Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The other night I turned on the porch light and eye level staring at me through the glass door was a green tree frog. I had no idea they were native to this area, I live in East Tx but am from West Tx and we don't have these guys out there.

Anywayz long story short, he was easy to catch and I placed him in an empty 10 gallon aquarium I had lying around. I love animals of all different species and wanted to observe him for a while. I have a small zoo that is starting up in my home, I can't help myself.

My questions are as follows:

1. Will the frog thrive in captivity?

2. Does he/she need company?

3. How do I know if its a he or a she?

Let me describe the current set up I have for him based on advice from a friend and pet store people:

10 gallon aquarium with screen cover. Some sort of "Forest bedding" from a petstore which is basically 8 dollar dirt with cypress tree mulch. Tree roots lying diagnolly across the tank. One of those very shallow rock-looking water bowls. Small crickets for food. and a black light heat lamp to keep things nocturnal and warm. Also, a sponge that we pour water on to make sure things stay humid. It was also recommended to me to pick up some potted plants to plant in the tank to keep it moist.

Anything I am missing?

hey,I'm from east Tx too,in between Palestine and Rusk,haven't seen many tree frogs this summer(though sadly,yesterday I found a half skeletal leopard frog that had been eaten by fire ants)but last night I ceartainly heard them!(along with the leopards,a few bullfrogs,and something with a high pitch)

I don't really recommend keeping it,as wild caught frogs are prone to stress and parasites,but if you get it checked over by a vet and it doesn't start hurting itself or going lethargic,then you can keep it,personally,I'd put it in a taller tank with some branches/vines,but if there's lots of places to hide/blend in,your set up will work

Cool, I'm from Huntsville. I had always thought that tree frogs were so cool and they were the subject of a lot of my artwork. It was so neat to turn on the light and be staring at one face to face.

How will I know to look for evidence of stress, parasites, or harming itself? He stays stuck to the sides during the day, but at night I noticed he is more active. I'm not sure if he is eating the crickets because there are a lot of places those things could be hiding.

look for a sore nose or sore feet from trying to get out,then again,he might decide the crickets are worth staying for,check the stools and see if the frog bloats or gets thin,that would show parasites(though thier not always very noticable)

I've kept anoles I found over the winter when I was younger,I ended up keeping them and letting them have free reighn of my room,I don't recommend keeping wild caught things,as it's easy for them to be sick or get stressed,then again,some critters do realize a good deal(room and board with no competition...except for some nosy,strange humans that never eat them)when they see it,so it doesn't always end up bad

I keep hearing treefrogs here,but due to recent activities with a few tractors,thier staying as far up as they can