Although the frogs themselves are only medium sized they are quite an active animal that does a great deal of hunting at night so my tank is 2 x 2 x 3 feet tall with a half mesh lid and contains 3 males and 2 females. There are many ways to keep these frogs but you should try to emulate their normal cycle as much as possible.
I give my colony the usual substrate of fine bark chippings and activated charcoal (90/10) topped with live moss in to which I plunge potted plants. The orchid bark is first lightly and evenly moistened with water and laid to a depth of 3 – 4 inches, on top of this base layer fresh sphagnum moss or carpet moss is laid.
These frogs require a dry environment from April to August so the substrate will not need to be moistened again for some weeks, the initial humidity level may be 60% - 70% but this will fall over the next few days, aim to keep humidity levels at around 30% - 50% during their dry period. This is easily achieved using a hand sprayer or other device; spray the plants or moss lightly twice a week to maintain the right levels but do not spray the animals themselves.
Natural plants add both interest and hiding places but this does mean the use of full spectrum lighting to allow the plants to grow well, the term for the conversion of day light to food by plants is photosynthesis. If using live plants then it is best to leave them in their pots so they can easily be removed for cleaning. Ficus benjamina (Weeping Fig) are fantastic for this frog as they have plenty of branches and good cover although they are not native to Paraguay.
Although artificial plants can be used to create a similar look they don’t have the same properties are the real thing. In the case of these frogs live plants are much better as the frog spend its day sleeping either on a branch or on leaves. This living set up will mean that immediately around the plant will be an invisible layer containing slightly higher humidity and more oxygen. If you do use artificial plants make sure they don’t contain any wire which could puncture your frog and that they are well anchored.
Although normally a nocturnal animal they can often be found basking under a 60w spot light where the temperature can reach 33C, although generally they prefer a more shady position under a leaf or in an upper corner of the tank. I use full spectrum lighting over the tank as they seem to be more ‘perky’ than those not getting the UV as well as for the requirements of the live plants.
In the evening after the lights ( 9am - 9pm) have gone off the first calls begin with a slow quiet growl from an early rising male. Not long after the first call the rest will come out of their daytime retreats and head for the perches in readiness for a nights hunting.
Ideally the daytime temperature should be 80F – 85F with a warmer area under the spot light and a night time the temperature can be allowed to drop to 65F – 75F
Daytime heating is taken care of by the 60w spot light (outside the tank) aimed at a high perching area, this also allows daytime basking. The spot light should be positioned far enough away so that the closest point inside the tank gets no more than 90F otherwise the frogs may burn themselves. Night time heating is taken care of using an under tank heating mat or an overhead night time lamp either a red coloured infra red lamp or a blue coloured moonlight lamp. Both of these lamps will provide heat but will not disturb the animals whilst they are hunting.
If the planting allows the use of a medium size waterfall then one should be accommodated as the water source but it should be set to minimum output as you don’t want excessive humidity. The light splashing of the water attracts the frogs and they use it regularly as a meeting and vantage point. If you have no room for a waterfall then a 3 inch deep bowl should be provided.
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