How to Raise Tree Frogs: Key Points on Breeding Methods and Daily Management

The tree frog is a kind of frog. During the day it mostly hides in stone crevices or burrows near tree roots, and at night it perches on coffin wood, catching scarab beetles, ants and the like. At present, many regions even breed them specially, so how do you raise tree frogs?

1. Site selection

Tree frogs mostly live on shrub thickets, reeds and tall-stemmed crops, or on weeds by ponds, in rice fields and near them, so when choosing a site, try to choose a pond edge or rice field with clean water quality and sufficient water for breeding. After choosing the site, build three parts according to the actual situation: a resting area, a pond and a feeding area. The resting area should retain a certain amount of grassy plants, while the pond should as far as possible be distributed throughout the whole breeding area; the resting area should be positioned close to the walkway. The outermost perimeter should be enclosed with plastic sheeting or netting to prevent the frogs from escaping.

2. Food and feeding

Tree frogs have omnivorous feeding habits and some frogs have no keratinized teeth, so they mostly feed by filtering plankton from the water, and when food is insufficient, large tadpoles will eat small tadpoles in a phenomenon of cannibalism. If raised artificially, then feed them bread crumbs. If in a natural pond, they generally eat plankton in the water: mosquito larvae, plankton, fish worms and so on.

3. Mating and egg laying

Tree frogs emerge from dormancy in late March or early April. From April to June they lay eggs in still water. The egg diameter is 1 to 1.5 mm. Dozens or hundreds of eggs form 1 cluster, adhering to aquatic plants. By late May some have already completed metamorphosis; from September to October they begin hibernation.

4. Daily management matters

(1) First check whether birds may come to prey on the frogs; in some cases consider whether to add an anti-bird net. Also check the protective netting for any damage, or whether foreign snakes or the like have sneaked into the breeding pond.

(2) In hot weather, check whether sun protection is adequate and whether the shaded area needs to be increased; judge this from how densely the frogs gather in shady spots. If many frogs are crowded together, then it needs to be increased.

(3) Finally, for some frogs in the breeding pond that die unexpectedly, remove them promptly, otherwise the water quality will be infected.

Overall, tree frogs are very easy to raise. As long as you choose a good site, install anti-bird netting, feed them well and guard against natural enemies, they can grow healthily.