care sheets
hyperolius mitchelli
Size and lifespan
​
Hyperolius mitchelli is a small reed frog species native to East Africa. The species is active in the evening / night and the adult frogs remain about 2-3 cm in size. Males croak at night and often stay smaller than females. The lifespan of the species in captivity is estimated at about 3-5 years. It is possible to house just one or multiple frogs in one terrarium. However, I would recommend to buy a group, as the species hides a lot. If there are more than just one individual in the terrarium, it is more likely that you will see some of the frogs when the lights go out.
​
Frogs should never be handled unless you need to move them a new terrarium, for example, or catch an escaped frog. The skin of frogs is very sensitive and easily absorbs chemical residues that may be in the human hand. These chemicals are absorbed into the frog’s body, which is obviously not a good thing. In general, handling the frog should not be mandatory, but in such a situation it would be good to wash your hands and then rinse them thoroughly. It is always best not to touch the frog and catch it with some kind of deep cup instead.
Terrarium
​
The terrarium should have a larger water bowl with at least 5 cm of water in it. Other option is to turn the terrarium into a paludarium. The species’ way of escaping from predators, is to jump into the water. In a shallow water cup, the frog can bump to the bottom and hurt itself. Individuals of the species are generally good swimmers, so they do not easily drown unlike Amazon milk frogs, for example.
​
I definitely recommend making the terrarium bioactive. A bioactive terrarium means that it is "alive". Bioactive terrariums have live plants and “janitor” insects to take care of the terrarium. Springtails and tropical isopods like the dwarf white isopods make great janitors. The janitors are the ones that make the terrarium bioactive, as they keep the terrarium soil in a good condition for the plants to grow. Springtails mainly eat mold, meaning they prevent soil from molding. Isopods eat frog dead leaves that have fallen from plants and all kinds of other dead material like frog poo.
​
The terrarium should be full of plants and sticks, so that the frogs have lots of places to hide and climb. Broad-leaved bromeliads and begonias are good plants for the terrarium. Bromeliads or other similar plants in particular are good to be in the terrarium, so that the frogs can hide between the leaves and croak on them at night. The croaking of the males starts in the evening when the lights go out and it can be very loud at times.
​
Plants purchased from stores should be rinsed very thoroughly with water before planting in the terrarium, in order to wipe out any chemical residues. Plant soil should also be rinsed off and try to get the roots as clean as possible. This is to avoid any unwanted pests that may come with the soil. These frogs are so light that the leaves of even the smaller bromeliads or other similar plants can easily hold the frogs on their leaves. When frightened, the frogs might start to jump around very rapidly, as they look for a place water to escape(usually the water bowl). For this reason, the terrarium should definitely be a front-opening one. The sliding doors or hinged doors can be opened only slightly when feeding or misting the frogs. If the terrarium has a lid on top, the entire terrarium will be completely open and the risk of escape is higher. When the lid is closed, the frog may also get stuck between the terrarium and the lid and be injured, or even die. And of course, since this is a small species, all the small holes in the terrarium need to be covered and make it escape-proof.
​
As a climbing species, this species appreciates the height of the terrarium. However, since the species is small and need to have access to water when needed, it is also good to consider this when buying a terrarium. I house 3 adult frogs in a 50 x 30 x 40 cm terrarium.
​
Humidity and temperature
​
The species requires a heavy misting once every evening, so that the humidity rises up to 90% or even 100%. The night humidity is very important for the species. During the day, the humidity can drop around 60%, and there is no need to mist the terrarium again until the evening. Good ambient temperature is around 23-25 ​​° C andat night the temperature can drop closer to 20 ° C, but preferably not below that. It can be warmer in summer, but even then, the ambient temperature of the terrarium should not rise above 27 ° C for a longer period time. Ambient temperature of 27 ° C or above can be dangerous, even deadly, to the reed frogs, if it is constant.
Humidity and temperature should be monitored with a good digital thermo- and hygrometer combo with an external sensor. It is important to have an external sensor in the combometer, as it is the most accurate way of measuring.
​
Lighting and UVB
​
5% UVB lighting is desirable for the species, but not mandatory. If the UVB light is put into the terrarium, the top of the terrarium should be mesh where the UVB light is, as the glass does not really pass any of the UVB rays. Very bright lighting, on the other hand, is mandatory for the species, this can be arranged, for example, with LED construction and / or Arcadia Jungle Dawn lights. LED construction lights are cheap, bright and usually also bring a source of heat at the same time. Arcadia Jungle Dawn lights are really bright and effective also for terrarium plants. The species does not really need any separate heating, but the so-called "thermal gradient", i.e. different temperature ranges, should be present in the terrarium. In this case, the frog can to choose whether it wants to be in the warm or cool end of the terrarium. Temperature differences can easily be arranged, for example, with the above-mentioned LED construction lights, as they also generate some heat.
​
Feeding
​
All suitably small foods such as small crickets and fruit flies are suitable for food. Buffalo worms or small meal worms can be given as a treat, but not as their main diet due to their high fat content. However, fruit flies alone should not be fed as their only diet, as they are quite poor in nutritional value, and this species will not thrive with only fruit flies. Fruit flies are actually quite mandatory to breed by yourself, so that small food is always available. It becomes very expensive and inconvenient to always order / buy food from reptile stores and there is also the risk that the shop will run out of food and the frogs will be left with no food. However, breeding fruit flies is very easy and cheap.
Dust their food each feeding with a vitamin supplement or calcium powder that contains vitamin D3. It is important for the vitamins to be made for frogs, as frogs are unable to utilize vitamin meant for reptiles. A suitable product for them is Repashy's Supervite, for example. If, on the other hand, you decide to put an UVB light for them, then the calsium supplement can be without vitamin D3 because the frogs naturally get vitamin D3 from the UVB. Personally, I still occasionally dust their food with a calcium supplement that contains vitamin D3, even though I use UVB lights for them.