# Heat for a White Tree Frog?



## Raych (Mar 1, 2010)

Hi I've read a few different variations of heat for white's and wanting to know what you keep yours on at?

I've attached my heat mat to the tank today (it's empty) to check temperatures and it's only reaching 25/26 mark and it's about 22/23 degrees naturally right now anyway, heat mats been on since 5/6pm and it's not gotten any higher or lower. (I have a mat stat on order)


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

you are were i was the other month i ran round here having a fit, your temps are fine tbh, i was getting 28ish with a heat mat, currently getting 25 without one, just exo 2.0, 5.0 and a 25w halogen. luckily i live in cornwall, my night temps drop to 18-20. one question, whats your mat stat set to and whats the heat on the glass where the mat is ?

they are more hardy than we give them credit for, the lads on here had to bring me back down to earth when i went pyscho trying to figure out how to get the heat high enough


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## Raych (Mar 1, 2010)

I don't have the mat stat yet, I'm bidding for a one on ebay, find out if I win it early hours of the morning. 

If I don't win it I get paid again tomorrow so I was going to order online as I found a rather cheap site. 

No pet shops I've been to sell the mat stat's. It's been a :censor: so I've been hoping to see if they'd be okay whilst I waited on delivery and put the heat mat up today. 

Since 10pm the temps been down to 23.

I just have a heat mat up against the glass (I hope it's the right way round). It doesn't feel anywhere near as hot as I thought it would.


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

Nope, they don't, they only give off a gentle heat, what wattage is it? I had a 14w and when the stat was set to30 it rarely reached it.


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## plasma234 (Feb 27, 2013)

Heat mats hit like 35-40 degrees max, which isn't that warm compared to your body heat, therefore your mat doesnt feel warm.


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## Raych (Mar 1, 2010)

I'll try find wattage in a bit, I'm sure it's not powerful at all. Max temp I've had is 26 and over night it was at 22/23. And that's with it being gorgeous and sunny atm.


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

Those temps should be more than enough and in winter you're going to have heating on etc, that'll counteract the drop, also mat will heat up better in the cold.


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## Raych (Mar 1, 2010)

Thanks, s/he is home and happy. Ate a mealworm and gave a good exploration of his tank. So funny the way they were climbing about the banana plant.

Sadly only have one as some numpty didn't mist the frogs and the little one who hadn't been eating well dehydrated. :sad: It's strange as they were the only ones who hadn't been misted.
My friend who worked there was away on holiday and only just got back today. So s/he is getting a friend on order.


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

trust me, I've been building away for months now lol and i got to the stage where i needed to sort out the heat and started running round like a madman asking everybody on here i know to help me, even all the local stores (cornwall has like 4 lol). and basically they all told me to calm down, stop being a spaz and milk frogs are tougher than i thought (milkies and white's are apparently very similar, i was originally going for white's)

good luck chuck


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## Raych (Mar 1, 2010)

I'm getting him/her a 30x30x45 exo terra as my local pet shop has them rather cheap hopefully next week if I get paid for my pet sitting job. 

So should I get a larger heat mat or a ceramic heater? Worried a ceramic bulb would be too hot for him/her. But then worried that a heat mat would be too cold. Cannot win.:blush:


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

what lights will you be using ? my empty planted tank is currently sat at 27/29 with exo 2.0 and 5.0 and a single 25w halogen in the exo hood. the lights may well be more than enough, you seem to be going round in circles with this question. 

again, i was in your situation and i looked at loads of routes, heat mats just dont really kick out that much heat, especially if the room is only 5c below what you are trying to achieve, in the winter a heat mat may well be needed, but for now, if you are getting 25c during the day and around 20 at night, ITS FINE. 

Whites are regarded as great for beginners because they are very hardy


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## Raych (Mar 1, 2010)

I know, I know, It's just it's Britain and although its a gorgeous heat wave this week, next week the weather could be piss poor. 

Would just rather have something that's good all year round, because come winter no doubt it'll be in the minus'. I was going to get a 2% UV bulb for day time and a moonlight bulb for the evening.


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

i was panicking when the temps in my room were around 17, but my viv was still at 25 with the lights. like i said, in the winter you'll probably have the radiator on, and if not, just whack a heat mat on the side of the tank on a heat mat stat and see what temps you are running.

i've been at this for only 6months or so now, built one viv and had it running now around 2-3months i think so i could get temps and eco system running properly. had a background issue so currently doing its replacement, still, as much as my heart melted when i saw the ickle milkies and i had to resist the urge to get em and stick em in a temporary tank, i can't, because i need to get their home up and running and be 100% ready for them. i dont want to sound like a [email protected] but i really can't stress how important it is to get the tanks up and running way in advance of getting the animal, this way you can experiment with how to heat and light it and then no need to worry about killing them when they get home


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## Raych (Mar 1, 2010)

I had done that with his/hers current tank, just the exo terra is nice and taller and will have a light canopy that would fit on so I can stop worrying about the plants dying on me. And front opening doors to get easier access to my lil baby.

I was going to do with this one what I did with the last one set it up, check it out for a few days if not a week, then add the frog. So I can keep the perfecto tank he/she's in for quarantine/spare. As my fanarium should have tadpoles in there soon :2thumb:

I'd have went for a 45x45x60 but a) I don't want them to have a nasty fall as they're smaller than my fire bellies at the moment. b) the table I keep my tanks on is actually too small to fit it on at the moment. 

I will eventually upgrade when both s/he is bigger and so is their friend. Tree frogs are curious and adventurous, like their set-up changed every now and then. (Or so my research tells me lol).


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

the tank you are wanting to put the frog in, run it with the light cycle you'll be doing, stick a thermo-hygrometer in it and check the temps during the day (when you are day off from work etc) and if you can, during the night or in the morning before it gets too light.

this will give you a good idea if you need a heat mat or not


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## Raych (Mar 1, 2010)

Good idea, I just worry about the colder weather is all. We don't leave the heating on a timer, so if we're out all day we'd need some sort of heater for it with the stat of course, so if the heating was on it'd switch itself off. 

I'm a student and a mom to an 18 month old so I spend a lot of time at home especially during holidays. The mister earns all the pennies :lol2:


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

get an oil filled radiator and plug it in in the winter, easier to heat up the room temps than one small box with mesh where heat can escape to the colder air around it


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## Raych (Mar 1, 2010)

We used to have a one of those back in the day when we lived in our little flat. Don't know what happened to it. Problem is the tank is in my sitting room where my son is. So until we move to a three bed it doesn't seem likely.


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

you'll have to see how it goes, if you cant provide him what he needs you may have to give him up.


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## Raych (Mar 1, 2010)

I just wanted to know whether to buy a ceramic heater or a heat mat.


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

Personally avoiding using a ceramic bulb with frogs. I'm not the one suggesting it wont be enough, you are lol. You wont really need the heat mat during the summer, a heat mat should be fine in winter, it would just be easier to have your room warm. If you have a tiny little 14w mat trying to heat up 28c surrounded by 15c air, you'll struggle to get that tiny little heat losing box to 28c


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