# General Topics > General Discussion & News > Care Sheet Proposals >  Care of Gliding frogs & Relatives

## Ryan

*    Care of Gliding frogs & Relatives *  







*Adult Snout-to-Vent Length:                    2.5”- 4” for larger specimens*
*
Lifespan:                                                       4-8 years*

*Captive Difficulty:                                       Intermediate - advanced*

*Breeding Difficulty:                                     advanced*

*Activity:                                                         Nocturnal, active within evening though to morning*

*Temperature:                                               Day 20-28°C (70-80°F); Night 16-23°C (63-70°F)*
*
Food:                                                             Accepts large crickets & medium sized roaches*


*Backround & Natural History*
  Gliding frogs are from the families Hylidae and Rhacophridae. Hyla species have a range thought central and south America and the Rhacophrines have a range that extends from Africa, Eastern Asia and Indonesia. They have adapted in nature to have webbing not for swimming but for gliding across the tree canopy. The frogs appear as if they were flying giving them the common name of “flying frog”. The first documented findings of the frogs were first by Alfred Russel Wallace who was the first to observe and name the frog.

   Flying frogs inhabit the tropical jungles of the Amazon and the mountainous forests of southeast Asia. Gliding frogs have been found near rivers swamps and marshes where they often call and perch. Like a plane the gliding amphibians are the one of the few gliding animals that can spin and yaw in the air.  

*Acquisition*
  Gliding frogs have long been admired and taken into zoos being in large vivariums and into private collections. Sadly large numbers of frogs are collected and imported for the international pet trade making the sale of captive bred frogs outnumbered heavily. Pass up wild caught animals for captive bred to avoid heavily stressed and parasite ridden frogs.  Captive frogs will live anywhere from 4-8 years and sometimes 10 years or more but wild caught frogs may only live to only 4 years, If your frog is wild caught. Quarantine for a minimum of 60 days with paper towel substrate.


*Housing & setup*
  Being active frogs, they need much more room that what you expect. One gliding frog needs a bare minimum of 30 gallons. If you plan to house several frogs in one tank, it may be better to convert old living room pieces to terrariums. In my personal opinion an Exo terra 36x18x36 is perfect for a trio of flying frogs. One other way to create a tank for your frog is to buy a 40 gallon “breeder” fish tank and attach one glass panel to the bottom of the tank to hold the substrate, another to act as one big hinged door and you can attach the two by using one long plastic hinge, and a screen panel for ventelation.

  Setting up the flying frog’s habitat is not complex but it must have its comfort within the vivarium. The most common mistake among first time flying frog enthusiasts is overplanting the terrarium. If you want your frog to exhibit its natural behaviours, leave room for your frog to leap from ledge to ledge. The substrate can consist of either a drainage layer with cocoa husk and/or peat moss or simply distilled water. Water would be the easiest “substrate because this allows the waste from the frogs to be easily cleaned and allows breeding frog’s eggs to fall into the water. Gliding frogs however aren’t the best swimmers so there should be multiple pieces of cork bark or rock piles protruding from the water.

*Lighting*
  The lighting within the terrarium can consist of strip lights or UVB bulbs. Strip lights can be bought from hardware stores or pet stores where they are more commonly available. For day/night cycle, provide 10-12 hours of light. Winter period is not necessary for the frogs unless you plan to breed them.

   UVB bulbs can be beneficial towards the frogs within low amounts, the light will allow your frog to metabolize vitamin C and possibly prevent MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) beware that if given higher amounts of UV your frogs may possibly be harmed by the rays similar to those of the sun’s 

  If you want to see your frogs within the climax of their activity, consider red bulbs. This allows you to see the frogs in action as the frogs go about their business for they cannot see the red light.

*Feeding*
  These frogs have a similar appetite to the Whites tree frogs (L.Caerulea) so you should not have a problem with feeding these guys. The Vietnamese gliding frog (R.Dennysi) will go through some periods of fasting for several weeks, reasons for fasting is still unknown. If your frog hasn’t eaten for more than six weeks, contact your herp vet. Feed your frog once to twice a week if they are adults and every other day if newly metamorphed froglets. I have found that the frogs favour crickets & roaches over slower moving prey items.

*Breeding*
  The breeding of Gliding frogs within captivity is not well documented. Gliding frogs during the rainy season will breed en masse in the canopy above bodies of water  or moving water. It may be best to keep a group of frogs to successfully breed the anurans to replicate their seasonal activity. males prior to the females egg laying will create a foamy “nest” out of his sperm to keep the eggs hydrated until they are ready to hatch.

Pair of wallace's flying frogs


*Conclusion*
  Although these frogs may appear difficult to keep, they are definitely worth keeping creating a rewarding experience for the keeper. 

  Reference:
-          Devin Edmonds- tree frogs
-          Amphibiancare.com
-          Wikipedia.org/flyingfrog
-          Wikipedia.org/Rhacophridae

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Cliygh and Mia 2

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