicky- Putting lamps inside the tank is asking for trouble. They may not go near them, sensing that they’re hot, but accidents are better avoided than fixed afterwards.
Tanyu (I think, sorry, can’t see your name)- NOOOOO! Pacmans eat everything! I suppose in theory it’s possible while the pacs are tiny, but someone is gonna get hurt. With certainty.
Good luck everyone!
Hi! Is there any way to sex Whites? I inherited 2 out of a group of 6, they were breeders but we don’t know how to tell which one (or ones) are male/females.
I bought the tank the breeder kept them in, it’s a 20gal tall tank, bark on bottom covered by dirt & moss, a thick branch, and live pothos vine which has grown a LOT and is making it really look like a jungle in there. I keep the substrate fairly wet to provide water for the pothos as well as keep the humidity up, but let it get fairly dry before watering again.
I’ve only had them for about a week, but so far they just stay squished behind the water bowl in the back corner.
Male frogs are smaller than females and they croak. Sometimes, my frog likes to be in the corner behind his water dish. I believe that little space is cozy for him. Whites tree frogs are not very active. If your frogs continue not to leave this location, and don’t eat, you may want to take them to a vet who treats exotic animals.
I have had my White’s frog for almost 4 years now and last night I found him dead.. About a week ago I had some mold on my waterfalland that’s all I can think of that could have possibly got him sick. I have two other frogs in there, a red-legged cuban walking frog and a chubby frog, and they both lived. Any ideas what happened to Hannibal? I have half of the cage with a waterfall in it and the other half is dirt with live plants.
What wattage of bulb will maintain the 70-85 temp??
Do you have a recommendation for a good automatic mister for when we want to go away for 2-3 days? We find we need to mist with the pump bottle 2-3 times a day to maintain good humidity here. I have read not so positive reviews about the automatic mister by ZooMed.
I have my terrium set up to get my whites tree frog but Im having a problem getting it up to temperature. We have the exo-terrium for rainforest and we have the heat mat underneath and we are using the coconut husks substrate stuff but it’s not going past 70 degrees. Do we have too much substrate in there, is that possible?
kathyrn, I think that’s your name, your wtf probably passed away because of the other frogs in the tank. only the same kinds of frogs should be put together in the same tank. because they each have different toxins on there skin that can be harmful to other frogs and sorry for your loss!
I would suggest to get a heat lamp to bring up the temperature. I have a 30gal tall tank, half the tank it coconut husk substrate and the other half is a rain chamber. I’ve placed plants in the coconut husk to help bring up the humidity and my for my whites tree frogs to climb on. I have a green whites tree frog and a blue whites tree frog, there housed together.
I don’t have a heat mat underneath but i do have to heat lamps, one is always on while the other is only for when it gets to cold.
Also having a heat mat underneath the tank, you need to have a thin layer of substrate so that the heat gets through. Having the heat mat will dry out the substrate, so keep it moist but not to moist, that will create mold.
I copied and pasted this info on how to know the male from the female. Found in on a web site.
One commonly asked question has to do with how to tell Male White’s tree Frogs from Female ones. As far as I know this is pretty difficult to tell. First of all,the frog frog needs to be of “breeding” age to tell (about 1 year old). Males develop “nuptial pads” (puffy little pads on the place where their “thumbs” and “palms” meet) during the breeding season. I have heard from some that only males croak and sing also. Also, females tend to be larger than males, but bear in mind that size varies according to specific strains of White’s tree frogs, so this is a pretty unreliable test.
Have a WTF for about 17 years, the same one. Here is the website I found most helpful to all the questions. I change his enviroment out every couple of years. He is a happy frog. I feed him one time a week, a pinkie or crickets. sometimes mealworms. they can eat moths, beetles too. Hope this helps. Kathy
White’s Tree Frog – FROGLAND! AllAboutFrogs.ORG