New Terrarium for my Spotted Marsh Frog Help

[Tom4077]

Hey guys i recently made this terrarium for my spotted marsh frog , there meant to have quite a "wetland environment " which is similar to a Melbourne environment! do you think my terrarium will be ok for this? also i have been feeding my frog fruit flies and small little insects from under rocks in my garden is this ok? how can i tell if my frog is eating food? also last question do you think my terrarium would be also suitable for a "southern brown tree frog" they are also found in the Melbourne area!
Help would be very much appreciated!!

[Kristen]

Tom, is the frog wild caught? If not DONT feed it wild caught insects. How big is it?
I think add a log or something for him to hide under, he will hide ALOT and only come out at night. He wont come out alot though untill it warms up. Mine are currently in brumation.
I dont think it would be suitable as it is, maybe add a few more branches and maybe some bamboo (Mine LOVE climbing the bamboo) and it should be okay. Just depends how big the tank is.
You can put a glass bowl in there when you feed him crickets (available at most pet stores) and put the crickets in the bowl. The crickets cant jump out so you can see if he's eating them or not.
Also put black paper around three sides of the tank (The back and the sides) it will make him feel more secure

[Tom4077]

wild i found it in our drain! but i have no idea how it got there because we live in the city ( near all the trains).. it is about the size of a 20cent coin, ok i wil try and put a log or something in it! i have some bark that leans against rock that you can see in the picture i have attached. ok i have put some black plastic card around the area where my frog (ang) is usually always hiding! Should i put it all around the tank/? i dont really want to because i am worried it might not allow that much sun into the plants which will allow them to die! Everything i have in my tank is native to Victoria so i dont really want to put bamboo in ! do you think it would be a good idea to go to go the local park ( i no there is some frogs there) and take some sticks and bark and put them in my tank? i dont really want to but if it is best for my spotted marsh frog i will! and where should i put these bark and sticks close to where it lives? or just make little hidey holes for it everywhere? At the moment i am putting fresh insects every 3 days is this ok for 1 frog? the insects i am putting in a fruit flies ( which i catch from our compost bin) baby butchi boys, 1 - 2 ants and atheds from flowers!! is this ok??
do you have any advice you could give me about spotted marsh frogs? Such as when they are most active what environment they like the most? do they climb? etc
it would be really cool if you could attach a pic of your terrarium for your spotted marsh frogs if you have some.

[Kristen]

Sorry to be the bringer of bad news BUT
In Vic ALL reptiles and amphibians are protected (this includes tadpoles and eggs and even dead animals.) so it is illegal to take them from the wild. Even though Spotted marsh frogs are on of the five species of frog off license, this law still applies. PLEASE put him back where you found him. I know it seems like it’s an odd place for him to live, but I live in a suburban area myself and these guys are always about. He will do fine and a lot better if you put him back (and the law says you have to, so it’s not like you have a choice).

I know you didn’t know about these laws, but still. Think about someone taking you from your home and putting you in a small glass box. You can’t go out, you get food dropped in every few days. It would be very stressful. That’s what has just happened to the frog. Add that on top of how fragile frogs are and you have a recipe for disaster!

So please put him back where he came from keeping him. But if you do however buy a pet spotted marsh frog I’ll be glad to help
I’m not going to answer your other questions, seemso you won’t be keeping him. But if you need help if/when you legally obtain one just post on this thread again or start a new one and I can help out

[Tom4077]

ok so dad and i went and bought a spotted marsh frog from this guy "blue tongue skink+spotted marsh frog | Reptiles & Amphibians | Gumtree Australia Geelong City - North Shore" he said he bought it about a month ago! we have put the frog back wear we found it by the drain! i also have added some small plants and rocks so that it has something to hide in or under is that ok? or should i leave it how it was? do i need to change my tank again because i have a new frog in it? the guy said he fed this frog "fruit flies" once every 7 days should i do this to or should i feed it other insects? what other things should i add in to my tank to allow it hide under? when are these frogs most active and do you think if i was to buy another spotted marsh frog that they could live together ? i would be buying it from this guy Southern Brown Tree Frog( Litoria Ewingii )& Stripped Marsh Frogs | Reptiles & Amphibians | Gumtree Australia Cardinia Area - Pakenham i no it doesnt say he is selling spotted marsh frogs but i inboxed him and he said he had 1 adult one he was willing to sell me for $39! i can copy out the email if you want proof!,and i am also thinking of buying a southern brown tree frog from him to!
would a southern brown tree frog and to spotted marsh frogs live well together or is that a no no? also could they be fed similar things? would i have to change my terrarium ? or simply just ad in more branches and sticks?
if you could answer my other question that would be great to thanks
Tom

[Kristen]

ok so dad and i went and bought a spotted marsh frog from this guy "blue tongue skink+spotted marsh frog | Reptiles & Amphibians | Gumtree Australia Geelong City - North Shore" he said he bought it about a month ago! we have put the frog back wear we found it by the drain! i also have added some small plants and rocks so that it has something to hide in or under is that ok? or should i leave it how it was? do i need to change my tank again because i have a new frog in it? the guy said he fed this frog "fruit flies" once every 7 days should i do this to or should i feed it other insects? what other things should i add in to my tank to allow it hide under? when are these frogs most active and do you think if i was to buy another spotted marsh frog that they could live together ? i would be buying it from this guy Southern Brown Tree Frog( Litoria Ewingii )& Stripped Marsh Frogs | Reptiles & Amphibians | Gumtree Australia Cardinia Area - Pakenham i no it doesnt say he is selling spotted marsh frogs but i inboxed him and he said he had 1 adult one he was willing to sell me for $39! i can copy out the email if you want proof!,and i am also thinking of buying a southern brown tree frog from him to!
would a southern brown tree frog and to spotted marsh frogs live well together or is that a no no? also could they be fed similar things? would i have to change my terrarium ? or simply just ad in more branches and sticks?
if you could answer my other question that would be great to thanks
Tom

