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Care Sheet: Amazon Milk Frog (Trachycephalus resinifictrix)

Common Name: Amazonian Milk Frog, Amazon Milky Frog, Milky Frog.

Scientific Name: Trachycephalus resinifictrix.

Distribution: Northern South America.

Size: 2 1/2” - 4”.

Sexing: It is quite simple to sex an adults. A sure sign of a male is if it can be heard calling. The males also have nuptial pads on the inside of the thumbs, these pads are present all year round although they are more noticeable when in breeding condition.

Colouration: Juveniles start a very beautiful light blue with irregular charcoal grey bands, swirls and spots. Adults may be blue, blue-green or even occasionally light green marked with bands, swirls and spots of grey or brown.

Requirements: Being a rather large species they require quite a spacious terrarium. A 20-gallon tank would be ideal for a group of 3-4 adults. They require a woodland type set up with a substrate of either bark chips, or soil. An area of live moss should also be provided. The tank can be furnished with a selection of logs, cork bark, rocks, and sturdy leafed plants (Live or artificial). These items should be arranged in such a way that they provide a number of climbing, perching and hiding areas for the frogs. A large 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 25-27°C with a drop at night to 20-22°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. These frogs are able to tolerate a wide range in humidity but an average of 60-70% should be ok. 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 frogs should be fed daily with a mixture of suitably sized insects including fruitflies, small crickets and mini-mealworms. These food items should be dusted with a calcium and vitamin supplement two-three times a week. Adult frogs will take considerably larger insects including adult crickets, regular mealworms, locusts, earthworms, flour beetles, waxworms, moths, flies and caterpillars. They should be fed every two-three days and the insects dusted with calcium and vitamin supplements once a week.