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| One of my P. sauvagei |
Waxy Monkey Tree Frogs
(Phyllomedusa Sauvagei)
Tank Size- For waxys monkey treefrogs ( I will be calling them waxys throughout this
caresheet) I would highly reccomend an extra tall tank. I think a 20 gallon tall tank for every waxy works great. For each
additional waxy, you should add about 10-15 gallons. These frogs hunt in the trees/branches so the decor above the ground
is more important that ground decor. I use about 3-4 branches in a 20 gallon tall. Manzanita is a great wood for them also,
especially snadblasted manzanita, because it is easy to clean, looks nice, and the waxys like perching on smooth branches.
A screen top is also very important for good ventilation with the hot temperatures.
Food- When waxys are babies, they will consume fruit flies, termites, springtails,
beetle larvae, lesser wax worms, parasitic wasps, and very small pinhead crickets. When babies, their food should be dusted
with a mineral supplement, I use "herptivite", very often to promote good growth. When waxys are sub-adults or adults, they
should be fed between 4-8 crickets every other day. The mineral supplement shouldn't be used as often for adults, but still
used. Adults can eat a variety of foods including: crickets of all sizes ( don't feed if it;s bigger than the frog's mouth
), mealworms ( these are really not a good food item, because the worm can scratch the frog's stomach from the inside, someone
reported this happening to a White's treefrog on the kingsnake treefrog forum), greater wax worms, earthworms, grasshoppers
( smaller ones, there's a product called 'Can O' Grasshoppers' but I have never tried it ), catepillars ( non toxic ones,
there is ' Can O' Catepillars also), baby madagascar hissing cock roaches, and a variety of other smaller roaches.
Temperature and Lighting- Waxys are from the Gran Chaco area in South America and
therefore need a dry, hot temperature. A regular temp. of around 77-78*F is good with a basking temp. of 90-95*F. For the
basking bulb, I use Zoo-Med 60 watt blue day bulbs, in a 20 gallon high tank. The wattage MAY need to increase for larger
tanks. Fluorescent lighting can also be provided. I was informed by Jason Holland that he uses Lighting from http://www.ahsupply.com . He uses the 96 watt bright kits and a 10,000k bulb.
Humidity- These frogs require a very low humidity. I listed above that they are from the Gran
Chaco area, and there is low humidity there. I usually keep my frogs at about 40-60% humidity, never above that.
Tank Decor- Tank decor is important in that the frogs need something to do. Although these frogs
bask and sleep all day, at night the venture out to hunt and take a dip in their water source. As I said before, 3-4 branches
in a 20 high are good. I have about 3 big branches and 3 small branches in a 55 gallon tank. Manzanita wood is great. For
bedding, you can use co-co fiber ( like bed-a-beast ), chemical free topsoil, or paper towels. I used to use paper towels
for easy cleaning, but have switched to 2 parts topsoil, 1 part sand, and 1 part bed-a-beast. Plants are not as important,
but add a nice touch to the tank. I use pothos, mother-in-law's tongue, and jade and change it's substrate. I change to pothos'
substrate to 2 parts bed-a-beast, 1 part chemical free topsoil, and 1 part sand. This provides a safe substrate that the plant
can live in and the frog won't be harmed by it either. Background is also very important. Cork bark, coco-fiber panels, regular
aquarium backgrounds, and construction paper can be used as backgrounds. I put an all black aquarium back ground on three
sides of the tank ( back and two sides) so that the frog feels comfortable and secure. http://www.blackjungle.com is a good source to buy cork bark and co-co panels. Check your local pet store for the other supplies.
Breeding- Breeding is not an easy task for this frogs, This spring I plan to attempt this process,
though. In order to breed waxys, you need to simulate a rainy season for them. A rain chamber works good for this. A rain
chamber is a large tank that has a false bottom, a pump under the false bottom, an external power filter outside the tank
that is connected to the pump, and a rain bar made of PVC pipe and is connected to the filter and returns water to the tank
in the form of rain. I have about a 95 gallon rain chamber, because I will only have about 4 frogs. I would not reccomend
this for beginers, because they lay many eggs and the work can be tremendous. Waxys lay eggs on leaves and then fold the leaves
over into a funnel shape.Make sure to hang the leaf(ves) over a water source so the tads can fall in to the water.
Tadpoles- The tadpoles of these frogs are mainly top and middle feeders. They should be fed a
variety of tropical fish foods. Waxys lay up to 700 eggs, but some are filled with water to keep the others moist. The tads
should be fine in an aquarium or a rubbermaid. Their temp. should be at 77*F. Live aquatic plants add more to the tank, and
I think the tads will eat them also. Extra food is always good. I think the whole tad development takes around a month for
it to be complete.
Further References-
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