RED-EYED FROG - Physical appearance, behavior and photos! | Miscellaneous 2024

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From southern Mexico to northern Colombia, we find the red-eyed tree frog or agalychnis callidryas. This amphibian stands out for its intense green color that highlights its red eyes, although it can also be found in other colors. It is a very striking frog and currently it is not found on all continents because its breeding is difficult, its maintenance is very specific and its activity is nocturnal.

Find out everything you need to know about the red-eyed tree frog in this PlanèteAnimal sheet and let yourself be surprised by its wonderful colors!

Origin

  • America
  • Colombia
  • Mexico

Physical appearance

Without a doubt, the physical appearance of the red-eyed tree frog is spectacular, we can rejoice just to see it and it is a frog with wonderful and strident colors. Although usually a striking green color, the red-eyed tree frog can be found blue or yellow, although the frog's eyes are always bright red. There are small details on its body such as shades of orange on the legs and blue on certain parts of the body.

They show a slight sexual dimorphism, the males being smaller and the females a little larger. The legs have unique adhesive discs, specific to be able to jump and climb correctly in the undergrowth of their habitat.

Finally, it should be noted that the red color of the eyes of the red-eyed tree frog is due to its toxicity: it warns animals that it has toxins in its body ready to act. They also give off a very strong smell of garlic which has a deterrent effect.

Behaviour

The red-eyed tree frog, as we mentioned, is a tree frog because it usually takes refuge in the heights offered by bushes and trees. Although they are capable of jumping (their adhesive discs are highly developed), the characteristic that really allows them to survive is their ability to climb.

If what we are looking for is a frog to appreciate its beauty, you have found the ideal specimen, but that's not all: the red-eyed tree frog is a nocturnal specimen, that's why we will find it active at certain times of the night.

Agalychnis callidryas feeding

The red-eyed tree frog feeds mainly on flies and crickets although these must be specific, the Acheta are perfect for example. You can sprinkle vitamin supplements on the insects you feed them to improve their nutrient intake.Other food options are mealworm, galleria melonella or agallychnis.

We must ensure that the frog eats properly, so it is advisable to observe it whenever we can.

Caring for a Red-Eyed Tree Frog

The care we have to give to our red-eyed tree frog is not very particular, it is similar to what we would give to any other frog. Red-eyed tree frog care is as follows:

The first thing to do is to find a terrarium for our frog: we will look for a large terrarium of at least 60 - 70 cm in which we can place branches for the frog to climb. The terrarium must be ventilated.

It is very important to meet its humidity and temperature needs, in order to recreate its original climate. To do this, we will need 80% humidity, which will be improved by spraying the terrarium once a day and providing it with a small basin where the animal can bathe.While the temperature should be around 22 or 24 ºC during the day and 16 or 18 ºC at night, you can use an automatic timer. Finally, it should be noted that we must have a light on above the terrarium approximately 12 hours a day as a fake sun.

If your tree frog suddenly changes color, it means that we are not meeting its basic needs.

To finish with care, it should be noted that the frog must be able to take advantage of plants and branches where it can climb regularly. We can use large trunks and leaves of considerable size. A recommendation may be plants of the philodendron genus although you will need to install a specific type of grolux light to maintain plant growth.

Red-eyed tree frog pictures

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