('Dizzy', a green tree frog)
Green tree frogs: they're placid, they're often green, and from my experience, they make a great pet. As you'd expect from their name, they spend some of their life in trees. The green tree frog loves high places (the higher the better.) Under the lid of my vivarium, my five green tree frogs spend most of their time. Put them on the ground, and within a minute most will be scampering up the nearest tree branch to the top of the enclosure.
They're beautiful creatures.
Above you'll see another two of my gtf's. The one in the centre is Goldy, and the other on the right is Legs. Leg's is honing his croaking bit by bit. I spray him when it gets warm, and if he really gets into it, it's quite loud. I have at least another male in there, and possibly another that until recently I thought was a girl (Dizzy.)
(Above: 'Legs'. Legs is a male like Big Head and probably Hugh.)
The frogs are a mix of green tree frogs from across Australia. Some are from Victoria, while others are rescued tree frogs from Queensland, that came down to N.S.W on trucks. Some are flecked with white spots, while some that I've had turned bluey green when they felt like it. I find that the hotter it gets, the more likely a green tree frog will turn to a dark olive colour.
The frogs eat voraciously, and when they do catch their prey, you'll often see them use their eyeballs to force down the meal. As a rule of thumb, green tree frogs will eat anything that moves and that can fit into their mouth. This includes insects like crickets, spiders, roaches and moths. As frogs, they drink water through their skin, and if it gets a little dry, they'll secrete a mucus to encoat their skin (thus preventing dessication.)
(Above: 'Big Head')
Green tree frogs are poikiothermic, meaning they are cold-blooded and rely on their surroundings for body warmth. I use to have my tank in a protected area of a garden room, but it was too cold. If your frogs are sluggish, they'll need some warmth, either natural or via an infra-red globe. I moved mine to a semi-sunny position and it solved all the problems.
Take into consideration when housing green tree frogs that you have a well ventilated vivarium for them. Those glass lids on a standard aquarium can make a lethal cook-box for a frog, especially as the temperature climbs. I lost two morphs (baby frogs) this way, in the middle of winter!
Below is my frog vivarium.
The males of the species make a 'crawk...crawk' sound during breeding season. This is an mp3 file of Legs croaking. Even though it's short, it should give you an idea what they sound like. You may also be interested to know that females of the species also make a sound. Sometimes it's a sort of a yelp, other times, it's a couple croaks; like the males, but usually only after something they don't fancy has landed on them.
(Frog by itself: Hugh)
(Above from left: Hugh, then Dizzy and Goldy underneath.)
The main question one might ask themself is, where do I get a green tree frog?
First. The frog licence. Here is a link to those of you who want frogs but haven't as yet got the legal mumbo jumbo: Amphibian Keeper's licence (N.S.W, unsure of other states.)
In New South Wales, pet stores don't sell frogs because they're not allowed to, but you can get a frog or two from a local frog group, such as FATS or SOFAR (N.S.W) and interstate people who advertise on websites such as www.mypets.net.au, Australian Pet Link, Tradingpost and various online pet stores. (A great website which I recommend is www.frogs-for-sale.com). During the warmer months (around December onwards) they sell baby frogs of various species.
(Dizzy)