A Couple of Questions

[Clairebert]

Hello!

I'm considering buying a white tree frog in the neat future, and I have a couple of questions. I apologize if these have been asked before numerous times by other newbies.

First off, are white tree frogs prone to certain diseases? I made the mistake of not inquiring about the general health of rats before I purchased mine, and it surprised me just how expensive it would be to treat a rat for respiratory infections. Therefore, before I get a frog I'd like to know beforehand if he is likely to catch something and how much it would be to treat it, generally speaking, so that I could put some money aside should he get sick. Also, I will not be getting the frog while my rats are alive if this is a concern for anyone.

Secondly, are there behavioural differences between males and females?
Thirdly, do they get lonely? Should I get a pair of them?

Should I have to leave for a couple of days at a time, is there anything I can do to make sure he is alright while I'm gone? Or should I avoid leaving him alone overnight at all costs?

Lastly, could someone give me a general idea of the costs for the cage set-up, as well as the monthly costs for food and other needs?

So many questions! Hahaha.

[John]

First off, are white tree frogs prone to certain diseases?

No. If you provide the right care, your frog is very unlikely to ever have a serious illness.

Secondly, are there behavioural differences between males and females?

Aside from the fact that males call and females don't, very little difference in general.

Thirdly, do they get lonely? Should I get a pair of them?

No. Aside from mating time, frogs are not social animals.

Should I have to leave for a couple of days at a time, is there anything I can do to make sure he is alright while I'm gone? Or should I avoid leaving him alone overnight at all costs?

A healthy, well fed White's should be able to go several days without a meal. There will be differing opinions on this, but I personally would not be afraid to leave a well fed, healthy tree frog for a week without food.

Lastly, could someone give me a general idea of the costs for the cage set-up, as well as the monthly costs for food and other needs?

The set-up costs really depend on how big and "beautiful" you want it to be. On the cheap end of things, I would say US $70 would work, but most people spend $100-$200 gettings things set-up with a nice terrarium, nice lighting, and heating.

Your month to month costs will consist of paying for the electricity associated with the terrarium (fluorescent lights don't use much electricity, nor do heat mats). The other cost will be food. Most people use crickets as food for these frogs and depending on where you source them, they can be cheap or less so. Next time you are in a pet shop, check out the price of a box of crickets to get an idea.

[Clairebert]

Thank you for the reply! It's very much appreciated.

I do have my worries about the crickets though, I'm not entirely sure whether I'd be able to provide them with live crickets and from the research I've done, it seems most frogs are only stimulated to eat when they see the prey moving around. I know my local petstore sells a variety of freeze-dried insects for frogs, but would this work?
If not, are there species of frogs that do eat freeze-dried food?

[Kurt]

I know of no frog that will eat freeze dried anything. Those canned insects are more geared towards lizards that will eat just about anything, my fire skink comes to mind. Most, if not all, pet stores sell live crickets and other feeder insects.

[Clairebert]

Alright, thanks for the reply. Its what I thought, but I wanted to double-check.
I feel a little bit squeemish about having to house live crickets, but of course I'd do what's necessary for the frog should I get one. Is it relatively easy? Would I have to make weekly trips to the petstore to get some new ones each week?

[John]

You could get an African Clawed Frog/Toad (Xenopus). They live in water all the time but they will eat dead food (even pelleted food like Reptomin).

[UncleChester]

Is it relatively easy? Would I have to make weekly trips to the petstore to get some new ones each week?

It's pretty easy to keep the crickets alive for weeks. A mid sized tupperware container with a mesh lid for ventilation (or small holes poked in the lid), places for them to hide (egg carton pieces), something to eat (fish flakes are feasible if you aren't keeping hundreds, otherwise crushed cat food/oatmeal), something to drink (moistened paper towel in a dish, or carrot/potato/vege pieces to nibble on) and they should be good to go for weeks. A heating pad will make them happier, but also encourages growth, which is possibly bad as the chirping may annoy once they are adults.

You can also use mealworms as treats (or cricket shortage emergencies!), they keep for months in a small container in a cool place. Waxworms for treats as well, but I haven't had as much keeping them alive, and no luck turning them into moths (which I hear treefrogs love!)

One of my Gray treefrogs loves mealworms which I usually feed via tweezers. She will now eat dead crickets from the end of the tweezers. In fact, she will now try to eat the tweezers. I prefer to let them hunt crickets on their own, but if I accidentally squish a cricket while transferring to the viv, I'll sometimes dangle it in front of her. Could work for a Whites? But it's still way more fun to watch the hunt.