Southern Brown Tree Frog Setup?

[blue_poppy]

Hi all,
I am looking into getting a pair of brown tree frogs had some questions:
How deep should the pond area be and how much of the base of the tank should it cover?
Do you need a filter?
I live in Melbourne would I need anything else like heating?
If anyone had any photos of their setup or advice on which terrarium would be best. I have been looking into some exo terra tanks.
Thanks for all of the help!

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Hi, are you referring to Litoria ewingii ?

 

[Sdaji]

There are approximately fifteen trillion different ways to set them up. Unless you want to breed them they don't need much water at all, but they always need the opportunity to be moist (an area with moist sphagnum moss is a common way to do it, or you can use cheaper/free stuff). They're pretty cold tolerant and generally won't need supplemental heating. Whether or not you need a filter depends on your vivarium design. The type I'd use wouldn't need a filter, but I go for really simple enclosures. I'd probably be looking at spending a total of around $5 on a setup, which would pretty much be the cost of the plastic tub I made it out of, plus perhaps some flyscreen for ventilation.

To get inspiration for designs, consult Professor Google; image search 'tree frog enclosure' or 'arboreal frog enclosure' and you'll get more ideas than you know what to do with. Keep in mind that while Google will give you expensive, fancy ideas, there are other options like the ones I would use, which are more functional, far more practical and a tiny fraction of the cost. I kept these in Melbourne as a young fella and used old fish tanks.

 

[blue_poppy]

Hi, are you referring to Litoria ewingii ?

Yes, I was researching species on the Amphibian Research Centre and decided that they would be best.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Yes, I was researching species on the Amphibian Research Centre and decided that they would be best.

No worries. Rather than just a pair, a small group of 4-6 adults would do well In either an aquatic or semi-aquatic enclosure measuring 90cm long × 60cm high × 30cm wide. This species should have access to full spectrum lighting including UVB and the enclosure should be kept between 14°-25°C. A normal photoperiod should be provided. This species likes occasional misting. They are a great species for beginners and can be successfully maintained without additional heat in the southern states. They can live for about 7 years.

 

[blue_poppy]

Thanks for all your help! I was just wondering, how loud are they? Would it be crazy to have them in my bedroom?
Also I was thinking of raising them from tadpoles how much harder and expensive would this be?
Sorry for all of the questions!

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Brown tree frogs are pond or pool breeders but will also breed in emhemeral pools beside streams, preferring little or no surface movement. The eggs are laid in small floating groups, sometimes attached to plant material, clutches can contain up to 525 eggs spread over 12-16 floating groups. The single eggs hatch 3-7 days after laying at a water temp of 14°-17°C. Tadpoles start to develop into metamorphlings about 150-180 days later. Metamorphlings measure approximately 11-14mm in length.

The call of Litoria ewingii is best described as high rapid notes, creep-eep-eep-eep.

I personally keep a group of 6 green tree frogs Litoria caerulea (5 males +1 female) in my house in a 3×2×2 ReptileOne arboreal enclosure. They make a racket, I also keep a group of 6 Litoria fallax which are somewhat therapeutic to listen to.

 

[Sdaji]

90 x 60 x 30cm is complete overkill. By all means give them something that large if you want, but a standard 2' enclosure is much more than enough.

They totally don't need UV, I've seen multiple consecutive generations of them thriving without any UV. This is a myth.

Not sure where 14-25 degrees came from, but they're fine well outside this range and routinely experience temperatures well outside this range in the wild and remain active in them.

...and it continues! ...they don't lay their eggs in floating groups (many frogs do, but not this one), the eggs are laid in jelly masses attached to the stems of submerged vegetation. I used to watch these things spawning as a kid, and saw countess wild eggs after rain. Time between egg and metamorph varies hugely, but it can happen in much less than 150 days. If they had a 3 degree range of temperatures to choose from there wouldn't be many of these things in existence! They can spawn well outside that temperature range.

I'm wondering if Flaviemys is thinking of a different type of frog or something.

Anyway, yes, you can keep them in your bedroom if you want to. They're not prone to calling indoors and usually only will if you give them a shower of water, especially when it's raining outside. Whether or not you like the calls in your bedroom is down to personal preference (I like frog calls, but others hate some or all of them), but it's unlikely to happen unless you're actively trying to make them do it.

Raising them from tadpoles is a lot of fun I've done it many times with several species and this was one of my favourites The main problem you'll have will be feeding them. I used to use tiny flying insects which I spent countless hours catching at the local creek. These days I'm not sure I'd have the patience for that, or be willing to spend money and make a trip to a shop to buy pinhead crickets every two or three days. If you want to breed crickets yourself that's a fair option. You can also use first instar woodies, which means you'll need to breed them yourself (extremely easy, low maintenance and virtually free) but you'll need to do some playing around to set it up so that your metamorph ewingi will eat them.

 

[GBWhite]

If you've been researching species on the Amphibian Research Centre (ARC) then you might have noticed that you can purchase or even adopt a large number of species from them when they are in season. They will provide you with a care sheet (and set up advice) for the species of your choice and you can join their community where you can ask questions and be provided with all the information you require to make keeping frogs enjoyable for both you and the frogs. They can also assist with raising frogs from tadpoles.

You might also like to consider joining the Frog and Tadpole Study Group (they have a Facebook page for easy access) where you can access expert advice from some of Australia's leading amphibian experts.

You'll undoubtedly get better advice on keeping frogs from very experienced keepers than you'll get from some of the people on here.