Caring for your Red-Eyed Tree Frogs
Agalychnis callidryas Share/Bookmark


Red-Eyed Tree Frog Description

Latin Name: Agalychnis callidryas.
Adult Size: Females to 7.5cm, males to 5.5cm.
Average Life Span: Longevity in captivity is unknown at this time but is at least 4 years.
Native Distribution: Southern Mexico to eastern Panama.
Physical Description: A medium sized tree frog. When sleeping, during the day, all exposed dorsal surfaces are light green and some specimens may have white dots. Limbs are marked with blue and yellow, the feet are yellow or orange, the belly is white and the eyes are large and bright red with a vertical dark pupil.
Temperament: A peaceful nocturnal insectivore.
Status in the Wild: Abundant.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog Habitat

Native Habitat: Found in trees and foliage near water.
Ambient Temperature: 22C to 28C.
Basking Temperature: Not applicable.
Humidity Range: 60% to 100%.
Lighting: Full spectrum fluorescent.
Terrarium Size: Adults may be kept in pairs or groups with at least 12,000 cubic cm of enclosure space per frog.
Terrarium Decor: Tropical rainforest motif.
Terrarium Substrate: Moist earth, sphagnum moss or oak leaves with a shallow water area.
Terrarium Containment: Red-Eyed Tree Frogs can easily climb branches and smooth surfaces. A top is necessary.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog Husbandry

Hygiene: Best kept in terrariums equipped with drainage so that waste and feces can be flushed out with water. Otherwise, clean water bowl daily and terrarium monthly.
Feeding: The most popular food for captive frogs are live crickets.
Handling: Red-Eyed Tree Frogs may be handled, however, handling is quite stressful on the frogs and is not recommended.
Terrarium Compatibility: Compatible with other small insectivorous tropical frogs and lizards.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog Breeding

Maturity: Sexual maturity is reached between 1 and 1-1/2 years of age.
Sexing: Adult males are noticeably smaller than females. See Red-Eyed Tree Frog amplexus photographs.
Conditioning: Keep adults well fed with vitaminized, gut loaded crickets.
Cycling: Breeding efforts are most successful during mid to late spring. Simulation of a rainy season, through the use of water pumps and spray bars, is necessary to induce breeding. A continuous 'rain' for several hours after the lights go out seems to work best.
Sex Ratio: Best bred in groups using several males per female.
Egg Laying: Soon after the lights go out male frogs will become quite vocal, sometimes calling with a barking sound for several hours. Amplexus usually occurs during the first few days and may continue off and on for a week or more before actual egg laying. After choosing a suitable spot the female will lay between 75 and 100 gelatinous eggs, which are simultaneously fertilized by the male, on a leaf or the glass sides of the enclosure.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog Care of Eggs / Young

Incubation Temperature: 22C to 27C.
Incubation / Gestation Time: 6 to 9 days. See Red-Eyed Tree Frog egg development photographs.
Size at Birth: Growth and metamorphosis into a 10mm to 15mm froglet takes between 30 and 60 days.
Hatchling Sex Ratio: Not temperature dependant.
Feeding: Tadpoles can be fed crushed tropical fish flakes.
Housing: Tadpoles may kept together as long as they are well fed, otherwise some cannibalism may occur. After all four legs have developed, metamorphosis into froglets will begin with the absorption of the tail. As metamorphosis progresses, gradually lower the water level until, by the end of metamorphosis, it is shallow enough for the froglet to sit up with its head out of the water. After metamorphosis is complete, froglets can be fed vitamin / mineral dusted 5mm crickets.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog Ailments

Red Leg: Caused principally by Aeromonas or Pseudomonas bacteria. Symptoms include reddening of the skin and hematomas along the abdominal region and on the legs. Red Leg disease is usually associated with poor husbandry such as overcrowding, foul enclosure conditions, untreated open wounds, and stress brought about by incorrect temperature, humidity, or exposure to environmental toxins. Treat in a quarantine enclosure with a Sulfamethazine bath at a dosage of 1gm/L or a Nalidixic acid bath at a dosage of 10mg/L. A newer treatment with a Lymnozyme? bath is also reported to be effective, however an exact dosage has not yet been determined.
Chytrid Fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis): Caused by the pathogenic fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. A possible treatment for this illness was developed by Donald K.Nichols, Dept. of Pathology, Smithsonian Institute; and is as follows: infected frogs are given a 5 minute daily bath in a 0.01% solution of Itraconazole (Sporanox Janssen Pharmaceutica, Inc., Titusville, NJ, USA) for 8 consecutive days and then moved to a clean enclosure. It has been reported that this treatment seems to be well tolerated by adult frogs, but may be toxic to tadpoles.

Disclaimer: Any course of treatment should be preceded by a thorough examination from a qualified professional. All remedies for ailments given above are for reference purposes only.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog References

Red-Eyed Tree Frog Links

Global Invasive Species Database (Chytrid Fungus)