🐸 Vet’s 2025 Guide to Green Tree Frog Care: Habitat, Humidity & Feeding Essentials 🌿💧🪵

By Dr. Duncan Houston, BVSc

The Australian Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea) is a hardy and charming species known for its friendly expression, bright coloration, and soothing croak. Easy to care for and full of personality, these frogs make excellent pets for amphibian lovers. This 2025 guide explores how to create the perfect environment, manage humidity, and ensure optimal health and nutrition for your tree frog. 🐸🌧️

📖 About Green Tree Frogs

Native to Australia and New Guinea, these nocturnal frogs can live up to 20 years in captivity. Reaching up to 10 cm in length, they are relatively low-maintenance if kept in a suitable, moist environment. 🌿

🏠 Enclosure & Habitat

• Minimum Size: 45 x 45 x 60 cm for one adult; vertical space is key for climbing.
• Substrate: Coconut fiber, sphagnum moss, or a bioactive mix—retain moisture and support live plants.
• Climbing Decor: Include branches, cork bark, vines, and suction-cup ledges.
• Hides: Offer multiple dark, moist hiding areas near ground and canopy zones.
• Lighting: Use a low-intensity UVB tube (5.0) and a daylight cycle of 12–14 hours.

💧 Humidity & Temperature

• Humidity: 50–80%; mist 1–2x daily or use an automatic misting system.
• Water Bowl: Provide a shallow, clean dish large enough for soaking.
• Day Temperature: 24–28°C
• Night Temperature: 18–22°C
• Heating: Use a ceramic emitter or under-tank heater on a thermostat if needed.

🍽️ Feeding & Diet

• Staple Insects: Crickets, roaches, woodies, and black soldier fly larvae.
• Treats: Mealworms, waxworms, moths (not daily).
• Feeding Schedule:
  • Juveniles: Every day
  • Adults: 3–4 times per week
• Supplementation: Dust insects with calcium + D3 2–3x/week and a multivitamin 1x/week.

🧠 Behavior & Interaction

• Nocturnal: Most active at night—may climb and call at dusk.
• Handling: Avoid handling unless necessary—oils and residues from skin can damage their permeable skin.
• Interaction: Enjoy observing, feeding, and gently misting (they love a nightly spray!).

🩺 Common Health Concerns

• Red Leg Syndrome: Caused by bacterial infection—symptoms include reddened legs and lethargy.
• Obesity: Frogs love to eat—limit high-fat insects like waxworms.
• Shedding Issues: Frogs shed frequently and may eat the skin—ensure humidity is adequate.
• Parasites: Internal or external; monitor weight and behavior—get regular fecal checks.

🧽 Cleaning & Maintenance

• Daily: Spot clean waste, mist, refresh water bowl
• Weekly: Wipe down glass, clean decor as needed
• Monthly: Replace substrate and sanitize enclosure if not bioactive

⚠️ When to Call the Vet

• Refusal to eat for more than 7 days
• Lethargy, unusual posture, or gaping
• Skin lesions or loss of coloration
• Changes in vocalization or climbing ability

📱 Resources & Support

• 🌿 Book expert help at Ask A Vet or the Ask A Vet app
• 💧 Shop foggers, misting systems, and plants at Woopf
• 🐛 Find gut-loaded insects and supplements at Purrz

Green Tree Frogs bring personality, calmness, and an unmistakable Aussie charm to any home terrarium. With moisture, warmth, and good nutrition, they’ll thrive for years as peaceful and fascinating companions. 🐸🌿