Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, I have accumilated 6 Spring Peepers so far in about 1 month. They are in a really nice terrarium on my front porch. Never see them during the day, at night, all over the tank! I'm feeding them pinheads and/or small crix.
My question, I know the right thing is probably to let them go to do their hibernating thing, but when is the best time. They all seem to be popping out on my porch about now. But, if I decide to keep them since I have many other frogs in the house, how warm should the tank be, should they have a UTH or just a light?

It would be best to release them ASAP, before it actually starts to get cool. That way they have time to move to their wintering location. Peepers don't do well in captivity.
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Heather

>>It would be best to release them ASAP, before it actually starts to get cool. That way they have time to move to their wintering location. Peepers don't do well in captivity.
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>> Heather
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

...or any amphibs either, I think.
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Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame

Raises the humidity also along with the spraying. Eliminates the "strong" need for a heat light.

Well, considering that they don't burrow, maybe if the substrate is deep enough... but then there are problems of it overheating.

The point, however, is that RETFs do not need heat from under them and are evolved to have heat come from light and light from above. Frogs will just fall asleep somewhere and it may be too warm for them. And RETFs aren't supposed to be kept too warm, either. They come from relatively cool, breezy, mountainous regions of Central America (I know you probably know it, it's just part of my point), and live in the rainforest canopies which are pretty cool.

I'd like to hear what everyone else will say about this, but it's always been a no-no to use a UTH with frogs. I guess that under special conditions it could be used to help keep up humidity, but there are much better ways. Shine a light at a shallow tub of water, for one simple one.
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Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame

actually UTH's in my opinion can work wonderfully for treefrogs, many times they are the best heat source I have found, but I mount them to the sides of the tank,not the bottom, and I also use tree fern panels or coir fiber sheets on the inside of the tanks which disperse the heat more than if the animal could get right up to the glass.
Just thought I'd mention that.