Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, I went to visit my Mom in Florida last week. I convinced her to give me some wind chimes that have a great deal of sentimental value to me. When I arrived in New York on Sunday night, low and behold, a little frog snuck into one of the tube chimes!

I'm already a dog owner and love animals and critters of all kinds. Clearly I can't let him loose in NYC...not even in Central Park-it's just not warm enough.

I immediately went to a pet store and purchased a frog kit, complete with aquarium,mulch and sun lamp. I even added a little piece of wood and some rocks. The pet shop person told me to give him some crickets-which I did, but he's not eating. In fact, he seems totally traumatized, poor little guy. He's hanging on the glass in the top corner, looking very sad.

I've read that I should leave the heat lamp on at all times-especially in this winter weather, though he is in my warm apartment.

Really, I'd just like any advice on how to take care of our new little friend, which I have named Elvez. From what I can tell, he looks like a Cuban Tree Frog?

Anyway...any and all advice would be much apreciated!

One of the most important things a frog needs is humidity- soak his mulch with water and mist the whole enclosure periodically. I would get rid of the lamp, too; if your apartment is reasonably warm then even a Floridan frog will be fine, and the lamp will dry out and possibly overheat the enclosure.

Also be sure to give him some hiding places; a real or fake plant will work nicely (be sure to rinse it off thoroughly before you put into the tank). He may hide and refuse to eat for a while, but will probably eventually acclimate to his new surroundings.

Can you post a picture of your frog, so we can give you a more firm ID?

Hey thanks for the advice. Yes on the pic. Will try and take one tonight and post so you can help me identify what kind of frog Elvez is.

We went and got a temp and humidity reader today to help us with climate control and have been keeping it very moist. Will use those regarding a decsion about the lamp. What temp and humidity should we maintain? The pet shop person said humidity no lower than 60 and temp no lower than 79.

I've got some drift wood from our park in there with a small clay plant pot turned on the side for him to hide in.

Looks like he ate a few crickets in the dark last night, cuz their were some smeared guts on the glass

Again, I'll try and get a pic of him tonight...depends on whether he comes out of hiding, but will do my best.

We really want to create a nice little home for Elvez...then maybe in the summer, I can take him back home to Florida with me.

I wouldn't worry too much about the temperature- I think so long as it stays above 70 it should be fine. Amphibians as a general rule are more tolerant of low temps than high temps, and any frog that lives in Florida should be able to do fine in temperatures from the high 60's and up. But definitely keep the humidity up- even 60% could be a little too dry for a frog. You might consider giving Elvez a moist hiding space- just put some moss in that flowerpot or some other semi-enclosed space and keep it sopping wet. This will give Elvez a place to retreat to if the humidity in the rest of his cage drops too low.

You should never release an animal once it has been in captivity. Besides the high probability that Elvez will die soon after being released, there is also the possibility that he has picked up a pathogen in captivity that he could transmit to his wild kin. He's yours now for the long run; if you decide you don't wish to keep him, then give him to someone else to care for.