Defining Characteristics:

• Largest tree frog
• Loud barking call
• Bright green frog
• Can be housed in groups

Name: Nyctimystes infrafrenatus, recently changed from Litoria infrafrenata, is the largest tree frog by length in the world. Nyctimystes translates roughly into “mysteries of the night” in Greek. Due to its size, it is often called the Giant Tree Frog. Its most common name is the White-Lipped Tree Frog.

Recommended Enclosure Size & Setup: Because of this frog's large adult size, a minimum tank size of 18x18x24 is recommended. Froglets can be raised in a smaller enclosure to ensure they are able to find the food that is provided. 

Opinions on substrates vary–we’ve had the best luck with Josh's Frogs Tropical BioBedding topped with pressed-down sphagnum moss, covered with a healthy layer of leaf litter. BioBedding supports a clean-up crew, so don’t forget the springtails & isopods!

White-lipped Tree Frogs need constant access to fresh, clean water, so a large water bowl is a must! Use an easy-to-clean dish, as the frog will be using the dish as a latrine and you will need to clean daily. Scrub the dish and disinfect with a 5% bleach solution or ReptiSan. 

Want to make caring for your white-lipped Tree Frogs easy? Check out the Josh's Frogs Tree Frog Kits!

Temperature (°F): White-lipped Tree Frogs can tolerate a wide range of temperatures—keep your frogs between 72 and 80°F. At Josh's Frogs, we house our white-lipped tree frogs at 74-76°, with occasional temperature highs in the low 80s. Nighttime drops down into the 60s is fine, and even encouraged if you are trying to breed these tree frogs. Measure temperature with a digital thermometer.

Humidity: White-Lipped Tree Frogs are less tolerant of lower humidity ranges like their White’s tree frog cousins. Aim for an average humidity of 50% or so, with spikes up to 70% right after misting once or twice a day. Providing ventilation is very important—we recommend using at least a half screen top. Stagnant, humid conditions quickly lead to bacterial skin infections in White's Tree Frogs. A large dish of clean water should always be provided. Monitor humidity with a digital hygrometer.

Size: The adult size of the white-lipped tree frog is 4-5.5 inches, where females tend to be larger than males. At the time of sale, these frogs will be measuring at around 1 inch. 

Age: These frogs are reported to live up to 10 years in the wild and even longer with ideal care in captivity. At time of sale these frogs will be at least 6 weeks out of the water. 

Feeding: These frogs are insectivorous and will eat or try to eat most things that are moving in front of them. It is for this reason that we recommend you keep similarly-sized frogs together to prevent cannibalism. Gutloaded crickets and roaches are a staple for these frogs with things like mealworms and other arthropods being offered as treats occasionally. In the wild these frogs prey on a wider variety of arthropods including beetles and ants. At time of sale these frogs will be eating 1/4 inch crickets.

Sexing: Male white-lipped tree frogs will on average be smaller than females. They will also have a slight yellowing to the throat and nuptial pads. Females are typically larger and when gravid more rotund.  

Color/Pattern: White-Lipped Tree Frogs are a primarily green frog (during the day) with an off-white underbelly. They also have a white line extending from their shoulders to the tips of their mouths giving them their common name. 

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: Like many other frogs these frogs do not look for other frogs in their species unless they are breeding. That being said, housing similarly sized frogs in the same enclosure should not result in any issues arising.

Breeding: Like many related Indo-Australian hylids the White-Lipped Tree Frog will breed after heavy rain during spring and summer. Males will emit a loud barking sound to attract females to them. Eggs are laid on the surface of the water in large clumps.

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

Natural Range: Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea

History in the Hobby: For the most part, these frogs are only available wild-caught and very few private breeders are working with them. Josh’s Frogs is happy to be able to provide healthy captive-bred frogs of this species.

Links of Interest: 

• White-Lipped Tree Frogs on Wikipedia
• White-Lipped Tree Frogs - Amphibiaweb
• 🔊Recording of call

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