Hyalinobatrachium valerioi AKA Reticulated Glass Frog
Hyalinobatrachium valerioi (Pronounced high-ah-leen-oh-bat-rack-ee-um val-or-ee-eye , also known as the Reticulated Glass Frog (which is much easier to say!) They are green, milky white, and you can see through their undersides! The adults are approximately 2.5cm (1 inch) in size, and they like to be in groups. Glass frogs can difficult to breed, and even harder to raise their tadpoles as it takes a long time for them to metamorphosis into froglets!!
Quick Stats:
Enclosure: 45cmX45cmX61cm (18”X18”X24”),
Heat: 18°C-27°C (65°F-80°F)
Humidity: 75-99%
Food: Juveniles D. melanogaster, Adults D. hydei, isopods, springtails.
Lifespan: 8-10+ years
Description
Hyalinobatrachium valerioi Glass Frog are not particularly variable in color. They are green frogs with big yellow eyes and black pupils. Their sides are white or cream, and their legs are clear. Their undersides are cream or white and also semi-opaque, so you can see their insides. This can vary somewhat in each individual frog. Large females measure in at about 26mm (1 inch), with males being slightly smaller at 19-20mm (3/4 inch). Males often appear smaller than females, but these frogs can be difficult to sex unless you happen so see eggs in a mature female.
Distribution and Natural Habitat of Hyalinobatrachium valerioi Glass Frogs
Hyalinobatrachium valerioi Glass Frogs can be found in Central Costa Rica, and south to Panama into the slopes of Colombia and Ecuador. This species is arboreal and likes to stick to the undersides of broad leaves. Valerioi is considered by the IUCN Red List as “Least Concern”, but valerioi frogs are under constant threat of agriculture, human collection, and deforestation.
Behavior
Hyalinobatrachium valerioi glass frogs are nocturnal meaning they are awake during the night. Males, however, will stay awake during the day if they are guarding eggs. They are terrestrial and live in the understory of the rainforests they inhabit. In the wild they are constantly foraging for small insects, invertebrates and arthropods in the plants they inhabit. 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 on a rock, log or leaves and call out to attract females. The valerioi call is a sounds like a small bird “peep peep” sometimes ending with a flourishing trill. It’s quite soft and will not bother sensitive ears. When a female selects a male, she will caress and gently pet his back to tell him she is ready to mate. The male will then hop away to a nice quiet place, with the female close behind. Typically valerioi can be housed communally, but occasionally you may have to separate males who are moody due to mating season.
Life in the Vivarium
Hyalinobatrachium valerioi Glass Frogs require a humidity range of 75-100%. Do not drop below 75% humidity with these frogs. You can place a bromeliad or small shallow dish of water in the enclosure or add a pond feature to achieve this. Remember, valerioi cannot swim well, so ensure that the water source is shallow and easy to get out of.
Valerioi thrive at temperatures near 21°C (70°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 vivarium.
It is possible to house a single valerioi in a 10 gallon aquarium, but we recommend that you use a minimum 45cmX45cmX45cm (18”X18”X18”) enclosure – bigger is always better as they will appreciate any height and larger leaved plants provided! This size vivarium is suitable to house 2-3 adult valerioi. These frogs will prefer height to width if you decide to increase their enclosure size or have more frogs.
You can house several valerioi together, however always watch for males having spats during mating season. Usually removing the single offender will solve the problem should it ever arise. The size of the vivarium provided and the individual personalities of each animal will dictate how many frogs you can keep in an enclosure. It is quite common for hobbyists to keep very large enclosures for colonies of these frogs. Consider ten gallons per frog when deciding how many animals to put in an enclosure.
The lifespan in captivity of Hyalinobatrachium valerioi Glass Frog is mostly unknown, however you can expect 8-10+ years. 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 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.
Hyalinobatrachium valerioi Glass Frogs require small live prey to hunt. This is easily achieved by providing them with flightless or wingless fruit flies. Baby and juvenile valerioi will eat Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, and the adults will hunt for Drosophila hydei. However the flies on their own are a poor nutritional source. We recommend “dusting” your fruit flies 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 for your glass 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 will be eaten by your dart frog, as a little snack.
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 Hyalinobatrachium valerioi Glass Frogs in Captivity
Hyalinobatrachium valerioi Glass Frogs have proven to be a challenge to breed well in captivity. At Jungle Jewel Exotics, we have been working with these frogs for many years. We have had a many successful hatches, and tadpoles a number of times now. This species of frog is not recommended to beginners for breeding at and should be left to more advance keepers to try and riddle out their requirements. Hopefully they will breed well in captivity once more is known about their needs. First, the male starts by calling to a female. When the pair are ready, the female will glue around 20-35 eggs on the underside of a leaf, over a pond. The male will guard these eggs the whole time they are stuck to the leaf, right up until they hatch. Males will guard up to seven clutches of eggs, often from different females, at a time. He watches for predators during the day, disrupting his own natural sleep cycle to protect his young. Once the eggs hatch, they will drop from the leaf into the water below. The tadpoles will then be contained to their pond until they grow legs and are able to hop away approximately one year later. The tiny tadpoles are also fairly opaque and prefer to hide in the rock and debris of their water source. Unfortunately it is this long period as a tadpole that has proven to be the most challenging for us to raise the glass frog tadpoles. While we have had limited success raising young glass frogs, we still have lots to learn to perfectly imitate nature.
Final Notes
Hyalinobatrachium valerioi are absolutely amazing frogs that are always neat to look at, making them easily one of our favorite frogs to work with! When they stick to the glass of their vivarium you can see all of their organs, even watching their little hearts beat! They are nocturnal, but the males stay awake to guard their eggs, making them almost completely unique in that respect. These little wonders are best kept by advance keepers until larger numbers of them can be established in captivity.
