Jump to content

has anyone got a caresheet for golden bell frogs???


dragonz1833

Recommended Posts

Slightly Revised Care sheet / Guide for the: Green and Golden Bell Frog.

Scientific name: Litoria aurea. Also have Litoria raniformis the Southern bell frog in NZ (very similar).

Distribution: Litoria aurea mainly found in the upper North Island. Litoria raniformis lower North Island and South Island.

Description: Green and golden through to brown. L. Raniformis often has bumpier skin and at times a green stripe down the center of its back.

Mix between arboreal/tree frog and aquatic/ground dwelling frogs. These are good at both climbing and swimming making these frogs rather unique.

Like to bask in sunlight. Generally hang out near the waters edge or slightly above ground level in low branches or foliage.

Status: Abundant in North of NZ. Endangered in Australia.

Size: Males upto 8cm and generally slim build. Females upto 11cm and often more plump especially when in season and full of upto 10,000 eggs. Largest recorded spawn is 11682 eggs. Average a few thousand eggs at a time and can do this many times a season.

Metamorphs: 1.5-3.7cm. Average size 2.4cm

Food: Live crickets, locusts, flies, mealworms, slaters, moths and so on, also known to predate other frogs including its on kind, but generally only if food is scarce. Tadpoles graze on decaying plant matter.

Tip - place crickets in a container with raised sides (5-10cm will suffice) and the frogs will come to. Thus keeping most of the crickets contained and you can monitor who is eating. Crickets can also be released weekly throughout enclosures however you ought to take careful consideration of the terrariums landscape. For example works best with minimal water and easy access out of water to achieve best results with this method. No nibbling on frogs ever witnessed and Insect Direct has raised hundreds if not thousands now.

Mealworms ok occasionally - place in a dish.

Locusts just release and or hand feed (watch to make sure they don't drown).

I try and feed them at least every other day. If a frog is skinny, offer food daily. If getting fat, flies are good exercise.

Enclosures: Aim for about 1/3 water area and at least deep enough for them to fully submerge. Easy access out of water is essential - especially for young frogs - also helps any stray live food escape.

Roughly speaking:

60x30x30cm MINIMUM (ok for two frogs)

100x45x45cm GOOD (upto 5/6 frogs?)

120x60x60cm GREAT (Colony of frogs 10+)

Bigger the better when comes to frogs / most reptiles.

Lighting & Heating: Reptile bulb or tube to replicate the sun. Heat lamp or ceramic heat emitter to encourage basking. Basking temp 25-30C, I aim for 26C. At 30C its abit like they are on steriods and become very active, almost bouncing off the walls, with a ravenous appetite.

Nighttime these can handle down to 15C possibly less however I aim for no less than 20C. Can heat the water area with an aquarium heater or heat mat placed under the tank. Southern bell frogs more cold tolerant.

Substrate: River sand and or river stones work well. Hardwood branches add to the aesthetics. Bare bottom tanks full of driftwood work well for breeding and or general living - really makes for simplistic upkeep also.

Filtration: Makes vivarium maintenance much easier, more stable water conditions equating to happy frogs.

Canister filters are great. Under gravel filters (UGF) are OK as to are small internal filters. However small internal filters will likely need to be rinsed every week or two. Do so in old tank water not chlorinated tap water. Never clean thoroughly as will kill off the good bacteria that helps the filter keep the water clean and stable.

Water changes: At least 20% once a week is probably a good base line.

Temperature: 22-26C seems to be a good temp.

Breeding Bell Frogs: Rewarding - easy to breed..

Breeding is stimulated by a raise in temperature and an abundance of food. Much like the frogs experience in the wild when spring and summer come to town. Rainfall is also a cue however not necessary. Winter shut-down is helpful for breeding and fertility however not needed for this species. Would only advise if having problems with fertility.

22-28 degrees Celsius is suitable for breeding.

Lower temperatures are OK for winter shut-down. Careful consideration and planning is a must if opting for winter shut-down/brumation.

Recordings of bell frogs croaking (available online) can be played back to the frogs to help start the breeding process but generally not needed if frogs are fed good food and kept in ideal conditions.

Males will call until females submit and are mounted then the female will deposit upto 10,000 eggs (2000-3000 more typical in captivity) in the water whilst the male fertilises them. This amount of tadpoles will require some serious room and quality water to have any chance of success. Breeding is the easy bit - good luck and happy herping from Insect Direct!

Would appreciate any input as this is just what works for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

does it need to be real aquatic plants or will fake ones do????? how often do u need to feed them? is water without heater ok??? thanks ppl

Can get away with no plants at all. Fake plants should be fine, basically if safe for fish should be ok for frogs.

Live plants are good in the sense they can suck up unwanted nutrients from the water. Even just a small handful of java or xmas moss in the water is good.

I try and feed them at least every other day. If a frog is skinny, offer food daily. If getting fat, flies are good exercise :sml2:

I have a feeling most people don't heat them. Keeping them indoors seems to be enough in most cases. However the growth rate with temps consistantly under 20C is very slow. They will actually survive in very minimal conditions. For example: a basking bulb is not really needed, but they seem to utilise it, and I think many frogs tanks are often overly humid, so the basking bulb helps to dry out the air along with raising temp aiding with digestion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you don't put a heater in the water or heat pad with thermostat under tank, it would be best to put a basking bulb of some sort. Then the frogs can warm up during the day.

How warm is the room it is kept in?

Compact fluro uvb bulbs give off a bit of heat especially if mounted in clamp lamp/dome shades as it sort of contains and directs the heat down.

That's all I use for light + basking for froglets :wink: . Once they get a bit of size on they go in bigger enclosures. Compact fluro's don't give off enough heat for bigger enclosures and or a large number of frogs though, so that's when I add basking bulbs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

We have a tailed froglet (front legs as of yesterday, vy excited 9yo & 6yo at our house!) - there are daphnia in his water - will he eat these now? They have been in there for the last 4 days or so and he hasn't touched them, but now that he is a froglet will he start eating insects, or will he not eat anything until his tail is absorbed?

Also when do I need to add other insects - when his tail is gone completely?

Frog newbie, sorry for all the Q!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I believe I have seen a published book on care of Golden Bells, I'll look around for it in the next few days and let you know if you can pick up a copy. gl, I don't think these frogs are very fussy about anything, just check for poisons on what you're giving them before hand (eg. Pine is toxic to them)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...