I hope this answers most commonly asked questions regarding the care of Litoria caerulea, the White's Tree Frog. White’s tree frogs are a common frog in the pet trade, mainly because of their relaxed attitude and enormous appetite. White’s tree frogs grow to a full size of 3-4 inches snout to vent, but some specimens have been recorded at 5 inches, though this is very rare. White’s tree frogs eat live food, and live food only. Crickets are their natural prey, along with other small insects. As captive animals they are usually fed a variety of insects, of which the most common are crickets, Blaptica genus roaches, and mealworms. Roaches are the most nutritious; it takes about 12 crickets to equal to the nutritional value of one roach. Crickets are more commonly found, and are still a good staple. Only live food can be fed to frogs, as they only see motion. White’s tree frogs need temperatures of 75-82 during the day, and a night time drop to 70ish. The frogs can tolerate temperatures down to 65 degrees, but this is not recommended. Humidity should be around 60 percent. The frogs need good ventilation, so a screen top is necessary. The tank should be a minimum of a 29 gallon aquarium for 1 to 2 white’s tree frogs. The tank should be more tall than wide, considering they are tree frogs. Plants and other decor should be provided for security and entertainment. Vines allowing the frog to traverse the tank are commonly found and available at most pet stores. There should also be a water bowl of some sort big enough for all of the frogs in the tank to soak in. The water should be either treated tap water, or bottled spring water. White’s tree frogs are named so because the first person to observe them was John White in 1790. He gave them the scientific name of Litoria Caerulea, meaning blue frog. He named them this because the specimen he observed was found in a wildlife park, in which the frogs yellow pigment in its skin, giving it a bluish hue. Most frogs in Indonesia are a greener color, but in Australia they can be found with a very blue appearance. Frog in the pet trade have been selectively bred to produce more and more blue frogs. These are commonly referred to as “Blue Phase” White’s tree frogs. White’s tree frogs are also commonly called the Green Tree frog in Australia, the grinning tree frog, the smiling tree frog, and the dumpy tree frog. If you have any comments/questions or concerns feel free to message me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
