GTF pics + advice needed

[chrisso81]

Adopted these lovely big green tree frogs the other day. They look to be in pretty good health, but the previous owner didn't supply heat or UV lighting and only fed em once a week and has never dusted his crickets. I have set them up with heat and UV but just wondered if there were any signs of illness in them?

 

[moosenoose]

I suppose it depends where you are from. If you're from up north (Brisbane way) you shouldn't have an issue with heating or UV IMO. I kept GTF's for a decade or so and never went overboard with keeping them. You have lovely specimens there!

I also never dusted anything with those calcium supplements either. I fed mine on a strict diet of moths and roaches only (exactly what they would find in the wild!) They were the healthiest looking frogs you were ever likely to see ....actually, a lot like how yours look!

 

[chrisso81]

Cheers Moose, I'm in Melbourne too, Bittern to be precise. I'd read a few care sheets which all sort of stated that heat, UV, dusting etc was important so I just wondered if thy looked ok after all this time without. Like you said though, they're nice specimens and they would have to be the fattest, healthiest GTF's I've ever seen. Any ideas on sexing? One of the smaller browner ones (the one stalking that cricket on the stick in pic3) is the only croaker that I can identify at the moment, and he seems pretty friendly towards that massive bright green one (also in pic3) Who knows?

 

[moosenoose]

Croaking is always a "relatively" good indicator of their sex; nuptial pads on the insides of the forearms of the male frogs is also another. Other than that I guess :lol: Generally I'm 50% right, or simply turn to the coin-toss technique hehe

 

[froggyboy86]

If you are in Melbourne heating would be neccessary particularly in the winter. I think the frogs look okay, they seem well fed at least. The last photo of the green one shows some scarring and discolouration on the back which you should keep an eye on. Frogs can be suceptible to skin disorders. At that age UV maybe isn't too critical, but I find frogs achieve more realistic colours under UV lights and with calcium supplements. As for sexing them, croaking and nuptial pads are a good starting point - although I have seen female GTF's make vocalisations but they do sound different to the proper croak of the males.

Aaron

 

[chrisso81]

Cheers Aaron, a few of them have some discolouration on them, but seem to be perfect otherwise. What should I look out for with regards to skin disorders? At the moment i'm keeping them in a 3ft tank with about 10cm of water in the bottom, a 600lph external canister filter and tonnes of rocks and branches. I would say roughly 70% of the tank furnishings are above water. Sound ok?

 

[froggyboy86]

Skin disorders are hard to diagnose, usually there are areas of discolouration - sometimes it can be broad patches or other times its usually small discrete circular markings (not to be confused with the normal white spots GTF's have). The set up sounds okay provided the frogs can get out of the water and dry off if they wish - a lot of people make the mistake of thinking frogs are aquatic and over compensating for water. But if they have dry elevated perches and are able to move around it should be fine. One problem you could have with water in the bottom is the food drowning and rotting ... unless you plan to hand feed them.

Aaron