Okay so now you have a captive bred frog, you need to re-do your tank It can't have wild plants/dirt. It can have wood/branches/rocks from the wild if you bake them in the oven (It kills bacteria)
Thats far too less! Feed him small (Or pinhead) crickets every second day, or everyday if his a baby.
They are most active in the night because they are nocturnal. Mine hide alot during the day.
Honestly them frogs are over priced. This guy in Welcome To Omagic Frogs Butterflies and Insects : Home sells them for about $10 he lives at 20 Hammond road dandenong.
Also too much for Brown tree frogs, the guy I put about sells them too. So do I for $20.
Yeah they can definately live well together! I had some in this tank here if you want ideas.

They feed the on the same things (crickets), and you have to change it anyway. For Brown tree frogs you need more branches and maybe a vine or big leafy plant.

[Tom4077]

Ok could i not try having live plants in my tank because thats what i am kinda wanting? at the moment all the plants in my tank are completly native and the plants that are in there have had no pestersize or anything sprayed on them exceptt for water because they are all from out garden !.How come i can not just keep catching food for my frog and put it in the tank? because they guy i bought it from said he just caught insects and stuck them in his tank? he said he was putting in ants, flies, worms and little grubs is this ok? also if i am to put in pin head crickets where can i buy them? the pet shop down the road has them but the smallest crickets are nearly as big as the frog so what should i do?? can a frog eat food thats bigger than it? also i am going to get make a better lid for my tank i am thinking of making it out of polycrystalline would this be ok? when it comes to adding branches should they be going across the tank or just strait up? should i have the branches in the marsh area of the tank or the dry area?
so i should be feeding my frog every second day?
for branches would these type of branches be ok?
Exo Terra : Forest Branch / Sandblasted Grape Vine
Lucky Reptile - Products

[Kristen]

Im going to brake this up cause of all the questions.

Ok could i not try having live plants in my tank because thats what i am kinda wanting? at the moment all the plants in my tank are completly native and the plants that are in there have had no pestersize or anything sprayed on them exceptt for water because they are all from out garden !

You don't have to have live plants in you're tank. You can have fake but live ones are best. You cant have wild plants in there. The frog isnt wild and those plants can have toxins that could harm them.

How come i can not just keep catching food for my frog and put it in the tank? because they guy i bought it from said he just caught insects and stuck them in his tank? he said he was putting in ants, flies, worms and little grubs is this ok?

Pretty much same reason as above. These aren't wild frogs, they are captive bred. They arent used to the things in the wild and they havent been exposed to them before. You would be taking a big risk by feeding them to your frog. Honestly no, it's not.

also if i am to put in pin head crickets where can i buy them? the pet shop down the road has them but the smallest crickets are nearly as big as the frog so what should i do?? can a frog eat food thats bigger than it?

Pet barn near fountain gate has them. I'm sure other pet barns do too. Lots of petstores sell them so just look around your area and im sure you will find some.
The frog can eat any food that can fit in the pace inbetween its eyes (so if there is 1cm inbetween its eyes, it can eat food 1cm)

also i am going to get make a better lid for my tank i am thinking of making it out of polycrystalline would this be ok?

I'm not really sure on this so someone else might chime in.

when it comes to adding branches should they be going across the tank or just strait up? should i have the branches in the marsh area of the tank or the dry area?

Both and both. Though sometime branches in the water can make the water an off colour. Make sure to have a filter in your water or change it daily.

so i should be feeding my frog every second day?

Well by the sounds of it he is still a juvenile so about five days a week.

for branches would these type of branches be ok?
Exo Terra : Forest Branch / Sandblasted Grape Vine
Lucky Reptile - Products

Yeeeep.

[Tom4077]

OK i have a few more questions but i am really appreciating you helping me
So as i touched on before i have a whole lot of plants and pebbles, sticks , moss ,water and rocks in my tank everything in my tank is taken from my garden and has never had anything except for water on them is this ok if i leave them in my tank?
i have also put a few worms in to the drit to filter the soil is this ok?
i boiled all my rocks , pebbles and branches in hot water and then stuck them in the oven on fan forced at the temp 40 for 1 hour is that ok ?
is my tank ok for a spotted marsh frog? because i just Googled it and Google said they flourish in the Melbourne environment and that's what i have been trying to do?
i am thinking of buying some pinhead crickets how long do they live for?

[Kristen]

So as i touched on before i have a whole lot of plants and pebbles, sticks , moss ,water and rocks in my tank everything in my tank is taken from my garden and has never had anything except for water on them is this ok if i leave them in my tank?

You can leave in the rocks/pebbles/sticks if you boiled then baked them like you said, but not the dirt/plants

i have also put a few worms in to the drit to filter the soil is this ok?

No! You don't know where they have been and what they have come in contact with.

Yeah that's fine.

is my tank ok for a spotted marsh frog? because i just Googled it and Google said they flourish in the Melbourne environment and that's what i have been trying to do?

Look, just because they live in melbourne doesn't mean you can get a few things out of your backyard and think it's okay.
You need to buy coco peat for substrate and some plants. You can get mondo grass for $2 a punnet at bunnings and that is great for them.

i am thinking of buying some pinhead crickets how long do they live for?

You shouldn't be 'Thinking' of buying them, you should be getting them. Wild insects are not good for him.
They live for as long as you can keep them alive but keep in mind they will grow.

Also with the water you have to add a dechlorinator to it. Tap water is no good for the frog and it will kill him.