White's Tree Frog Temperature and Humidity

[asdfgh]

Hey guys. I have been having some trouble getting the temperature and humidity correct, so I was wondering if you could help out. They read as follows:

Temperature:

Max = 23 -- 24C
Min = 18 -- 19C
Current = 23 -- 24C

Humidity:

Max = 70 -- 78%
Min = 48 -- 52%
Current = 55 -- 60%

Day and night temperature and humidity are more or less the same.

I am using a 17" x 11" heatmat with a 18" x 18" x 18" Exo Terra Terrarium, and Exo Terra thermometer/hygrometer.

Another thing I have noticed is that the heatmat barely feels warm on the outside, and the inside of the enclosure is only slightly above room temperature, so I think it may be broken.

The humidity is without misting. I have not misted it once yet. (Not got the frogs right now) I do have LECA with mesh and quite a large water area, so I think that this may be contributing towards the humidity.

Thanks.

[DonLisk]

Post a pic of the enclosure so others might see a solution to dropping the daytime humidity a bit. The more open the top the more humidity wwill escape. Also placement of the hydrometer is important too. Putting it near your water source will usually read higher then having it placed near the top where the frogs will or should be hanging out. Oh, do you run a light on top in the day? Lighting burns off humidity fast.

When buying a hydrometer, compare its reading to other in the store. If its reading different than a few others its probably not reading correctly.

Do you plan on changing out the water area pretty regularly and is the depth low enough for the frogs to sit in its deepest part without submerging? Whites are pretty dirty frogs and will trash a water source fast. Usually large water dishes have to changes out daily.

[asdfgh]

Sorry, I have not got a camera right now.

I have canopy with two 2.0 13 watt lights, (running from seven to seven) so half of the mesh is exposed. The hydrometer is in the top left of the enclosure, near to the heatmat as I figured that this is where the frogs would be most often. I bought the hydrometer online, so I could not check it. I did however get sent two, so I shall try out the other.

The water area is a little over an inch deep, about 2 1/2 to 3 wide and 18 long. I have since discovered that I did not use enough LECA so the substrate is pretty soggy. I shall be draining it and replacing the pool with a water bowl soon. I am aware that live plants raise humidity; there is four live plants and about a 40x20 cm sheet of moss, if that helps.

And what about the heating? I am pretty concerned about that at the moment as I feel that the humidity may have something to do with the soggy substrate.

[mim]

ok, well ur heat mat probably isnt broken, i thought the same thing wen i first got mine. they dont get hot to touch as itd b too dangerous. they only get warm but they do bump up the heat. i have two on mine but only usually one is turned on. the other is just incase it is really cold. on the one thats always on i have packing foam so the heat doesnt escape. u can use cardboard aswell. also put it underneath the tank, thatll help. as for humidity. try to reduce the amount of open space at the top as itll just escape. just use somethin to cover it up and ull b able to control the humidity a bit better. make sure u r misting once u get the frogs. was the substrate too soggy before u put it in? i have a light on 6-6. i have repti glo 10.0 uvb bulb. im unsure of wot other types of bulbs etc u can use, ull have to ask someone else (sorry) but i dont think u want anythin throwin off too much heat as itll dry the frogs out. hopefully this helps a bit

[asdfgh]

Well, I have sorted out the humidity. But I am still having problems with the heat -- again, I think that the mat may be broken. It simply does not feel the least bit hot inside. I might try covering the exposed mesh as I think that the heat may be escaping through there.

[asdfgh]

I have got the humidity down to 55% -- 60%. I misted about twenty minutes ago and it shot up to 88%, but that will go down soon.

I have also switched the heat mat. This one is smaller, but has a higher heat output. Now it reads:

Max = 32C
Min = 25C
Current = 24C

The thermometer is on the opposite side to the heater now, so I shall switch that around. My question is; does the temperature need dropping slightly? Thanks.

[JHansson514]

i have repti glo 10.0 uvb bulb. im unsure of wot other types of bulbs etc u can use, ull have to ask someone else (sorry) but i dont think u want anythin throwin off too much heat as itll dry the frogs out. hopefully this helps a bit

The Repti Glo 2.0 and 5.0 lights work well for UVB for the White's since they are tropical, but they don't give off a whole bunch of heat. From what I understand the 10.0 bulb has a higher intensity of UVB that is intended more for desert critters, such as a Bearded Dragon. Also, the 2.0 will help plant growth and I have read conflicting articles on whether or not UVB is necessary for White's since they are tropical and don't receive much direct sunlight in their natural habitats. Another issue is that the UVB may bother the eyes of the frog. Again, the topic is up for debate.

I think you're right on the money with your temperature. I keep my frogs around 27C during the day (which is more on the high side) and about 21.5C at night. (My tank is an 18x18x24" Exo Terra. I use a 100W Zoo Med day bulb and a 75W Zoo Med night bulb. I also have a small (5x7"-ish) heat pad on the bottom of the tank.) When figuring out the temperature of the tank you want to make sure your thermometer is not near or below the heat light, as this will affect the accuracy.

It's okay for your substrate to be wet, but definitely not soggy. You want it wet enough that when you squeeze it, it sticks together, but not wet enough that water comes out. Minimum humidity, I wouldn't let it got below 55%, 50% at the lowest.

[asdfgh]

Right, I have got pretty much everything sorted now. It turns out that I need a slightly motre powerful mat, which I shall be getting soon. Regarding the humidity however; I have got it to stay at about 55 -- 60%, but it of course rises when I mist -- up to about 72 -- 75%. It takes a couple of hours to go back down, so is this okay? Or do I need to lower it some more?

[JHansson514]

It's normal for the humidity to go up right after misting and then to slowly fall again. What you've got sounds great!

[asdfgh]

Yeah, I know that the humidity will rise after misting; I was concerned that it was taking too long to go back down. (At the moment it takes anywhere up to four -- five hours, depending on outside temperature). My new mat should be arriving soon, which being more powerful should help in burning off the humidity. Still, all going well I should be getting the frogs at the end of next week as I am pretty confident now.

[JHansson514]

Great! Please post pictures once you've got the little guys. I would love to see them!

[asdfgh]

Well I currently do not have a camera, but I shall try.

[sajane]

Jen, i also have that size tank. do you rest the lamps on the screen top? does that work out all right? How close can your frogs get to the top of the cage?

[JHansson514]

Yes, I do rest my lights right on top of the screen and it works out great. The exo terra hood covers the back half and my day/night heat lights are on the front half. I have a piece of drift wood that reaches a little more than half way up the tank, with branches at various levels. I also have a reptile hammock (even though it's cheesy looking the frogs love it) about 6" from the top of the tank (not directly below a light). The frogs usually choose one of those places to sit. If they want to be closer to the top of the tank they can go all the way up and just sleep on the glass, but that's not very often.



Here is a picture if it helps. The tank is pretty basic right now because I'm treating for parasites and I'm in the process of building a planted 75G vivarium.