Josh's Frogs
Amazon Milk Frog Care Sheet
Amazon Milk Frog Care
Amazon Milk Frogs are one of the larger tree frogs in captivity. They are big, bold, easily handled when mature, and visually striking with their brown and white stripes, and blue toes. Amazon Milk frogs have a loud call at night.
Amazon Milk Frogs are also sometimes called Gold Mission Frogs due to their peculiar eyes.
Trade Name(s)
These frogs are most commonly called ' Amazon Milk Frogs' presently, due to the milky white secretions that are released from the frog's back when threatened (this rarely occurs with captive bred animals). In the past, Amazon Milk Frogs have also been called Amazon Cave Frogs, and Gold Mission Frogs, due to black markings on their eyes that resemble crucifixes.Family & Scientific Name
Hylidae; Trachycephalus resinifictrix
Range & Origin
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago, French Guiana, British Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Basically, Amazon Milk Frogs can be found throughout the Amazonian Basin, below 800m in elevation.Adult Size
Adult Amazon Milk frogs can measure from 3” to 5”, with females being larger than males. Amazon Milk Frogs will continue to grow throughout their lives, and older animals can be quite large. The amazon milk frogs sold by Josh's Frogs measure about 1-1.25"" long, and are eating 1/4"" crickets.
Adult amazon milk frogs can get quite large.
Life Span
Captive life span of the Amazon Milk Frog is unknown, but suspected to be in the 5-10 year range, based on experience with similar species. Amazon milk frogs are 8-12 weeks old when sold by Josh's Frogs.Enclosure
Being large frogs, Amazon Milk Frogs require a large enclosure. A 29g aquarium or 18x18x24 Terrarium is a good sized enclosure for 2-4 Amazon Milk Frogs. The enclosure should provide plenty of perching areas, such as wood branches or vines, as well as live plants or fake plants. A large water bowl is a necessity. Josh's Frogs offers Complete Tree Frog Kits that are perfect for Amazon Milk Frogs.Substrate
For younger Amazon Milk Frogs, moist paper towel or long fiber sphagnum moss is preferred. Adult Amazon Milk Frogs can also be kept above water instead of a substrate. All substrate should be changed frequently.Temperature
Amazon Milk Frogs can tolerate temperatures between 70-85F, and seem very tolerant of temperature swings. Ideally, keep Amazon Milk Frogs in the mid/high 70s. A 5-10F temperature drop at night is ideal. A good Thermometer and Hygrometer is recommended to keep track of environmental conditions.Social Structure
Amazon Milk Frogs do great in groups. Overly amorous males may harass females on occasional, but Amazon Milk Frogs typically coexist peacefully in groups.Diet
Amazon Milk Frogs are voracious eaters, consuming anything that moves and fits into their mouth. A staple diet of appropriately sized crickets is a great place to start. Add other feeder insects such as wax worms, roaches, horn worms, and meal worms, with the occasional pinky mouse appreciated. All feeder insects should be dusted with the proper vitamin/mineral supplement. Josh's Frogs sells Amazon milk frogs that are eating 1/4"" crickets. Try house flies for an entertaining treat!
Many feeder insects can be kept easily at home with care kits, such as the Cricket Care Kit above from Josh's Frogs.
Cleaning
Amazon Milk Frogs are big frogs, and as such, can make a big mess. Water bowls should be cleaned daily and scrubbed out with hot water. Change the substrate at least once a week, and clean the enclosure and decor with a 5% bleach solution. If paper towel is used as a substrate, it should be cleaned daily.Handling
Young Amazon Milk Frogs can be fragile, and should not be handled on a regular basis. However, once your Amazon Milk Frog is 2” or larger, it can be handled with some frequency. Make sure to moisten your hands before handling your Amazon Milk Frog, and always wash with warm water and soap afterward.
Handling young Amazon milk frogs is not recommended, but adults will tolerate occasional handling.
Conclusion
Amazon Milk Frogs continue to grow in popularity. These large, bold, easily kept frogs win people over with their attractive pattern and ease of care.
Check out captive bred Amazon Milk Frogs for SALE at Josh's Frogs by clicking HERE. We breed all the Amazon Milk Frogs we sell right here in our facility to ensure quality, healthy captive bred animals.
Want to make caring for your pet Amazon Milk Frogs easier? Thinking about getting Amazon Milk Frogs and want to get all the supplies you need cheaply, at one place, and with great customer service? Then check out Josh's Frogs Tree Frog Kits by clicking the button below:
[button-green url="http://www.joshsfrogs.com/complete-care-kits/frog-kits/tree-frog-kits.html" target="_self" position="center "]Tree Frog Care Kits at Josh's Frogs[/button-green]For more information, Josh's Frogs recommends visiting the following websites:
Wikipedia - Amazon Milk Frog natural history and information.
Amphibian Care - Good Amazon Milk Frog Caresheet by Devin Edmonds, a very accomplished frog hobbyist and researcher.
American Museum of Natural History - Everything you could ever want to know about the natural history and classification of the Amazon Milk Frog, from a very reliable source.