Tree frogs are amphibians that depend on specific food and water sources to thrive, especially in captivity under human care. Understanding their unique dietary and hydration needs is important for their long-term health and well-being.
The Tree Frog Diet
In their natural habitats, tree frogs primarily consume small insects and invertebrates, such as crickets, flies, and worms, establishing them as insectivores. In captivity, common feeder insects include crickets, dubia roaches, and black soldier fly larvae. Mealworms and waxworms can also be offered, but mealworms should be given in moderation due to their harder exoskeletons, and waxworms as occasional treats due to their high fat content.
Gut-loading feeder insects is essential; they are fed a nutritious diet for 24 to 72 hours before being offered to the frog. This enhances the nutritional value transferred. Gut-loading diets can include dark leafy greens, carrots, sweet potato, squash, and various fruits.
Feeder insects should also be dusted with calcium and multivitamin supplements to prevent nutritional deficiencies like metabolic bone disease. Adult frogs require calcium supplementation at each feeding and a multivitamin two to three times per week, while juveniles may need daily supplementation. Tree frogs eat live, moving prey, detecting food through motion and swallowing it whole.
How Tree Frogs Hydrate
Tree frogs hydrate uniquely, not by drinking through their mouths like mammals. Instead, they absorb water directly through their highly permeable skin, a process known as cutaneous absorption. A specialized region on their belly and inner thighs, called the “drinking patch” or pelvic patch, is adapted for efficient water uptake.
This specialized skin allows them to absorb water from moist surfaces, dew, or standing water through osmosis. Studies indicate that tree frogs can absorb a substantial amount of water, with some species absorbing up to 60% of each water droplet that lands on their skin.
Caring for Tree Frog Nutrition and Water
Provide a shallow, sturdy water dish with clean, dechlorinated water, changing it daily to prevent bacterial growth. Tap water must be treated with a dechlorinator or allowed to sit for 24 to 48 hours to remove chlorine. Distilled or softened water is unsuitable as it lacks minerals and salts frogs absorb through their skin.
Regular misting of the enclosure is necessary to maintain high humidity levels, ideally between 70% and 90%, for skin hydration. This misting helps mimic their natural environment. Juvenile tree frogs should be fed daily, while adult frogs can be fed every other day or two to three times per week. The size of the prey offered should not exceed the width of the frog’s head, specifically no larger than the space between its eyes, to prevent choking or impaction.