American green tree frog

About American Green Tree Frogs

Area of origin: Central and South-eastern United States

Adult size: 3.2 - 6.4cm

Captive lifespan: 3 - 5 years

Housing, heating & lighting

American Green Tree Frogs are arboreal (I bet you could’ve guessed that from their name!). The more frogs you keep, the larger your enclosure needs to be. For 1-2 frogs, a 45(w)x45(d)x60(h)cm enclosure will be fine, but if you have the space, taller is better. We’ve opted for a 45(w)x45(d)x90(h)cm for four frogs, but seeing how active they can be, we’re keen to move them into a 90(w)x45(d)x90(h)cm as soon as we can. Not because they’re particularly active frogs, but because we’d be able to offer more variety of plant life, more feeding ledges, and more jumping space to enjoy the acrobatic displays these little frogs offer in the late afternoons!

In the wild, green tree frogs don’t experience huge temperature fluctuations throughout the year, so aim to provide them with a heat source that offers them a 22 - 26°C range. They can withstand temperatures of 5-8°C during the night, but as always with out captive pets, it’s kind to keep them comfortable. An arboreal enclosure with a top down heat source will help you give your frogs a gradient they’ll appreciate. We’ve opted for the Arcadia Deep Heat Projector for our frogs.

As for lighting, you guessed it, these little frogs need a source of UVB. Even though green tree frogs are fairly nocturnal, they’ll still bask under their lights throughout the day and find a nice spot to cosy up for a nap. If you look at the photo at the top of the page, you’ll see how our frogs typically spend their days. We use the Arcadia 7% ShadeDweller for our frogs, alongside a Jungle Dawn LED to support the growth of the plants in the enclosure.

Feeding & handling

American Green Tree Frogs have a voracious appetite and enjoy a variety of insects for their meals. From crickets, locusts, and mealworms, to flies and waxworms, these frogs will try to eat pretty much anything that moves.

If you keep more than one frog, like we do, it’s good to offer them food directly at least once a week to make sure all frogs are eating and in good health. The rest of the time, you can use food bowls, or simply scatter food into the upper leaves of the plants in the enclosure and watch your frogs hunt. When using bowls, it’s best to supervise to make sure the bossier frogs aren’t hogging the food.

Make sure to use a good vitamin D3, calcium, and multivitamin supplement when you feed your frogs, and gut load your insects with a good quality bug grub, as well as fresh high-moisture foods. A good diet will keep your frogs happy and healthy for longer.

When it comes to handling, keep it to an absolute minimum. If you do need to handle your frogs, make sure your hands are slightly damp and you’ve not used anything containing oils or perfumes recently. Preferably, if you need to handle your frogs for longer than a second or two, it’s best to wear gloves. Not only do frogs have incredibly delicate skin, they’re also very susceptible to the uptake of any potential toxins on your hands. Enjoy your frogs hands-free as much as possible.