American Green Tree Frog Care

Description:

These beautiful frogs have become a very popular pet species over the recent years.

They are grass-green colored, usually with a creamy colored line running from the jaw along the flanks. (There are sometimes specimens who don't have this green line, but they are a very small proportion) It looks similar to its European cousin Hyla arboria, except that it is slighlty thinner and longer.

Habitat:

Green tree frogs can be housed in a large, unheated vivarium, out of direct sunlight.

You may also want to get them a flourescent tube for localized heat which apparently they like to hang out on for hours. The temperature should generally be maintained between 20 and 25�C (68-77�F) during the summer, and a bit cooler in the winter.

This species seems to do really well in captivity provided they didnt get too jolted in shipping. Apparently these guys often arrive in pet stores in such bad shape that even the most tender loving care won't save them. However, if you got one in good shape, they are really pretty hardy creatures.

Diet:

These guys eat the usual insect diet. Crickets, moths, flies, etc. A vitamin supplement powder should be used at least once a week. (See my page on Dealing with Crickets for more info.)

Habits:

Males make a really loud noise thats a bit like quacking, which is sometimes known as a "rain call" because they tend to make a lot of noise after warm noises, but which can also be stimulated by external noises.

History

The American Green Tree Frog, an arboreal amphibian, is a common species belonging to the genus Hyla. Native to the south-eastern parts of the United States, it can also be found, though in smaller numbers in Puerto Rico and may be also in Mexico and it is not an endangered species. The natural habitat of the American Green Tree Frog is swamps, marshes, and the edges of ponds, lakes, and streams, particularly where there are abundant small trees or shrubs. The name tree frog, or tree toad, designates any of various small arboreal amphibians of the family Hylidae, which are characterized for having long toes terminating in adhesive disks. The family Hylidae has about 300 species distributed throughout tropical and temperate regions of Southeast Asia and Australia and especially of America. This beautiful creature is a popular species of pet frog.

Appearance

American Green Tree Frogs are medium-sized, arboreal, bright green frogs, quite attractive, with smooth skin and large adhesive toe pads. They reach 4 cm to 5 cm (1.5 and 2 inches). Their colour shades range from bright yellowish olive to lime green, the ventral side being white or pale yellow. Generally they have a cream or yellow stripe that runs from the jaw or upper lip, down to their hind legs. Some can also display small yellow spots on their backs. Albino Green Tree Frogs can also be found. American Green Tree Frogs can change colour depending on temperature, lighting, humidity and the colour of their environment. However, extreme changes in colour, such as becoming and staying a very yellow-green or a dark brown, may be an indicator of stress or illness. Males distinguish from females by their wrinkled throats, which indicate the vocal swell. They are also slightly smaller than females.

Reproduction

American Green Tree Frogs reach sexual maturity at approximately 1 year of age, the mating period occurring from mid-April to mid-August. A female can lay up to 400 eggs in shallow, still, water, the eggs sticking to the roots of aquatic plants. Hatching happens within a week and pollywogs transform between 55 to 63 days after hatching.