# Frogs & Toads > Tree Frogs >  White specks on White's tree frog

## Sierra

Hello, I have noticed some really tiny spots on my white's tree frog, that I have never noticed before, I have only had them a couple weeks though. The spots look like the ones in this picture
http://www.cutehomepets.com/wp-conte...escription.bmp
but, are a lot smaller. I know some white's tree frogs are speckled, but I was wondering if it could possibly be some sort of infection or anything that I need to worry about. 
They are kept in a 18x18x24 exo terra with humidity around 50% and the temperatures around 70, which I know is a little cold, but I can't seem to get it any higher than that, any ideas to raise the heat?
Thanks!

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## amisbeef

The spots you are describing sound like the spots on some of my frogs,  like the photo but much smaller. In which case, they are completly normal  :Smile:  

Do you use a heat mat or lamp? Or both? Or none..? I don't know the normal climate this time of year where you're from, as I'd imagine its different to over here in England, I don't know if its warm enough to keep a tank with no extra heat source.. but anyway, I swear by under tank/ side tank heat mats.

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## Sierra

I have both, two 40 watt lamps, and a medium sized exo terra heat mat underneath the tank. The thermometer is placed on the side farthest away from the heat lamps, so it is probably warmer where they usually sit. It just concerned me that I had never noticed the spots before. This is gonna sound like a stupid question but they don't grow the spots do they? :P

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## Kurt

Not that I am aware of. He probably had them all along. No biggie. I have two White's, one has white spots, the other doesn't.

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## bshmerlie

I've read somewhere that they can get more spots as they get older.  Is that true?

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## Kurt

Don't really know for sure.

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## Leefrogs

I did searching for answers, when they start, size of spots realitive to age. Even went and got whites books, it's all a grey area, or a spotted area?!?! Because age of mine unknown I was thinking I could use spot size to get a guess. And mine aren't the white raised spots but white with darker circle, weird there's two kinds of markings.

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## amisbeef

Yes, they do grow spots. Some of mine did not have any and seemingly with age, they grew more. Some of mine do not have any at all, its just a physical characteristic like a big nose or brown  hair, its most likely genetic and not thought to be environmental. The white spots you talk about with a black outline are the same on mine. My oldest started off with 2 spots, now with age he has about 7.

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## Eric Walker

whites spots are normal on alot of treefrogs, but yes they are normal in whites as well.. normally they do not get any bigger than say 1/4"

here is a picture of a group of frogs I lost about 3 years ago. They are 
Rhacophorus Bipunctatus and they had spotting on 2 of the 3 that looked just like the one ones RETF's

do they look like this

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## Sierra

Eric Walker- no, mine has more, and they are much smaller. They are probably coming with age, or were there. They were rescue frogs so I really have no way to find the age, but they're large so I know they're at least a couple years old. Thanks for all the research guys! I know I read in a book that they can have some, and that the spots were sought after by hobbiests. The books I got didn't have much more than that on it.

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## Brit

I had the same thing with my White's.

When I bought him at Petsmart (never EVER going back there for live animals...>>) he was brown and had no spots. A few weeks after I brought him home he began to turn a little green and that's when the spots showed up, he only has them visibly when he's green, otherwise I think his belly is too white while he's more brown.

It's totally normal, as long as they aren't raised white bumps or anything like in that picture, you should have nothing to worry about.

Good for you for rescuing frogs, I wish I could do more for the little guys at petsmart and petco, but I can't buy up all the frogs can I?  :Frown:

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## amisbeef

The white spots which are more like bumps aren't normal in Litoria caerula at all and if found should be cause for concern, but these bumped white spots are completely normal  in Agalychnis callidryas and the species sometimes known as Rhacophorus bipunctatus  :Smile:

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## Sierra

Yeah, the lady that brought them in couldn't get the humidity right in their house, so the petstore wasn't very prepared for them. They were only there two days because I went there and bought them. I know what you mean about wanting to buy them all to save them! One day :P haha. I wish people could be more informed about their care. 
The spots are really tiny, smaller than the tip of a ballpoint pen. He sure does eat though!

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## amisbeef

What are the conditions like at pets bought from like Petsmart and Petco..? I always hear people talk about these stores, but as I'm from England I have no idea. Are the tanks big? and how many animals do they have per tank?

We don't really have any huge chaine pet stores over here.. apart from Pets at home which only had Leopard Geckos and Bearded Dragons.. no frogs! So if you want to get a frog, you have to find a breeder, or go to the small chain reptile shops. Some are great, but when I moved up to University I was stuck with a Reptile shop which keeps their animals in exo terra standard vivariums, the small plastic ones! 10 inches long and 7 inches high! My most recent White's I'd certainly say I rescued.. He's a big 4 inch frog, quite skinny and had been there for atleast 5 months in that tiny viv! 

So, yes, I was just wondering what the conditions of these stores are like?

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## Leefrogs

Each state has it's own regulations for furry animals. Very few states have regulations fir rep/ amphibians. Maybe Cali, I don't know. But wisconsin has nothing for them, like cold blooded animals don't have feelings or something. I got my 2 whites out of a shoe box size cage with 2 others in there. Desert for hummidity and a bowl big enough for 1 frog. Not exadurating that much, like a 7 gal, flat tank.

