White's Tree Frog (Dumpy Frog)

This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.

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White's tree frogs, also called dumpy frogs, are the stout green or blue-green climbers from Australia and New Guinea. Adults are about 3 to 5 inches, calm enough to handle, and often live 16 to 20 years. That combination is why they show up on beginner lists. The mistakes are a swampy tank, a cricket every time the frog blinks, and soap on the hands.

Tall tank, moderate damp

An 18 by 18 by 24 inch vertical enclosure suits one or two adults. Give branches and a hide up off the floor. Daytime temperatures of 75 to 85°F, a mild night drop, and humidity around 50 to 70 percent match the quick facts. Mist so the frog can drink droplets, then let the surfaces dry a bit. A water bowl that is cleaned often matters more than a waterfall feature. Low-level UVB is useful alongside calcium-dusted insects. Substrate can be a soil mix that drains, or a simple paper-towel quarantine setup while you learn the animal.

Insects, waistline, skin

Crickets, dubia roaches, and earthworms, dusted with calcium and a rotating multivitamin, are the diet. Adults eat every couple of days. A frog that is wider than it is long, with folds of fat over the eyes, is overfed. Juveniles eat more often and should still be calcium-dusted so the bones mineralize.

Handle with rinsed, wet hands. Five minutes is plenty. They secrete mild protective slime. Wash your hands after. Do not mix species, and quarantine new frogs. Skin that looks reddish, fuzzy, or shed in patches that stick is a humidity or infection problem, not a color morph.

The ARAV vet directory is how you find someone who will see a frog. Loss of appetite and sitting on the ground all day, for a climber, is the picture on the not-eating page. The checker helps with urgency. Animal and setup often fall in the $250 to $900 first-year band in the quick facts. This is a sound first amphibian for someone who will keep the feeding scoop small.

Dumpy frog humidity and handling

What temperature and humidity do they need?

Days around 75 to 85°F and humidity about 50 to 70 percent, with a water dish. They are not a swamp setup. Soaking substrate all the time leads to skin problems.

Can you hold them?

Briefly, with clean, wet hands and no soap residue. They tolerate handling better than most frogs and still dry out if they become a classroom mascot.

How often do adults eat?

Every two or three days, not every time they look at you. White's tree frogs get obese, and a fat frog is not a healthy frog.

How long do they live?

Often 16 to 20 years in good care. The beginner label in the quick facts is fair. The lifespan is still a long one.