Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone, I just got some green tree frogs from a friend of mine. There are two of them, and then two small frogs that I think are white striped tree frogs. Right now they have bark or wood chips in their tank, but can I put gravel in instead? It will make it easier to give them a water area. If I can use gravel, could it be the small stuff or the larger pebbles? Also would moss be good for over top the rocks?
And one more question....do they like human contact? I like to hold them for a little bit, a few times a day, just need to make sure this isn't stressing them!
Thankyou!!

I am not aware of any species native to the United States as the white striped tree frog. Green tree frogs have a tremendous amount of variability in their coloration, they can have bold white stripes or none at all.

I am a firm believer that gravel should never be a part of any reptile or amphibians enclosure. The gravel can and will cause impactions for any animal that can eat it. Moss can also cause impactions or entanglements. On top of that, gravel is incredibly difficult to clean and disinfect because of the high surface area and porosity. The best way to provide the clean water source for tree frogs is a simple bowl that can be removed on a daily basis, cleaned, and refilled. The best substrate for green tree frogs is coconut fiber.

Absolutely, positively, they will become stressed that handled. Amphibians in general should not be handled unless it is necessary. Consider them a terrestrial fish. Even if they are handled, the professional standard is to use latex gloves that are rinsed free of powder and left moist. Especially when it comes to green tree frogs, they are very difficult to hold onto without them jumping onto unclean (or amphibian inappropriate) surfaces. Amphibians are definitely not the pet of choice if you are looking for something to interact with.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

Okay thanks. The pet store in my small town knows nothing, I figured to go on line and ask another opinion. They had told me no small gravel because of the impaction concerns, but they said larger gravel was okay, but I couldn't really see the frog NOT swallowing the larger stuff.
But if I have the bark in the tank right now, and buy a piece of glass to divide the tank, can I put gravel in the water to create a shore line? If not I'll just stick with my water bowl. But it is actually more of a pot lid, maybe an inch of water....is that enough?
I remember reading the other day about a white striped tree frog, but maybe I have the name wrong. If you drop the white or drop the striped....does that sound like a name of a frog?
My friend was told by the pet store that it was a smaller green tree frog but they look nothing a like, not including their size. They have this white stripe going across the bottom of their mouths and they just look different.
Thanks