| Common Names: | Australian White’s Tree Frog, Smiling Frog |
| Scientific Name: | Litoria caerulea |
| Origin: | Australia and New Guinea, all are captive bred |
| Size: | Four inches in length. |
| Sexing: | At one year of age, breeding males grow nuptial pads which are puffy pads where their "thumb" and "palm" meet. |
| Temperament: | Very tame, come to recognize owner. Can be hand fed. Salts on hands can harm them so wash before and after handling them. Can be safely housed with other White’s Tree Frogs, but not with smaller frogs which they like to eat. |
| Life Span: | Over 20 years. |
| Habitat: | Tank: Should have a ten gallon tank for one or two frogs. More will require more room; if crowded they may become cannibalistic. Make certain that they are well covered, as tree frogs can climb up glass. Also, the tanks must be well ventilated to prevent disease, so don’t use glass tops, use a screen cover. Tall tanks work just as well as long ones and hexagonal tanks are fine because tree frogs are arboreal (live in trees).
Substrate: Don’t use gravel or bark on the bottom, the frogs will swallow the gravel and it can become impacted in their digestive system. Use soil. Clean frequently to prevent the soil from becoming moldy, which can happen with the humidity levels these frogs require. Heating: Whites are nocturnal so provide an incandescent black light for heat. May also use an under tank heater but do not use heating rocks, which frogs may burn themselves on. The temperature should be about 80 to 84 degrees. Lighting: No day light is necessary. Stick to lights meant for nocturnal animals. Other: Provide plenty of things to climb on and hide in. Keep a dish of water in the tank for the frogs to sit in and keep the humidity moderate. Spray the tank at least twice a day to keep humidity up. |
| Food: | Crickets, earthworms, waxworms, and mealworms. Dust food with a vitamin powder. Can be fed in a separate container to keep them from ingesting their substrate. Feed every other day, about as much as they can immediately consume in a couple minutes. Gut load crickets by feeding them fish food, flake food, or special cricket food. |
