All about Red Eyed Tree Frogs!

[lizardminion]

So, I'm seriously thinking about obtaining some frogs- RETFrogs being one of my wishlist species.
Now, I heard they have several morphs, including the Wildtype, Melanistic, and two others, Albino and Xanthic, that confuse me.
I saw a thread on Geckos Unlimited that discussed the morphs of these little dudes and has pics.
But I'm wondering- what is the difference between Xanthic and Albino, aside from the eye. Everything else is the same. So one gene(Xanthic) reduces red and green colors, while the other gene(Albino) just reduces green? It makes new sense to me.
Also, about the pigments, the green color is made by the combination of yellow and melanin pigment, right?
And also, what is responsible for the RETFrog's eye color? Blood, pigment, what?

Morely, what's all your experiences with these cool little frogs? Got pics?
Anyone know the easiest way to stimulate breeding?

 

[Anthony Jensen]

Wow,I thought there was only Normal and Albino RETF's. Those are really pretty frogs.Thanks for sharing!

 

[Camden]

You seem to be having issues as to deciding what animal to keep

 

[lizardminion]

You seem to be having issues as to deciding what animal to keep

It's taking too long for me to get something! xP
Snakes, Ts, scorps, snapping turtles, frogs, too much time for me to stick to a decision.

 

[Entomancer]

If this would be your first tree frog, don't get a red eye.

Agalychnis is a genus containing some really eye-catching frogs, but many of them are somewhat delicate.

Redeyes really need a planted vivarium with humidity and enough ventilation to keep air quality from deteriorating too much. The plants are very important for this, because air quality is paramount to the health of many frogs, and plants such as Epipremnum are good at keeping the air clean, while also increasing humidity by perspiration.

This is important, because if the frog gets sick, it can be very hard to treat properly, because there aren't very many good amphibian vets and because many times, frog illnesses are multi-symptomatic, making it hard to tell what, exactly, is wrong without cultures or fecal examinations. Most of the time frogs get sick because of something wrong with their enclosure (in the way of not enough ventilation/humidity) so making the enclosure right the first time and choosing the right plants, etc. and changing water *very* frequently will all go a long way towards healthy frogs.

The other thing about redeyes that can be deceptive is that they literally sleep *all* day. All those pictures of the frogs with wide red eyes were likely taken by a photographer who woke up a captive specimen for a photo shoot; the rest of the time they'll be hunkered down, asleep, until the lights go out. Of course, waking them up by handling them is a bad idea, especially given that tree frogs are more prone to stress than other reptiles/amphibians. The only way to view them, really, is to add a night lamp above their enclosure (the blue-tinted ones might look nice) so that you can watch the frogs without disturbing them.

If none of these things bother you, then you might like to give treefrogs a try. I wouldn't start with a redeye still, but you could try those after keeping others. The american treefrogs would be a good first try, as setting up a planted vivarium for them would be similar as setting one up for the redeyes, albeit with less risk, since the american treefrogs are hardier animals. White's treefrogs are also good starters, but they get about the size of someone's fist, and are bulldozing eating machines that tend to trample small/weak plants in vivariums. If you want to make a planted vivarium setup for redeyes and want to start somewhere, get a few Hyla cinerea or a similar species native to the southern US and build a vivarium out of a 20 gallon tank for them; that should give you some experience for the red eyes.

 

[lizardminion]

If this would be your first tree frog, don't get a red eye.

Agalychnis is a genus containing some really eye-catching frogs, but many of them are somewhat delicate.

Redeyes really need a planted vivarium with humidity and enough ventilation to keep air quality from deteriorating too much. The plants are very important for this, because air quality is paramount to the health of many frogs, and plants such as Epipremnum are good at keeping the air clean, while also increasing humidity by perspiration.

This is important, because if the frog gets sick, it can be very hard to treat properly, because there aren't very many good amphibian vets and because many times, frog illnesses are multi-symptomatic, making it hard to tell what, exactly, is wrong without cultures or fecal examinations. Most of the time frogs get sick because of something wrong with their enclosure (in the way of not enough ventilation/humidity) so making the enclosure right the first time and choosing the right plants, etc. and changing water *very* frequently will all go a long way towards healthy frogs.

The other thing about redeyes that can be deceptive is that they literally sleep *all* day. All those pictures of the frogs with wide red eyes were likely taken by a photographer who woke up a captive specimen for a photo shoot; the rest of the time they'll be hunkered down, asleep, until the lights go out. Of course, waking them up by handling them is a bad idea, especially given that tree frogs are more prone to stress than other reptiles/amphibians. The only way to view them, really, is to add a night lamp above their enclosure (the blue-tinted ones might look nice) so that you can watch the frogs without disturbing them.

If none of these things bother you, then you might like to give treefrogs a try. I wouldn't start with a redeye still, but you could try those after keeping others. The american treefrogs would be a good first try, as setting up a planted vivarium for them would be similar as setting one up for the redeyes, albeit with less risk, since the american treefrogs are hardier animals. White's treefrogs are also good starters, but they get about the size of someone's fist, and are bulldozing eating machines that tend to trample small/weak plants in vivariums. If you want to make a planted vivarium setup for redeyes and want to start somewhere, get a few Hyla cinerea or a similar species native to the southern US and build a vivarium out of a 20 gallon tank for them; that should give you some experience for the red eyes.

Yes, thank you for sharing. I am fully aware of this.
Though, I've heard that they're a good "beginner" frog if you're truly responsible about it. As you've said...

 

[Entomancer]

Yes, thank you for sharing. I am fully aware of this.
Though, I've heard that they're a good "beginner" frog if you're truly responsible about it. As you've said...

Oh, good.

Yeah, the only reason why some people don't consider them good for beginners is because many times "beginner" means someone who knows very, very little about frogs in general.

If making a nice-looking "living tank" setup for an animal appeals to you, these guys are awesome candidates for that, as you probably know. I would go check out some of the frog forums for different builds/building strategies, and then go get the plants and materials and have at it.

Something else that I forgot to bring up was the question of water. I have several frogs myself, and I change water bowls almost daily, especially for the white's TF. I don't have the resources to do it right now, but I'd much rather get him (he's still a juvie, so he's in a smaller, frequently-cleaned setup w/ paper towel and a water dish) into a larger tank with a filtered water feature. This would obviously be more expensive and consume more power, but it eliminates the need for water changes (many frogs like to defecate in their water) and helps curb the accumulation of bacteria. One could also use semiaquatic plants such as Anubias species and Java Moss to remove even more organic waste from the water and make the water feature appear more naturalistic.