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## amisbeef

Wow, I thought the conditions I got my big Amos from was bad! Atleast  he had the right humidity! Although it was a bare tank and he had a dish he couldn't even fit in, so upsetting to  see stuff like this happening.

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## Leefrogs

ya, I had done so much study and getting prepared for 2 months first. Hard to explain, I was suprising my son for chistmas, so I setup way early so he'd be sick of looking at an empty cage and wouldn't check it in dec. I had also been checking frogs at store every time I got more supplies, kermit had arrived at the store nice and green, two weeks later he was brown. Major stress. All frogs 21/2 and3 inches, and spent entire lives being shipped from chain to chain. Big cities can get whites at one inch, and by time they get up here they're grown. Could be full grown and just stunted. They couldn't even tell me how old they were. So a month after I get them home, I drove 2 hours to get crix, and frogs were gone. They said they sold, but I suspect they died. I'd watched those frogs for two months, no sales then. But I hope sum1 got them for Xmas. But doubtfull. Chains aren't that bad in big cities cuz they sell quick. But up here, it's sad.

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## Brit

All the Petsmarts and Petcos around here are the same, tiny cages with no room for the animals, improper husbandry, and employees who aren't trained to care for animals like frogs and geckos. 

They all have the same setup, two lines of four small tanks (I'd say between 5 and 7 gallons, but no way it was a 10) for the smaller animals, then at the bottom they have two larger tanks side by side and at the very bottom they have a large tank for red eared sliders. Every Petsmart I've ever been in has this setup, with frogs, anoles and small lizards in the top two rows, juvenile snakes in the third row and one or two turtles in the bottom tank. The animals that they can't fit out for display go in the back room to sit in a reptile carrier surrounded by dozens of other animals that have different heating/lighting requirements all packed into one small room. That's where I found my Bruce, sandwiched between some snakes and other lizards that I couldn't identify. 

And Prehistoric Pets is no better (that's a small exotics store down the street from where I live, not a chain so you'd expect better housing). They have WAAAAY too many animals for the space they're using, like I said before in a different forum they had a box turtle in a tank so small it couldn't even turn around! They had four or five fire-bellies in a tank that I wouldn't feel right making Bruce live in by himself. 

Around here (so cal) buying any exotics, chain store or not, is like saving them.

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## Sierra

Petco/petsmart is pretty bad I suppose, I have never really looked at their frogs before, but I've heard stories. The main problem is petstores don't really know how to care for them right or they can't afford or choose not to pay for the right supplies. Some also mix the species which I can't stand. When is that ever a good idea??

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## wesleybrouwer

The spots are completely normal , one frog gets them the other don't.
It is actually quit like with humans, they can be seen as birthmarks in human.

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## Sissy Anne

> Petco/petsmart is pretty bad...


I got my White's from Petsmart, but he was a gift so he was already out of the enclosure when we went to pick him up.  The "amphibian and reptile expert" advised me on a 100W bulb for a 10 gallon tank... that lasted about an hour.  Not only was the temp up to 90 before I even got the frog in there but it melted my hood, which clearly stated no bulbs larger than 26W (which we already had set up, btw, and she insisted it wasn't good enough). Now I pay attention when I go.  They have baby bearded dragons currently, which need a basking spot of 120 degrees.... yea, it's 85.  Petco isn't much better, Unfortunately.

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## Maggie126

I've heard somewhere that the amount of spots on a white tree frog indicates it's age. This theory is more common in species that were taken from the wild or were born in the wild. I could be wrong though.

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## BlueisallIneed

> I've heard somewhere that the amount of spots on a white tree frog indicates it's age. This theory is more common in species that were taken from the wild or were born in the wild. I could be wrong though.


It's true, the white spots on a whites is like us with gray hair. Here is my Het, I had him for almost 16 years he started out with 3 when I got him to this  :Smile:  this pic doesn't even do him justice, he has so many!  :Smile:

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## Daniel

Im not sure if it was already mentioned but i am not seeing a whites tree frog in the first pic. It looks to be some type of Rhacophorus.

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## Brian

> Im not sure if it was already mentioned but i am not seeing a whites tree frog in the first pic. It looks to be some type of Rhacophorus.


You're right it doesn't look like a Whites. I think it was intended as a clear example of what the spots looked like. Sierra does (or did) have Whites, you can check her album. It's also from two years ago :Wink:

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## horselover19918

> I got my White's from Petsmart, but he was a gift so he was already out of the enclosure when we went to pick him up.  The "amphibian and reptile expert" advised me on a 100W bulb for a 10 gallon tank... that lasted about an hour.  Not only was the temp up to 90 before I even got the frog in there but it melted my hood, which clearly stated no bulbs larger than 26W (which we already had set up, btw, and she insisted it wasn't good enough). Now I pay attention when I go.  They have baby bearded dragons currently, which need a basking spot of 120 degrees.... yea, it's 85.  Petco isn't much better, Unfortunately.


Petco and Petsmart are pretty bad when it comes to the size of the cages and how many frogs are kept in them at a time. I have seen them keep up to ten frogs in a cage smaller than a ten gallon. The Petco neat my apartment, though, keeps the humidity up and feeds the frogs. They could be kept in much bigger cages but they are doing their best with what they have.

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