Ponka
Microscopic Fairy
After months of researching, getting the right supplies, and even more researching, I was finally able to get a frog!! His name is Fergus, and he's a male juvenile Whites Tree Frog. I got this specific species because they tolerate handling better compared to other amphibians. I got him about 2 weeks ago so he's still new, but so far he's been adjusting really well.
His diet mainly consists of medium-sized Dubia roaches, large crickets, and freeze-dried mealworms. He much prefers the live food over the mealworms which makes sense. I typically feed him either two Dubia roaches, two crickets, or 1 of each daily, with a mealworm as an occasional snack. As he grows I'll slowly start feeding him less and less. Adults only need about half of what I feed him daily, but right now he's a juvenile so he definitely needs those extra nutrients.
I have him in a 20 gallon vertical terrarium in my room within the basement. I usually keep the temp around 75F-85F (about 24C-29C) during the day and 70F-80F (about 21C-27C) at night. I try to keep the humidity around 50%-75%, nothing too crazy. For lamps I use a basking and UV bulb during the day and a heat lamp at night since the basement can get cold. I usually mist his tank a couple times a day, just enough to keep the substrate moist.
Being a nocturnal frog, Fergus is very active and vocal in the evening through early morning. He really likes being held within his tank, but once I take him out he gets stressed. He croaks a lot, whether it's when I mist his tank, or when he hears a vacuum upstairs, or even my mom's voice. He doesn't like being in water that much, so I make sure his water bowl stays shallow, and I make sure that when he has his weekly bath the water is shallow as well.
Overall I think he's very healthy and I hope he stays that way. I'm thinking of getting him a friend in the future, when I can afford a bigger tank and more food. Whites Tree Frogs are fine being housed alone but they definitely would prefer groups. They live on an average of 10-15 years, but with the right conditions they can live up to around 20 years in captivity, so I'm really excited to see what'll happen by then.
His diet mainly consists of medium-sized Dubia roaches, large crickets, and freeze-dried mealworms. He much prefers the live food over the mealworms which makes sense. I typically feed him either two Dubia roaches, two crickets, or 1 of each daily, with a mealworm as an occasional snack. As he grows I'll slowly start feeding him less and less. Adults only need about half of what I feed him daily, but right now he's a juvenile so he definitely needs those extra nutrients.
I have him in a 20 gallon vertical terrarium in my room within the basement. I usually keep the temp around 75F-85F (about 24C-29C) during the day and 70F-80F (about 21C-27C) at night. I try to keep the humidity around 50%-75%, nothing too crazy. For lamps I use a basking and UV bulb during the day and a heat lamp at night since the basement can get cold. I usually mist his tank a couple times a day, just enough to keep the substrate moist.
Being a nocturnal frog, Fergus is very active and vocal in the evening through early morning. He really likes being held within his tank, but once I take him out he gets stressed. He croaks a lot, whether it's when I mist his tank, or when he hears a vacuum upstairs, or even my mom's voice. He doesn't like being in water that much, so I make sure his water bowl stays shallow, and I make sure that when he has his weekly bath the water is shallow as well.
Overall I think he's very healthy and I hope he stays that way. I'm thinking of getting him a friend in the future, when I can afford a bigger tank and more food. Whites Tree Frogs are fine being housed alone but they definitely would prefer groups. They live on an average of 10-15 years, but with the right conditions they can live up to around 20 years in captivity, so I'm really excited to see what'll happen by then.
