Defining Characteristics:

• Large size
• Low quaking call
• Green and bronze coloration
• Dark mask coloration over eyes

Name: Smilisca phaeota, or the Masked Tree Frog. This species is a cross-banded tree frog from Central and South America. Smilisca is from the Greek word "smiliskos" which means 'little knife', referring to the generas pointed frontoparietal processes. Phaeota stems from the Greek word "phaios" which means 'dark', likely referring the markings on the eyes.

Recommended Enclosure Size & Setup: Josh’s Frogs recommends that you keep this species in an 18x18x24 enclosure for multiple frogs and a 20 gallon high for a single adult. Younger frogs can be kept in smaller enclosures but will need to be upgraded once they reach adulthood.

For substrate, coco fiber or peat moss covered in a healthy layer of leaf litter will suffice but will need to be cleaned more frequently than a bioactive substrate such as Tropical BioBedding covered in leaf litter, which is preferred by many. 

Providing adequate climbing structures such as cork branches, manzanita wood, or vines are recommended. A bowl of fresh water that is either dechlorinated tap water or reconstituted RO/DI water should be provided every day.

Temperature (°F): Like many other tropical frogs, these frogs like to be kept between 72-78 degrees. This can be monitored with most digital thermometers or combometers.

Humidity: Like many other tropical frogs these frogs like to be kept between 50-70% humidity. As froglets, this tends to be on the higher side and sometimes closer to 80% to prevent desiccation. At any age, anything below 50% for prolonged periods of time can be dangerous. This can be monitored with most digital hygrometers or combometers.

Size: Masked Tree Frogs are relatively large tree frogs, capping out at just over 3 inches in length for females. Most often there will be some sexual dimorphism between the males and females, where females are on the larger end of the spectrum and males are closer to 2 inches as adults.

Froglets sold by Josh’s Frogs will be over 1 inch in length.

Age: Currently not much is known about the lifespan of these frogs, but looking at similar sized tree frogs, we can assume that they can live 10-15 years in captivity.

Masked Tree Frogs sold by Josh's Frogs are at least 8 weeks old at the time of sale.

Feeding: In the wild these frogs eat crickets and grasshoppers, spiders, and fly larvae. In captivity they should be fed gutloaded crickets dusted with a calcium/vitamin supplement to ensure they are receiving all of the nutrients they need. Crickets can be supplemented with appropriately sized dubias, and various types of other feeder worms.

At the time of sale these frogs will be eating three to four 1/4 inch gutloaded crickets 3 times a week.

Sexing: The easiest way to sex Masked Tree Frogs is by size. Females will be considerably larger than males. However, males will have visible nuptial pads on their inner front digits and mature females that are gravid will have visible eggs in the abdomen.

Color/Pattern: Masked Tree Frogs, as the name implies, have a “mask” from the nostril down to their forelimbs. These frogs have varying degrees of green and brown on their bodies in the wild. Our population tends to be on the greener side with some browns and bronzes thrown in. The green also tends to be closer to teal. The hind limbs usually have some sort of banding to them.

Josh's Frogs does not recommend, support, or endorse line breeding as we believe this leads to weaker captive animals, and nature has done a wonderful job of creating an amazing variation in color and pattern of frogs already.

Social Behavior: Masked Tree Frogs are solitary by nature and really only seek each other out to breed.

Breeding: Masked Tree Frogs lay their eggs in small pools in thin layers on the surface of the water. Females can lay up to 2,000 eggs at a time. Metamorphosis occurs about 40 days after hatching.

Josh's Frogs recommends purchasing multiple frogs if you are interested in breeding them – this greatly increases the chances of getting a pair.

Natural Range: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama

History in the Hobby: These frogs have primarily come into the Hobby as wild caught frogs. Josh’s Frogs is happy to be able to provide healthy captive-bred animals!

Links of Interest:

• Amphibiaweb - Masked Tree Frog
• Amfibios del Ecuador - Masked Tree Frog

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