Agalychnis callidryas AKA Red Eyed Tree Frog
Agalychnis callidryas (Pronounced ah-gal-ick-niss cah-lih-dry-as), known as the Red Eyed Tree Frog, are green, orange, yellow, white, and blue frogs with bright, large red eyes. These larger tree frogs are nocturnal, so they’ll be active during the night. They are common in captivity and easy to care for, callidryas is a beauty of a frog, and great for beginners.
Quick Stats:
Minimum Enclosure: 45cmX45cmX61cm(18”X18”X24”)
Heat: 18°C-27°C (65°F-80°F)
Humidity: 50-90%
Food: Live Crickets
Description
Callidryas frogs are not too variable in their coloring, but they have a wide variety of colors present. Green bodies with orange feet and bright red eyes, these are the frogs people think of first when they hear “tree frog”. They have yellowish stripes fading into white or cream on their sides, and blue accents mixed into the cream on their sides and down onto their upper legs. Their bellies are white or cream coloured. This can vary somewhat in each individual frog. Red Eye Tree Frogs are fairly large in size, adult females can grow to a robust 76mm (3in) and males are slightly smaller at about 2.5”
Distribution and Natural Habitat of Agalychnis callidryas
Callidryas are native to neotropical forests in southern Mexico, across Central America, and into Colombia. These frogs are arboreal and typically make their homes on the leaves, bark, and branches of the trees in their habitat. Callidryas is considered by the IUCN Red List as “Least Concern”, making callidryas stable in the wild and very frequent inhabitants within their geographic range.
Behavior
The callidryas frogs are nocturnal meaning they are awake during the night. They are arboreal and typically prefer to stay above the ground of their regions. Callidryas live near streams and ponds, or right on the edge of slow moving water. Up in their trees, they sleep during the day, blending with the color of the leaf they have chosen. At night they come alive, hopping from location to location looking for food. While being frogs they are not very good swimmers and great care should be taken when making a suitable vivarium for them to live in. Once mature, the males will boldly perch in the open and call out to attract females. The callidryas call is quite loud and varied. The mating call is a loud “cheep cheep cheep”, but they have a variety of other sounds, from a typical croak to a deep purr.
Life in the Vivarium
Agalychnis frogs require a humidity range of 40-70%. Adolescents require more humidity while adults require less, and will be happiest around 50-60%. You can place a bromeliad or small shallow dish of water in the enclosure or add a pond feature to achieve this. Remember, callidryas cannot swim well, so ensure that the water source is shallow and easy to get out of. The water level should be no higher than the smallest frog can sit in with his head and upper torso out.
Callidryas thrive at temperatures near 24°C (76°F) but can survive a range of 18°C-27°C (65°F-80°F). Never exceed 29°C (85°F) as this can be fatal to the frogs. Generally a heat source such as a pad or light is not needed on a dart frog vivarium, apart from any lighting for plants. Do not rely on sunshine from a window, because the sun through the glass will heat up to extremely unsafe temperatures very quickly. Keep note of any air conditioning or heaters used in your home as well, as they may affect the temperature in your frog cage. These frogs will appreciate a slight temperature drop to the low 70s at night.
It is possible to temperately house a single juvenile callidryas in a 10 gallon aquarium. We recommend much larger than this, with 45cmX45cmX60cm(18”X18”X24”) being optimal for 2-4 frogs – but bigger is always better especially for groups.
As juveniles you can house several callidryas together, and as adults they do well in groups or colonies. Remember to increase the enclosure size the more frogs you add.
It is possible that your Agalychnis will live to 10+ years in a vivarium. Please consider this before deciding to take them home to your family. As with most amphibians they are considered a “hands off” pet similar to a fish. Due to their delicate and permeable skin, it is not advised to handle your frogs. The chemicals, oils and debris on your hands could prove fatal to your dart frog pet when it is absorbed through their skin. It is recommended that you wear powder free rubber gloves if you are required to handle your dart frogs. In an emergency, such as an escape from the enclosure, try to capture them as fast as possible (bare hands will do… if needed) as they will try to hide quickly, and unfortunately this will become fatal very rapidly.
callidryas require small live prey to hunt. This is easily achieved by providing them with crickets. Baby and juvenile callidryas will eat Drosophila hydei or pinhead crickets when they metamorphose into froglets. Young tree frogs have a fast metabolism and will require an appropriate sized prey as they grow. Crickets at 3-5 weeks of age are the correct size for adult callidryas. The flies and crickets on their own are a poor nutritional source. We recommend “dusting” or “Gut Loading” your fruit flies or crickets with a high quality vitamin and mineral supplement. We use and recommend Dendrocare all in one vitamin/mineral supplement. You can combine and use other supplements available to you, however please ensure you research what ratio or frequency you can supply vitamins as some can be lethal in high dosages.
It is recommended to build a bioactive vivarium or paludarium for your Red Eyed Tree Frogs This is achieved by introducing isopods and springtails into the environment. These little land crustaceans (no they are not insects!) will eat the decaying and decomposing bio matter as well as any excess feces in the vivarium. Some of these micro fauna may be eaten by your tree frog, as a little snack. Be sure to use sturdy plants that can handle the weight of the frogs sleeping on them.
As with all our frogs, we do not recommend that you house multiple species or morphs together. Please supply each group with a vivarium to call their own.
Breeding in Red Eye Tree Frogs Captivity
Callidryas are of above average difficulty to breed in captivity. The easiest way to identify males from females is to locate the croaking frogs at night. Those will always be male. Adult females will be more robust and slightly larger than the males. Begin by reducing misting to the enclosure, forcing a slightly drier season. Reduce the temperature to 21-22C (69.8-71.6F). Frogs may eat less during this time. After one month, return misting and temperature to normal. Feed more in the evening. At this point males should start calling. If females and males look to be in optimal condition, move the frogs to a rain chamber. Aim for 27C (80F) for the ambient temperature. Keep the enclosure extremely moist until eggs appear. Be sure to include several large, broad leaves for egg deposition. At 8-10 days the tadpoles will emerge and fall from the leaf into the pond. Once in the pond, they will eat commercial tadpole foods, dandelion leaves, algae wafers or even dead fruit flies until they emerge from the water. It takes approximately 80-100 days for tadpoles to metamorph into frogs.
Final Notes
Agalychnis callidryas are the stereotypical tree frog. With their beautiful greens, blues, oranges, and whites, they are stunning even when asleep. Their ease of care makes them popular with beginners, but their complicated breeding techniques make them exciting additions for the seasoned frog veteran as well.
