Agalychnis Cllidryas, known as the Red-Eyed Tree Frog, is one of the most popular frogs of its kind. They are the brightest colored and laid-back tree frogs, making them wonderful pets. The red-eyed tree frogs are relatively easy to nurture. Although the Red-eyed tree frog is considered a wild animal, it can be a pet as well.
The Red-eyed tree frog is originally from the canopy layer of a large rain forest in Central America and resides in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Nicaragua, and Mexico. They are mostly found in trees and rely on trees for their whole lives.
While they are captured and not in their natural habitat, they are in need of exuberant natural environments, which make them feel like they are in their natural home.
The red-eyed tree frog needs certain requirements in order to thrive in captivity. The Agalychnis Cllidryas(Red-eyed tree frog), is studied for being versatile in methodical environments.
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Appearance & Colors
The Red-eyed tree frog is nothing short of beautiful. From its colorful exterior to its bright red eyes. The eyes are big, round, and bold. They also have a slit pupil that dilates with changing light conditions.
The body of this beautiful reptile is so bright and elegant, that they stick out in the rainforest. Their back legs, for the most part, are bright green. This helps them blend into their environment and avoid prey. Although, their bright colors, it does make them stand out when there are a lot of species around them.
The side of the frog is an elegant blue. Certain frogs may have a yellow stripe that separates the blue from the green. The stripes match the webbed detailing on their eyelids.
The blue color can appear on the frog and along the legs. It offers a nice transition to the white undercarriage.
We have red, blue, green, yellow, and white so far on this beautiful reptile, the last color on this reptile color wheel is orange. A bright orange tone can be found on their feet. The Red-eyed tree frog has very large feet, which are sticky as well. The stickiness of their feet helps them stick on smooth surfaces to help them migrate from point A to B.
Lifespan
Nothing on Earth can have a guaranteed life expectancy. Life expectancy is dependent on diet, living conditions, genetics, and more. With meeting all these expectations, the red-eyed tree frog lives anywhere from 5 to 10 years, it all depends on how much care is given to them. Otherwise, not meeting their requirements can decrease their life expectancy.
Average Size
Red-eyed tree frogs are relatively small in size. Females are approximately 3 inches, while males are 2 and a half inches.
Red-Eyed Tree Frog Care
Red-eyed tree frogs need special requirements in order to live to their full potential. Putting them as close to their natural environment keeps them healthy and happy.
Here are some red-eyed tree frog care guidelines you should have when having a red-eyed tree frog.
Tank Size
Red-eyed tree frogs do best in glass terrariums or vivariums. Any other, would retain too much heat and can be harmful to the frog. Glass helps let heat escape and keep heat in, which makes it a great choice for the red-eyed tree frog.
What size tank should you get?
For a single Red-Eyed Tree Frog Habitat Setup, 12 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 18 inches tall is the best size for the frog to live in. Many people keep up to 4 frogs at a time, some more, if you plan on keeping more than one frog, the best size is 18 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 24 inches tall.
Red-Eyed Tree Frog Habitat Setup
Keeping the Red-Eyed tree frog close to its natural habitat is very important and can impact the frog. This includes making the scene of your tank as close as possible to a rainforest, this includes moisture inside the tank.
You would want to use orchid bark, coconut coir, or sphagnum moss. When adding it to the bottom of the tank, you would want to press loose materials down to create a stable surface and reduce the chances of it being digested.
The more elements you use in the tank to make it look like their natural environments the better. This can be a vine, various types of wood, bark, etc. Giving it a vertical look, helps the frog give it more routes. Plants, live or fake, are a great way to adapt to the natural environment. Live plants are a great way to give the frog the humidity it needs.
Using smaller decorative items is a great way to hide wires and equipment.
The sky’s the limit as far as decorations go. Just remember to keep things natural.
Temperature & Lighting
you can get this misting system here
Red-eyed tree frogs like to live in areas where it’s not too cold nor too hot. In the Canopy Rain forest, they get a good mixture of heat and shade ratio.
The ideal temperature for the red-eyed tree frog is around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. At night, temperatures can drop to the low 70s, but anything lower can be endangered to the frog.
You can create one using a basking lamp. Place the basking lamp above the mesh top of the enclosure. This will raise the temperatures between 80 and 85 degrees during the day. The temperature gradient will be subtle, but it’s still required nonetheless.
Red-eyed tree frogs spend most of their day sleeping and relaxing. But come nightfall, they become more active. Keep the lights on for 10 to 12 hours a day before switching them off.
