Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had 2 baby CB RETFs spontaneously die within a couple months of each other. They were living in a 30g false bottom aquarium planted with pathos plants. The substrate was cocoa fiber. Temps were in the 80s during the day and 70s at night. Are baby RETFs just really fragile and prone ot spontaneous deaths? Would WC adults be more hardy? I purchased RETFs because seeing how everyone had them I figured they must do relatively well in captivity. Is this not true? Thanks.

I've had 2 CB red eyed tree frogs for 3 months now. When I first got them they were only about an inch big and now they are huge. I keep my temps in the 70's and drop it at night a couple of degrees. Also, I keep the humidity 60-90% and use moist paper towels so there is no risk of impaction. I would think CB would be more hardy than wild caught but im really not sure. Maybe they were just sick when you got them? I dunno it could of been alot of things but sorry on your loss and good luck.

It is my understanding that RETFs can be fragile and don't respond well to conditions that aren't ideal. You should probably clean everything in the tank, then run the tank as if you would with animals in it, but with none. Check your humidity, is your tank staying humid enough for frogs? Is it staying warm enough? Does the temp fluctuate alot during the day or at night? It could have been anything really, without more of a description of the tank, the frogs, the plants. It could have been that the plants weren't cleaned properly and there was residual fertilizer traces, the frogs may not have been healthy to start with. TOo much stress can definately be a cause of death. A little more info on your setup would probably help alot.
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I think my frog owns a megaphone....

Yep, beware of where you buy the frogs from. Most have parasites when they are even captive bred. I know this from experience. ( got 1 on dewormer right now) I was also told that when you first get your baby RETF, it won't eat for 1-2 days due to the new environment. So, stress has quite a factor on the little guys. I just got a new Asian Greenback and within 1 week it wasn't eating and moving. Then it just bloated up and died within the day. It turns out that at the pet shop 1 other frog had died that way as well. Which means it probably had something before I got it.

did you use dechlorinated water to hydrate the coconut fiber? And did you rince it before putting it in the terrarium? Some manufacturers use a little salt in some of those substrates.