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Barking Tree frog

Bob and Betsy Barker

    Red eyed tree frogs and green tree frogs have many similar characteristics. All these frogs sit on leaves and need a home with lots of plants to climb on and sleep on. Tree frogs jump from plant to plant so despite their relatively small size, they like a fairly large tank. These frogs can be quite active. I keep these little guys together and they do just fine. They do not need a "house" since they hide themselves in the leaves and they blend in so well it's hard to find them.

    They usually come down at night to bathe in their "pond". Their bowl should be shallow and they will appreciate a rock to sit on. Often the inhabitants will gather around the pond at night almost like a social gathering. The red eyes are particularly nocturnal and will do their hunting in the evenings looking for small Calcium dusted crickets. Their water should be de-chlorinated and they enjoy frequent sprays during the day. Spring water works well for spray because it will not cause spotting on the glass of their tank. These frogs are not as considerate of you and will leave their droppings anywhere they please. Room service provided by you daily to remove debris helps to keep the environment clean between periodic stripping of the tank and thoroughly rinsing everything including the plants. Which is why the simpler you make it, the easier it is to make sure the frogs have a clean habitat. Plants kept in pots allows you to remove them for rinsing and resting the plant. The plants should have sturdy leaves since even though these frogs are small, they wreak havoc on plants with their active lifestyles. I have a fountain in the tank and the frogs are often seen sitting under the trickling water. These acrobatic green tree frogs and barking tree frogs love their swing and will sleep on it, hang on it, swing on it and in general, enjoy themselves immensely as you can see from the above pictures.

    The red eyes are rarely awake during the day. They sleep with their eyes closed with their legs tucked in and resemble the leaf they sleep on. Consequently, they are known as leaf frogs. When awake, they are quite beautiful and because of that are called the jewels of the rain forests which is where they come from. A red light on the tank at night allows you to observe their activities. You can see them but they don't see the red light.

    The green tree frog and barking tree frog is more diurnal and will eat, bathe and jump around more so during the day. However, they too are more active at night. Green tree frog croaks sound very like a small dog and in fact they have answered dogs in the neighborhood by croaking!  Once on the phone, I was asked if I had a dog and if it were barking, and of course it was merely the green tree frog. They will also croak to running water, the vacuum cleaner, music and one little guy is particularly fond of The Stars and Stripes Forever.  The barking tree frog has a similar croak, hence the name "barking" tree frog.  The red eyes croak is more of a chirp like sound and sometimes a chuckle like sound but rather than responding to life outside the tank, they "talk" mostly among themselves.

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