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Care Sheet: Orange-legged Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa azurea)

Common Name: Orange-legged Monkey Frog, Grasping Frog, and Orange-legged Leaf Frog, Tiger-leg Monkey Frog.

Scientific Name: Phyllomedusa azurea.

Distribution: Columbia, Guianas, Chaco of Argentina, Paraguay, & Bolivia.

Size: 1.5 - 2".

Colouration: The back is a bright leaf-green - translucent brown (depending on mood and conditions). A white stripe runs from the top lip and over the fore leg where it turns to yellow-orange and continues to the base of the hind leg. This colouration continues down the insides of all four legs and over the hands where it is broken up with a network of brown.

Requirements: Being a rather active species they require quite a spacious terrarium. A 24"x24"x24" tank would be ideal for 2-3 adults. They require a woodland type set up with a substrate of either bark chips or topsoil covered with a layer of live moss. The tank can be furnished with a selection of twigs, logs, cork bark, and live plants such as Grasses. These items should be arranged in such a way that they provide a number of climbing, perching and hiding areas for the frogs. A medium sized water bowl (no deeper than the frog's height at rest) should be provided with clean de-chlorinated or spring water which will need changing daily so as to avoid the risk of ammonia and bacteria building up in the water. The enclosure will need to be heated to a daytime temperature of 26-28°C with a drop at night to 22-24°C. This can be done using an under tank heat-mat controlled by a thermostat. Spot bulbs / heat lamps are not recommended for use with amphibians and so a fluorescent UVB tube should be provided as a light source. The tank should be visually inspected daily and any soiled items should be removed, cleaned and replaced, if this is done at the same time as changing the water it will cause less disturbance to the frogs. Once every two-three weeks the tank and its contents should be completely cleaned and sterilised using an amphibian / reptile safe disinfectant.

Feeding: Young should be fed daily with a mixture of suitably sized insects including fruitflies, aphids and hatchling crickets. These food items should be dusted with a calcium and vitamin supplement two-three times a week. Adults will take slightly larger insects including small crickets, hatchling locusts, moths, and curly flies. They should be fed every two-three days and the insects dusted with calcium and vitamin supplements once a week.