White's Tree Frog
Litoria caerulea
1. Tall Perches, Open Airflow & Nightly Hot Tub Bowl
2. Two Great Ways to Set Up Your Habitat
Flooring: Leaf Blanket / Frog Foam vs. Bowl Feeding
White's Tree Frogs tackle bugs like linebackers—so you don't want them swallowing mouthfuls of loose bark!
Option A: Thick Leaf Litter Over Soil (Or Washable Frog Foam)
Cover moist reptile soil with a thick 2" layer of big Magnolia or Sea Grape leaves (and seed with Dwarf White or Powder Orange Isopods + Springtails) so dirt never sticks to their tongue.
Option B: Tong-Feeding or Escape-Proof Bug Bowl
Handing them bugs with rubber-tipped tongs or dropping roaches/worms in a smooth glass bowl keeps every bite clean.
Low-Output UVB vs. Calcium + D3 Dust
Even though they hunt at night, they often snooze out in the open on top branches during the day:
Option A: 5%–6% Shade UVB Over the Top Branch
Great for strong bones and makes their mint-green, teal-blue, or white-speckled morph colors pop!
Option B: LED Light + Scheduled Calcium w/ D3 Dusting
Works great as long as you stay on top of dusting their bugs with Calcium + D3 and an Amphibian Vitamin A supplement.
Solo Frog vs. Frog Squad (Watch Size Differences!)
White's Tree Frogs love hanging out in a pile together—with one huge rule:
Option A: Single Frog in an 18"×18"×24" Tall Tank
Super easy to track how many crickets they're eating.
Option B: 2–3 Frogs of the EXACT Same Body Size (24"×18"×24"+)
Big No-No: never put a big adult with a little baby! White's Tree Frogs have zero filter—if a smaller frog fits in their mouth, they will eat their roommate!
3. Feeding Guide (Warning: They Will Beg Like Dogs!)
Favorite Dumpy Frog Bugs:
Gets them hopping & exercising at night
Awesome lean protein in a smooth bug bowl
Soft, juicy favorites (expect happy frog lunges!)
Super fatty—save for a rare birthday treat!
4. Four Keys to a Happy, Thriving White's Tree Frog
Wet Hands or Gloves!
They tolerate brief handling way better than Dart Frogs, but human hand oils and soap still sting their skin. Rinse your hands in dechlorinated water (or wear nitrile gloves) before picking them up!
Skip Heavy Misting!
Keeping a White's Tree Frog in a soggy, unventilated 90% humidity tank causes bacterial skin infections (little neon green spots). Keep the screen top open and let the water bowl do the hydrating!
The Morning Bowl Scrub
Every single night, your frog will sit in its water bowl like a hot tub—and promptly poop in it! Dump, scrub with hot water, and refill with fresh dechlorinated water every morning.
Thick Branches Only
Full-grown Dumpies are heavy! Give them thick cork branches, horizontal bamboo bars, and magnetic frog ledges rather than skinny twigs.
Bring-Home Shopping Checklist
Tap items to check them off on your phone while you shop at Critter Cabana.
Tall Screen-Top Tank & Perches
Gentle Heat, Gauges & Hot-Tub Bowl
Live Bugs & Supplements
Complete Reference Notes & Oregon Keeping Guide
Species: Litoria caerulea (Dumpy Tree Frog) | Difficulty: 1/5 — Beginner | Hardiness: 4/5 — Hardy
Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply — Keeping Your Pet Healthy & Thriving
At a Glance
| Common Name | White's Tree Frog, Dumpy Tree Frog |
| Species | Litoria caerulea |
| Origin | Canopies and forests of Australia and Indonesia |
| Adult Size | 4 to 5 inches |
| Lifespan | 10 to 15 years |
| Diet Type | Insectivore (Crickets, roaches, earthworms) |
| Activity | Nocturnal (They sleep stuck to the glass during the day and hunt at night) |
| Temperament | Incredibly docile, calm, and outgoing. Unlike dart frogs, they are not skittish and will readily take food from tongs. |
| Handleability | Good (for an amphibian). While you should generally avoid handling amphibians due to the toxic oils on human skin, White's Tree Frogs have a thicker cuticle and tolerate occasional handling well if your hands are washed and wet with dechlorinated water. |
| Difficulty | 1/5 — Beginner (The best pet frog for beginners) |
| Hardiness | 4/5 — Hardy (Forgiving of minor temperature and humidity fluctuations) |
Why We Love Them: The "Dumpy" Tree Frog is famous for its permanent, cartoonish smile and chubby folds of skin. They are bold, excellent eaters, and very active at night. Their relaxed demeanor makes them a joy to interact with.
Housing & Enclosure
Terrarium Setup
- Type: Arboreal. They need height, not floor space.
- Size: An 18" x 18" x 24" tall front-opening terrarium (like Exo Terra) is the minimum for 1 to 2 adults.
- Decor: They require thick, sturdy branches (like cork bark tubes or ghost wood) to perch on. They also love large-leaved plants (like Pothos or Snake Plants) and hollow bamboo tubes to sleep in during the day.
