There are many choices of fun and fascinating animals to consider when looking for a new pet. While a tree frog might not be the first animal that comes to mind, the White’s tree frog is certainly worth a second thought. These cute creatures, also known as the Dumpy tree frog, can be a great pet for both beginners and experienced keepers. So, in this Dumpy tree frog care sheet, we will go over how to set up your White’s tree frog enclosure and other things you need to do to properly care for your pet.
These amphibians are large frogs, and grow up to 4.5 inches. They are called the Dumpy tree frog sometimes, likely for their chunky appearance. They have waxy, light green skin that helps them blend into leafy, green foliage in their natural environment or enclosure.
White’s tree frog care sheet
Common names: White’s tree frog, Dumpy tree frog, Australian green tree frog
Scientific name: Ranoidea caerulea
Range: Native to Australia and New Guinea, but has been introduced to parts of the United States and New Zealand
Lifespan: 10-20 years
Adult size: 4.5 inches
Temperament: Docile, calm disposition
1. Housing
Housing a tree frog is different from housing most other exotic pets. As the name would suggest, tree frogs are arboreal and spend their time in trees or otherwise elevated surfaces. This is very important to take into consideration when housing your White’s tree frog.
This species is thought to spend much of it’s time perched in one place, so they do not need a particularly large enclosure. However, the vertical space of your White’s tree frog cage is very important and the height of the cage should be larger than the width or length of the cage.
Some exotic pets like snakes, lizards or tortoises do not necessarily need a glass tank, but for amphibians a glass tank is really the best way to go. This is because glass aquariums do a better job of holding heat and humidity than screen cages.
Your White’s tree frog should have at minimum a ten gallon tank (18” X 18” X 24”). However, as with any other pet, providing them with a larger enclosure is always better. In your White’s tree frog cage you should also have vertical features, such as logs, sticks and vegetation for them to climb on. Your frog will hardly spend any time on the ground of their cage.
2. Temperature and lighting
In their native habitat, White’s tree frogs live in warm and humid habitats such as tropical rainforests. To keep your own White’s tree frog happy and healthy, it is very important to make sure you create an environment that is similar to their native range.
During the day, the temperature in the enclosure should be between 80 and 86 degrees, and at night the temperature can drop down between 72 and 78 degrees to mimic the changes in temperature between daylight and nighttime hours.
White’s tree frogs are nocturnal, so it is very important to make sure that you provide your pet with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. You can do this by using a nocturnal bulb or red light during the night, or by not using any light at all so long as the enclosure stays warm enough.
Because they are nocturnal, using lights with UV rays is not as important as it is with animals that are active during the day. That being said, some UV light will not harm your tree frog.
3. Diet and feeding
White’s tree frogs are mostly insectivorous and in the wild eat spiders, moths, roaches and locusts. While I’m sure your pet White’s tree frog would appreciate any of these prey items, they will be happy with crickets- which are easily picked up at any pet store.
You can release four to six medium crickets, or two or three large crickets into your frog’s enclosure every other day or so. Not only is this a convenient way to feed your pet, but it’s also great enrichment to make sure that your tree frog can fulfill its prey drive.
You should be making sure your White’s tree frog has the important vitamins and minerals it needs. More often than not, a balanced diet will provide this for your pet frog, however it is always recommended to supplement their diet with calcium, which helps with bone growth and development. You should be using calcium dust on crickets every other feed.
As an occasional treat, you can place a few waxworms into a dish. Wax Worms are very tasty for most amphibians, but are also very high in fat. White’s tree frogs are prone to being a bit overweight, so it is important to not overfeed them.
4. Substrate
When picking out a substrate for your White’s tree frog, it is important to select something that will help to retain moisture. Dry substrates like aspen shavings or sand should never be used for a White’s tree frog enclosure.
Instead, something like coconut fiber, cypress mulch or sphagnum moss is more suitable. These types of substrate will help to keep the enclosure humid and mimic their native environment.
- Zoo Med New Zealand sphagnum moss
- Zoo Med eco earth coconut fiber
- Fluker’s Premium tropical cypress bedding
5. Maintenance
To keep your White’s tree frog enclosure clean, you should be doing regular spot checks to remove fecal matter. During your spot checks, you should also be cleaning up any dead crickets or other food items that your frog hasn’t eaten.
Less frequently, you should be doing a deep clean of the enclosure which includes cleaning out and replacing the substrate as well as washing the terrarium. These deep cleans should take place every two weeks or so.
It is important to know that frogs are very very sensitive to chemicals, so you must clean the cage with “frog safe” products. One thing you can do is use very hot, clean water. If you feel like this won’t do the trick, then there are luckily some products made especially for cleaning reptile and amphibian enclosures.
6. Handling
One thing that people love about White’s tree frogs is their calm demeanor while being handled. While some tree frogs are a bit more flighty and adverse to being handled, White’s tree frogs seemingly enjoy it.
That being said, too much handling can actually damage your White’s tree frog’s skin, so it is best to limit the amount of time you spend handling your pet. Additionally, it’s important to know that amphibians like the White’s tree frog have very permeable and sensitive skin, so it is crucial that you make sure your hands are clean when you handle them.
However, make sure you clean your hands with soap that is free of any strong perfumes and avoid using any sort of lotions or cream before. To be safe, you can always use a pair of latex gloves when holding your White’s tree frog.
7. Other things to know
As mentioned previously, White’s tree frogs are native to rainforest type environments- which are hot and humid. Given this, it is not only the temperature you need to control in the enclosure, but also the humidity.
The relative humidity of your White’s tree frog should be between 60% and 80%. This can be attained by misting the enclosure- typically in the morning and evening. You can also use automatic misters that can be set up on a timer to mist the enclosure throughout the day.
- Exo Terra spray bottle
- MistKing starter misting system
- Zoo Med digital thermometer and humidity gauge
White’s tree frogs as pets
All in all, as emphasized in the White tree frog care sheet, they make great pets. They are relatively low maintenance and are hearty animals that are easy to keep happy and healthy as long as you provide them with the correct care. This makes them a great starter pet for somebody without much experience caring for exotic pets.
White’s tree frogs can be kept with other White’s tree frogs, which is definitely a plus for people wanting to grow their collection! With their soft, pudgy bodies and goofy looking grin, it’s no wonder that these frogs are some of the most popular tree frogs kept as pets.