Your frogs can also benefit from UVB lights. Some red-eyed tree frog owners forgo UV lighting altogether, but you can use them to ensure proper health for your frog.
UV light helps the frog synthesize Vitamin D3 and calcium. Without it, it can cut their life expectancy.
To avoid those issues, use a five to six percent UVB tube. Shine it during the day to simulate natural sunlight.
Humidity
Providing the right humidity level is one of the most important elements of red-eyed tree frog care.
Humidity levels need to stay between 65 and 80 percent. It’s a good idea to invest in a hygrometer so that you can keep an eye on the humidity. In the rain, forest humidity can spike up rapidly to illuminate this. You can get a mister to help achieve the natural environment vibe you want to reach.
Water
Red-eyed tree frogs get most of their hydration through the moisture in the air. That’s why it’s so important to keep the humidity levels stable.
Providing a shallow dish of water, helps them stay nourished, and can help keep cool if they need to be taking a swim.
It should be big enough for the frog to crawl in but not deep enough to make drowning an issue.
Make sure to provide clean filtered water. Tap water has chemicals that are harmful to the frog. Although it’s safe for humans, it is not safe for this frog.
Red-Eyed Tree Frog Food & Diet
The red-eyed tree frog’s diet consists of only protein-riched bugs. Brown crickets are the best food you can provide while they are your pet. Black crickets, cockroaches, and similar bugs work as well. You would want to provide them with gut-loaded insects for the best nutrition they can get.
For an occasional snack, silkworms, wax worms, or mealworms are the best to give them. They are fattier, so they are an occasional snack.
Adult red-eyed tree frogs can be fed a few crickets every day, but you can feed them larger meals if you would like.
Red-eyed tree frogs need Vitamin D3 and calcium. Supplement powders are the best way to give the frog its nutrients. Just sprinkle the food before giving it to them.
Potential Health Issues
Everything can develop health issues, for the red-eyed tree frog, the most significant risk is bacterial infections.
Bacterial infections are usually easy to avoid. These infections can harm the skin or cause internal health issues. Frogs get infections from pathogens in the environment.
A red-eyed tree frog climbing
Your frog’s enclosure is the perfect ground for breeding, bacteria! It’s warm, humid, and primed for bacterial rebirth.
While you can’t keep the enclosure bacteria-free, you can do your part to keep the bacteria out. Spot clean messes as soon as possible. Once a month, you’d want to deep clean the tank.
During that cleaning session, use amphibian-friendly sanitizing products to destroy bacteria.
Another big health problem you should be wary of is a metabolic bone disease, which is when they don’t get enough exposure to UV light. Causing their bones to become frail and distorted. This can develop fractures, deformities, etc.
Use UV lighting and food supplements to avoid this condition.
Handling Them
While it’s best to enjoy this frog through the glass, handling the frog is a whole new experience. They usually wrap themselves around your fingers.
You would want to limit interaction times to keep them safe from exposure to bacteria and keep them stress-free.
Breeding
Red-eyed tree frogs have an interesting way to reproduce. It’s pretty complex.
You’ll need a large rain chamber with several inches of depth at the bottom, this recreates the rainy season when they are more active to reproduce.
These frogs will lay their eggs on low-hanging leaves, when the eggs hatch, the tadpoles drop below into the water.
You don’t need that much space in your rain chamber for red-eyed tree frog breeding. It is essential that you recreate this. Fill the chamber with large-leaf plants and make sure there are at least three inches of water depth so that the tadpoles have a safe fall.
You’d want several frogs for this for the best results. You’d want to provide two males for a single female. Spawning is more likely to occur if there’s some competition.
To trigger spawning, you’ll need to go through the seasons quickly. Begin by simulating the winter months, this should take about 2 months or so.
Lower the temperature by five degrees and keep the humidity levels to 65 percent.
After maintaining those winter conditions for one or two months, you can move onto the rainy season. Start the rain system and keep the water temperature at about 80 degrees.
Breeding should occur within a week. The female will lay her transparent eggs onto overhanging leaves above the water. Then you can move the adults back to their regular tanks.
Eggs hatch in about a week.
The tadpoles will fall into the water and will not move for a couple of days. Once they start moving, begin feeding them and doing water changes.
Provide small fish flakes or tadpoles for their food.
Conclusion
As long as you’re willing to provide the right environment setup and give these red-eyed tree frogs the attention they deserve, red-eyed tree frog care shouldn’t be too difficult. And once you get used to it, you’ll enjoy owning one of the most famous and prettiest frogs.
We hope you found this care sheet helpful and feel ready to take the next step to get the Red-eyed tree frog. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us!
