Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i just got a smokey mountain jungle frog yesterday and have not put any lighting on the cage yet. i woke up this mourning and he was very cold. right now i have a normal floresent light on him because i do not want to over heat him in a 10 gal. also i do not want to over heat him because he is a frog. what wat light do you suggest

i put some uvb lights over him and he is getting warmer. i will take the light off when his body temp gets back up to normal.

UV bulbs don't generate enough heat to warm the frog completely and he needs more heat at night, when they tend to be more active, than during the day . in a ten gallon tank, overheating is very easy to do, but you can try using a 30 watt day glo bulb or ceramic heat emitter (whcih can be left onn at night as well since it does not produce any light). just don't let the light hood sit directly on top of the tank, keep it elevated 2-4" off of the screen top. you can put a thermometer in the tank to determine how high the heat soucre should be suspended above the top. they generally like temps b/t 75-82 degrees F. if you have a deep layer of dirt or a cave for them to hid in, then they will be much happier because they can escape the heat if it gets warmer then they like. if you usea heat light or emitter, then you will need to mist the tank several times daily to keep it from getting to dry, since they generally like a high humidity climate. if you cannot keep the temperatue in a good range with a low watt heat emitter, then you cantry using a self adhereing heat pad, but attach it to the side or back of the tank, not the bottom, and make sure it does not come in direct contact with a water source on the inside of the tank or it may crack the glass. you should leave a UVA/UVB flourscent bulb on the frog during the day, it is good for their mucus coating on their skin and overall health, as well as being good for any live plants you should have in the tank. depending on the size of your frog, you should really consider upgrading to a larger tank. a 20-29 gal. long would be good for a frog under 4". A 40-50 gal breeder would be the best bet though. i had two 7" adults in 75 gal and they climbed around and made burrows throughout the entire tank. when I got a third 6" adult, I upgraded them to a 150 gal tank, b/c they need a lot of room to move since they are powerful jumpers and good climbers. providing some pieces of wood and strong plants to climb on and hide in/under is a very good idea. these tend to be a shy species and providing ample places to hide will make the frog feel much more comfortable. they are also a species that really enjoys water, so a water bowl that is three to four times the size of their body and and deep enough for them to fully submerge in is a very good thing to have.

thank you! about the tank size he is just in there for a couple days untile we have time to get a 20 gal.