Red Webbed Gliding Frog Care

Thinking of adding a Red Webbed Gliding Frog to you family? Here's the information you need to know to get started!

Defining Characteristics

Name

Rhacophorus prominanus is commonly called the Red Webbed Gliding Frog in the hobby. Occasionally, Rhacophorus prominanus is referred to as the Malayan Flying Frog.

Housing

Housing captive bred Red webbed Gliding frogs will require at least a 20 gallon or 18x18x24 front opening enclosure. Tanks of this size house up to 3-4 adult frogs. Most of the time your frog will be perched on the glass or the decor in their enclosure. These frogs should be provided with a tropical level of UVB as they are mostly arboreal. Please keep in mind that wild caught gliding frogs tend to require much large enclosures to thrive, and even then may easily injure themselves as they jump around at night. The s ubstrate for these frog enclosures could be tackled from two different directions: naturalistic and artificial.

The naturalistic vivarium route will allow for live plants and microfauna to thrive. ABG is currently the best Bioactive substrate Josh’s frogs has to offer for plant growth and microfauna. This combined with our drainage layer on the bottom and sphagnum moss and leaf litter on top will keep your tank humid enough for this species of frog.
The artificial vivarium route uses Josh’s Frogs frog foam substrate. This will act as a reservoir for moisture in the tank and allow for easy cleaning regularly. You will want to provide your red webbed gliders a small water source that they can soak in at night.

Temperature

Red webbed gliders are ideally kept at about room temperature, in the low to mid 70s. Like many other tree frogs they can tolerate short bouts of temperature spikes into the low 80s. Keep in mind these frogs are a montane species that typically likes it cooler. Make sure to keep an eye on temperatures with a digital thermometer.

Humidity

Red webbed gliders can handle a wide range of humidity levels, but prefer a humidity level of 60-80%. Routine spraying and a full screen top are needed to provide proper humidity levels. Be sure to provide a shallow water dish in the enclosure so that your Red Webbed Gliders will not dry out in lower humidity. Make sure to measure humidity with a digital hygrometer.

Size

Adult Red webbed gliders are medium sized and have a small size different between males and females. An adult male may reach about 2.5 inches. Females will be a bit larger and bulkier than a male, and measure just over 3 inches. Juvenile Red webbed gliders will be about 1” long when they are sold at Josh’s Frogs.

Color/Pattern

Red webbed gliders are a jade green color with a prominent red splotch on the webbing between the third and fifth toes on the hind legs. They have a square shaped protrusion near the cloaca as adults.

Social Behavior

Red webbed gliders are mostly solitary but can be kept in small groups with little aggression being displayed outside of the breeding season.

Age

There isn't currently any good data surrounding the average lifespan of Red webbed gliders in captivity. Like most other tree frogs they will most likely live for up to 5 years, and probably longer with ideal care.

Feeding

Red webbed gliders are capable of eating crickets of varying sizes their whole lives. This can be supplemented with small dubia roaches, black soldier fly larvae, and the occasional waxworm (as a treat). At Josh’s Frogs, we feed our Red Webbed Gliders primarily 1/4"" crickets at the time of sale.

Sexing

Sexing adult Red webbed gliders can be fairly straightforward once they’re older, but can be difficult on younger animals. Once the frogs are about 12-14 months old they display obvious differences. Females are about 20% larger than males, and much more rotund with eggs visible when they are developed. Males are smaller, more slender, and typically call when kept in a wet or more humid environment.

Breeding

Red webbed gliders breed using foam nests and will affix a mucousy foam on the undersides of branches and leaves overhanging water. These frogs require cycling and a rain chamber to breed, much like other tropical tree frogs.

Natural Range

This species has been recorded from the foothills and mountains of the Main Range of Peninsular Malaysia at 250-1,100m asl, extending to Pattani, southern Thailand (Taylor, 1962 and Berry, 1975).

Josh's Frogs