Defining Characteristics:

• Moderate to keep tree frog
• Bright green with black eyes
• Bold
• Moderately difficult to breed
• Loud call
• Large
• Can be housed in groups

Name: The Black-Eyed tree frog has a very obvious common name – it is a tree frog with dark black eyes! It’s scientific name is Agalychnis moreletii, which is named after Pierre-Marie Arthur Morelet, who was the collector of the syntypes. It is for this reason that Black-Eyed Tree frogs are also known as Morelet's Tree Frog.

Recommended Terrarium Size: Black-Eyed Tree Frogs are easy to house. Choose a large enclosure – an 18x18x24 Exo Terra Glass Terrarium is a good size for 2-4 juveniles or adults.

Opinions on substrates vary – we’ve had luck with finely ground ABG covered in sphagnum. If using sphagnum moss, make sure to press down the moss so it is flat – this will greatly reduce the risk of impaction. Paper towel will need to be changed 2-3 times a week.

Black-Eyed Tree Frogs need constant access to fresh, clean water – a large water bowl is a must! Use an easy to clean dish as the frog will be using it as a latrine and you will need to clean daily. Scrub the dish and disinfect with a 5% bleach solution or ReptiSan.

Want to make caring for your Black-Eyed Tree Frogs easy? Check out the Josh's Frogs Tree Frog Kits!

Temperature: They do best when kept in the mid 70s. At Josh's Frogs, we house our black eyes at 74-78F. Temperatures in the mid 80s F can quickly be fatal, especially when coupled with a lack of water or humidity. Measure temperature with a digital temperature gauge.

Humidity: Black-Eyed Tree Frogs require moderately high humidity, and are best kept at 60-70% humidity. Providing ventilation is very important - we recommend using at least a half screen top. Stagnant, humid conditions quickly lead to bacterial skin infections in Black-Eyed Tree Frogs. A large dish of clean water should always be provided. Monitor humidity with a digital hygrometer.

Size: At the time of sale, captive bred Black-Eyed tree frogs from Josh’s Frogs will measure about 1 inch and be between 8 and 10 weeks old. The Black-Eyes will quickly grow to 2 inches within another 3-4 months.

After about 10 months they will be nearly adult size, with males measuring about 2 1/2 inches and females another inch larger than the males.

Age: With proper care, Black-Eyed tree frogs can live up to and over 5 years. Reports of 8-10 year old animals abound, and many hobbyists routinely keep Black-Eyed tree frogs for 4-5 years.

All Black-Eyed tree frog froglets sold by Josh's Frogs are 8-10 weeks old.

Feeding: At the time of sale, captive bred Black-Eyed tree frogs from Josh’s Frogs have been chowing down on 1/4 inch crickets for several weeks and growing like weeds! The Black-Eyes will quickly grow to 2 inches within another 3-4 months and be large enough to eat 1/2 inch crickets.

As adults, Black-Eyes will easily eat 1/2-3/4 inch prey. All crickets should be dusted with a quality vitamin/mineral supplement. At Josh's Frogs, we dust with Repashy Calcium Plus, Rep-Cal Calcium with D3, and Rep-Cal Herptivite.

Sexing: Black-Eyed Tree Frogs are fairly easy to sex as adults. Females are much larger than males, with a wider and more stout head. Females will be about 1 inch longer than males, and are easily 50% heavier.

All Black-Eyed tree frog froglets sold by Josh's Frogs are unsexable.

Color/Pattern: In daylight Black-Eyedd tree frogs are bright green and sometimes come with a mottling of white spots, and conceal themselves by keeping their eyes closed, tucking their legs up against their bodies to hide bright orange/yellow sides, and to reduce exposed surface area, thus reducing water loss via evaporation. At night, when they are active, Black-Eyes are a purple or brown color.

Social Behavior: These frogs are easily kept in groups, especially when young. Make sure that all frogs are getting adequate food - sometimes froglets will out-compete each other. We house males and females separately at Josh's Frogs - males may bother females by constantly trying to mate. If this happens, separate the frogs or reduce the humidity. Josh's Frogs recommends purchasing multiple frogs if you are interested in breeding them – this greatly increases the chances of getting a pair.

Breeding: Black-Eyed tree frogs travel down to the forest floor in search of pools of water to breed. Eggs are laid on vegetation hanging above the pools. As the tadpoles hatch, they fall quite a distance (sometimes several meters) before splashing into the water. Tadpoles quickly grow in the pools, and can leave the water in 6-8 weeks. Young Black-Eyed tree frogs live around the edges of the pools, before making their way back up into the canopy. In captivity, Black-Eyes are typically bred in a rain chamber. Check out our video of Josh's Frogs Rain Chamber Setup.

Natural Range: In the wild, Black-Eyed tree frogs inhabit the canopy of lowland to montane moist forests. They have very fragmented populations in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras. They rely on camouflage to blend in, and do a great job during inactivity during the day!

History in the Hobby: Black-Eyed Tree Frogs have been a popular alternate to Red-Eyes in the amphibian hobby. That being said these are a beautiful species of frog! Since the CITES designation in 2010 all species in the genus Agalychnis have had their numbers imported from the wild largely reduced and controlled. Through our efforts, and the efforts of other dedicated hobbyists, we hope that the import of wild caught Black-Eyed Tree Frogs will stop in the near future.

Links of Interest:

• Amphibiaweb

Still not sure if Black-Eyed Tree Frogs from Josh's Frogs are the right pet frog for you? Read the reviews below and see what other customers are saying!