Substrate (Bioactive Recommended)
- Use a moisture-retaining substrate like Coco Coir (Eco-Earth) or a bioactive soil mix (ReptiSoil).
- Bioactive Setup: A drainage layer (hydroballs), a mesh barrier, substrate, leaf litter, and live plants. Adding springtails and isopods will consume mold and frog waste, creating a self-cleaning ecosystem.
Environment & Husbandry
Temperature & Heating
- Daytime Ambient: 75-80°F.
- Basking Spot: Provide a low-wattage heat lamp near the top of the enclosure to create a basking area of 82-85°F.
- Nighttime Drop: Temperatures can safely drop to 68-72°F at night.
Lighting & Humidity
- Lighting: A low-level UVB bulb (like a Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0) is highly recommended for bone health.
- Humidity: Maintain 50-70% humidity. Mist the enclosure heavily once a day (preferably in the evening). Allow the enclosure to dry out slightly between mistings; stagnant, constantly wet air will cause bacterial infections.
- Water: Provide a large, shallow water dish. Always treat the water with a dechlorinator (like Seachem Prime or ReptiSafe).
Diet & Feeding
- Staple Diet: Dubia roaches, crickets, and earthworms.
- The "Dumpy" Warning: They are prone to obesity. Overfed frogs will develop massive, fatty ridges over their eyes that can actually fold over and blind them.
- Schedule:
- Babies: Feed 3-4 small insects daily.
- Adults: Feed 3-5 large insects every 2-3 days.
- Supplementation: Dust insects with Calcium + D3 twice a week, and a multivitamin once a week.
What We Stock & Use in Our Stores
| Category | Product | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | Exo Terra 18x18x24 Terrarium | Ideal height and ventilation for tree frogs |
| Lighting | Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 UVB Mini Compact | Safe, low-level UVB |
| Water | Zoo Med ReptiSafe Water Conditioner | Essential for removing chlorine and chloramines |
| Decor | Zoo Med Natural Cork Bark (Tubes) | Excellent for perching and hiding |
Care sheet compiled by Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply.
Last updated: 2026-08-04
How We Keep Them at Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply
- Beating Dry Oregon Furnace Air (and Summer Heat Spikes): Across the Willamette Valley and Portland Metro, running the house furnace all winter drops indoor humidity to 25–35%, which quickly causes stuck sheds and dehydration in screen-top tanks. To hold
50-70%reliably for White's Tree Frog, our crew uses a deep 3–5" substrate bed (or our store-shelf 10-Part Bioactive Mix of ReptiSoil, Coco Fiber, Orchiata Bark, Sphagnum Moss, and Leaf Litter), a dedicated humid hide packed with damp sphagnum moss, and partial screen cover when needed. - Thermostat & Linear UVB Standard: Every heating element in our Newberg and Gresham reptile rooms runs on a thermostat probe set to
75-85°Fon the warm side with acomfortable room temperaturecool retreat, paired withspecies-appropriate lightingon a 12-hour day/night timer. In summer, if an upstairs room climbs above 82°F, a dimming thermostat automatically backs down the basking lamp so the cool side never overheats. - Stocked at Newberg & Gresham: We stock reptile enclosures, thermostats, Arcadia & Zoo Med UVB lighting, bioactive substrate ingredients, live Springtails, Dwarf White, Powder Blue/Orange, Dairy Cow, and Giant Canyon isopods, and gut-loaded crickets, dubia roaches, hornworms, and frozen-thawed rodents at Critter Cabana (Newberg) and Gresham Pet Supply.
Common Questions (FAQ)
What size tank does an adult White's Tree Frog actually need?
An adult White's Tree Frog needs at least 20 Gallon Tall (Arboreal) so you can maintain a true thermal gradient from 75-85°F on the warm/basking side down to comfortable room temperature on the cool side.
How do I keep White's Tree Frog humidity at 50-70% during dry Oregon winters?
Oregon winter furnace heat dries out thin bedding fast. Use a 3–5 inch moisture-retaining substrate mix (such as Zoo Med ReptiSoil blended with coco fiber, Orchiata bark, and sphagnum moss), provide an enclosed humid hide, and cover 50–70% of an open screen top with HVAC foil tape or a PVC panel if ambient humidity drops too low.
What is the best bioactive clean-up crew for a White's Tree Frog?
Pair Temperate White Springtails with a humidity-matched isopod species (such as Powder Blue/Orange for semi-arid setups or Dwarf White / Dairy Cow isopods for humid forest setups) in a 3–5 inch bioactive soil and leaf-litter bed. You can pick up our 1-Page or Tri-Fold Bioactive Substrate Recipe Guide and live cultures at Critter Cabana (Newberg) or Gresham Pet Supply.
Where can I get White's Tree Frog setup supplies, live feeders, and thermostats in Oregon?
We stock our full reptile, amphibian, and bioactive setup supplies—including enclosures, thermostats, Arcadia and Zoo Med UVB lighting, bioactive substrates, live isopods/springtails, and live or frozen feeders—at Critter Cabana in Newberg (514 E First St, 503-537-2887) and Gresham Pet Supply (2185 NW Burnside Rd, 503-665-7606).
