Green Tree Frog Hyla cinerea Cute Little Frog! The Green Tree Frog or Hyla cinerea is a beautiful little frog. Coming from the US, it is found at almost any pet store for under $5. Most are a pretty shade of green with a white stripe running down their side.  If you would like a multi species terrarium, these smaller tree frogs would go great with a couple house geckos or green anoles. Green Tree Frog-Hyla cinerea Origin-SE USA Size-2.5" Temperment/Handling-Amphibians should be handled as little as possible. Care should be taken to wash and rinse your hands thouroughly prior to any necessary handling. Keep hands moist so not to injure or dry out the frogs skin.  Hardiness-A hardy species as long as needs are met. Housing-Tree Frogs do well in glass tanks with a well secured screen lid.  They are agile climbers and may escape if given the chance.  Setup possibilities are endless, just depending on how fancy and how much work you want the cage to be.  I recommend 10gal for up to 3 frogs and a 20gal high or larger for 6 or more. Tall tanks are better than long tanks, because tree frogs love to climb. Papertowel or Quarantine-This setup is just how it sounds, a very simple setup consisting of the bare minimun.  A few layers of moist paper towels, a water dish just big enough for the frogs to soak in, a small hide spot and a branch to climb on.  Soil or Vivarium-This setup consists of a mixture of various soils to create a more natural setup.  Vivarium mixtures may be bought at almost any pet store but I prefer to make my own.  I use a mixture of 2 parts plain potting soil with no perlite or vermiculite, 2 parts peat moss, 2 parts orchid bark, and 1 part sand.  Place the various ingredients in a clean bucket and stir well.  Start by placing a 1" layer of aquarium gravel throughout the enclosure.  Then pour 3"-4" of the soil mixture leaving a slight slope forward.  Make sure to include a dish or tub to use as a soaking/swimming area. Decide where you want to place the plants and start digging.  Plant them about 1" over the layer of gravel.  Pesticide and fertilizer free pothos and bromeliads are great for vivariums.  You may choose to cover the soil with moss and orchid bark or just leave it plain. Moss covering will help to keep the water dish/swimming area clean by keeping most soil off the amphibians feet.  Finally add a hide spot such as a cork tube and plenty of climbing branches. My Preference-I set up my Green Tree Frog in a 10gal aquarium with a soil/vivarium mix including a live bromeliad, a cork tube and some branches for climbing and hiding, and a small dish for soaking. This way I can take out the water dish as needed for cleaning without totally tearing down the enclosure. Enclosure maintenance-Papers should be changed as often as possible, removing fecal matter daily.  Soil substrates can be changed every month or two making sure to removing fecal (poop) matter weekly.  A well planted vivarium requires more thought at setup but helps to maintain itself much longer. Check all electrical devices as often as possible to help prevent fire hazards.  Lighting-I use a fluorescent and a basking or incandescent bulb suspended above one end of the enclosure. Never let the tree frog touch the bulb itself, for this can cause severe burns. The lights should be left on 12hrs a day throughout the summer months and 9-10 hrs a day in the winter.  I recommend keeping all lighting on a timer, it saves the hassle of manually turning on and off the lights every day. Heat/Temp-The daytime temp should be 80-85F during the day and  68-75F at night.  Always allow a cooler end to help with thermo-regulation. A reptiles surroundings determine it's body temp, so they move from end to end as needed. Heating options include, under tank heaters covering about 1/3 to 1/2 the length of the tank, heat tape, or a basking bulb in a ceramic fixture over head. Never use hot rocks, they often concentrate extreme heat causing severe burns and may become a fire hazard if allowed to become moist. Humidity/Water-Amphibians absorb much of their moisture through their skin. Only use spring water or tap water that has been aged for at least 24 hours.  Do not use distilled water or water directly from the sink. Soaking containers as well as daily misting should provide high humidity. Diet/Food-As a general rule food items should be no larger than the width of the head. Commonly used food items include commercially raised crickets, meal worms, wax worms, and various other insects. Wild insects are readily accepted, but make sure they haven't come in contact with any pesticides.  All food items should be gut loaded (fed a nutritious diet of various greens, potatoes, and cricket food) for at least 24hrs prior to feeding. Insects should be supplemented or lightly coated (the easiest way is in a plastic bag) with vitamins and minerals.  The proper use of supplements can reduce the risk of metabolic bone disease. I use Rep-cal Calcium/vitD3, Herptivite, and  Miner-All.  All can be found at any pet store. Some people use a mix of one part vitamin/mineral to two parts calcium or calcium/D3 supplement. Food should be offer 5-6 times a week, dusting with calcium 2-3 times and minerals once weekly.  Remove all free roaming food items if not consumed within 15-20minutes as insects may cause undue stress. Sexing- Other-A great starter frog and a pretty one at that! Last Updated-01/20/03 Aaron Downing            ReptileAaron@aol.com  https://www.angelfire.com/me4/pets Disclaimer-Everything on this page is a matter of my personal opinion.  It is meant to help with the keeping and maintaining of pets, but I am not saying I am always right.  As always do lots of other research and do what is in the best interest of you and your pet.