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RETF Behavior

Envas May 20, 2004 12:18 PM

Anyone here knows a lot about RETFs? I recently purchase 3 adult RETF. It's been a couple of weeks now and it seems like they hardly move at all. They just stick themselves to the side of the glass and sleep there day after day and night after night. Occasionally one will move a few inches and go back to sleep. I've only seen one of them eaten once. I have been letting crickets run loose in their vivarium, but now I am putting the crickets in a Octagon betta bowl and keeping the bowl in the vivarium because I am not sure if they are eating. With the crickets in the betta bowl I can moniter the amount of crickets I put in there. It does seem like they are eating a bit because crickets are missing. (The crickets that I keep in the betta bowl are only about a 4th to half an inch long.)

I don't even see these RETF move at night either. Once in a long while I will spy one sitting on leaves or branches with its eye open, but that is a rare occasion, and only late in the night like about midnight or one or two in the morning when I get up for a cup of water. My question to the more experice Red-eye keeper out there is, is it normal for RETF to behave this way? What can I do more so that they will be more active at night?

Just in case everyone is wondering, My vivarium is setup like this:

Cork for backwall. Vivarium size is 45 gal "tall". With live moss for the frogs to walk on. 3 RETF is all that is in the vivarium. For plants and decor, I have a miniture ficus tree, pothos, Venus fly trap, Sundew carnivorous plant, creeping fig...A few grapevine branches.

Vivarium temp is high 70's to about 80-82 degrees during the day and low 70's at night with a humidity of 70-80 through out the day and night.

Thanks for your help in advance.

Replies (3)

chameleoncrow May 21, 2004 06:26 PM

I don't have a great amount of expereince nor am i a frog keeping veteran, but i do have some expereince With RETF's. Here's what i think:

Since it has just been a few weeks with you, i think they are just adjusting and acclimating to their new suroundings. When i bought three adult ruby RETF they behaved the same way for the first month.I was somewhat troubled about it too. They didint eat much nor moved much. Soon after, they started to adjust and act more active and normal. They would eat a lot more and Sometimes they get up before the lights go out. If you're lucky, u can see them stalk their prey. one thing for sure is that you can definately see them awake at nite.

But that being said, some will never adjust smf aclimate. So if they remain asleep and very inactive even at nite after two months, sorry to say..but they may not make it.

U know, i wouldnt have bought anything from seadside reptiles myself, nor would i recommend. Just my personal reasons.

Good luck with your red eyed beauties !

Envas May 24, 2004 08:07 AM

Thanks for the information chameleoncrow. I really appreciate it. It's very hard to find detail information on RETF behaviors and such. Seems like there isn't a lot of information on them besides basic care.

fourtreefrogs May 27, 2004 07:15 AM

Well I have had similar behavior with my frogs and they all seem to be doing fine now. Here are a couple of things I suggest. I have a regular light schedual from 8:30 to 8:30 I find it takes them until 10 to wake up. So what I do is warm water mist them around 9:30pm and release my crickets into the tank shorty after.(you might want to try electrodize drops by exoterra in
your mister bottle for a couple of days)
By 11pm I have seen at least 2 frogs up and hunting. I have made sure that the crickets I put in the tank are gutloaded pinheads and small mediums.
I may add that not everynight are my frogs up. I was concerned about this because they came from a very small tank for 6-8months previous to buying them. However the little skinny baby (named starvin Marvin ..hehe) well he had grow and seems fatter.
I've recently seen him choke back a medium cricket so they obviously are adjusting ...but it took a good month.
One other thing that has perked them up and I'm not even sure whether it's even a good idea is a little sound file I found of tree frogs croaking. I find our big fatty red eye gets all excited when I play this and starts making funny barking sounds.
The other seems to wake up to it...so I have left it on repeat play for a while.
Hope this helps a bit and good luck
The picture is of the little baby when we first got him..he looked like he was starving..(hence is name)..not anymore.hehe

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