A little damp, very welcome.
White's Tree Frog
Pelodryas caerulea (syn. Litoria caerulea, Ranoidea caerulea)
Also called Australian green tree frog, Dumpy tree frog, Green tree frog (Australia), Litoria caerulea, Ranoidea caerulea
From Northern and eastern Australia, from the Kimberley in Western Australia across the Northern Territory and Queensland to New South Wales and north-east South Australia, plus the lowlands of southern New Guinea. Small introduced populations have been recorded in Florida and, historically, New Zealand.123
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Large, plump tree frog with waxy skin and big toe pads
A sturdy, rounded tree frog with a broad head, golden eyes with horizontal pupils, and a thick fatty fold of skin above each eye. Each finger and toe ends in a large round sticky disc for climbing. The skin carries a waxy coating that helps it hold on to moisture. Females grow larger (around 10 cm) than the slimmer males (around 7.5 cm), and males have a greyish, wrinkled throat sac while females have a smooth white throat. The belly is creamy white and slightly rough.123
Personality what they are like
A famously calm, easygoing frog that shows little fear of people. It is mostly active from dusk onward, when it calls and hunts, and spends the day resting in a sheltered spot. Several frogs may sleep huddled together. Handling should be kept short, and it will squeak if it is touched when it does not want to be.12
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Moderate and mostly nocturnal. It climbs and perches rather than swims, so it needs height, sturdy branches and leafy cover to explore in the evening.12
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Keep the enclosure humid (roughly 50-75%) by misting with treated, dechlorinated water, and offer food with soft-tipped tongs or let the frog hunt for enrichment. Regular spot-cleaning keeps the terrarium fresh.1
Home where they are happiest
A tall terrarium of about 15-20 US gallons for an adult (around 45 x 45 x 60 cm, taller than wide), furnished with cork bark, branches and plants and a soil and coconut-fibre substrate. Daytime air temperature around 21-24 °C with a warmer basking spot near 28 °C, dropping to about 18 °C at night, on a 12-hour light cycle with low-level UVB.1
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Insectivore. In the wild it eats moths, cockroaches, locusts, spiders and other insects, and large adults sometimes take small vertebrates. In captivity feed gut-loaded crickets, dubia roaches, superworms and beetles dusted with calcium and multivitamin powder, with earthworms or waxworms as occasional treats. Juveniles eat daily; adults two to three times a week. Never feed wild-caught fireflies.12
Company who they like around
Sociable enough to share an enclosure with other White's tree frogs of similar size, and in the wild they sometimes rest in small clusters. They do fine kept singly too.1
The story where it all began
This was the first Australian frog to be given a scientific name. Surgeon John White described it in 1790 as Rana caerulea from specimens sent back to England. The species name means 'blue' because the preserved frogs turned blue: the preservative destroyed the yellow pigment in the skin, leaving only the blue layer visible. The original type specimen was later lost when the Hunterian Museum in London was bombed during the Second World War. The frog has since been moved between several genera, including Litoria, Ranoidea and Pelodryas. In Australia it is a familiar garden and household visitor, often turning up in water tanks, downpipes and even toilets. Its calm nature and hardiness made it a staple of the international pet trade, and the Australian Museum describes it as the most popular pet frog species overseas.132
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Its scientific name means 'blue' because the first preserved specimens sent to England turned blue in the jar.1
- 2
It was the first Australian frog ever to be scientifically described, back in 1790.1
- 3
Wild frogs often move into houses and are found in sinks, toilets, gutters and water tanks, where the pipes may amplify their calls.1
- 4
In dry seasons it can wrap itself in a cocoon made of shed skin and mucus to keep from drying out.2
- 5
Its skin produces more than 20 peptides called caerins, which researchers have studied for their antibacterial properties.1
- 6
The call is a deep, slow 'brawk-brawk-brawk', and males call from high perches, especially after rain.1
- 7
White's tree frogs show homing ability and can find their way back to where they were caught from a considerable distance.1
- 8
The Australian Museum calls it the most popular pet frog species overseas.3
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern1
- Taxonomy
- First described by John White in 1790 as Rana caerulea; later placed in Litoria and Ranoidea, with Pelodryas used in current Wikipedia taxonomy1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a White's Tree Frog. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- MistingKeep the humidity upevery day
- Fresh waterDechlorinated waterevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- FeedingHow often depends on species and agevaries
- Spot cleanevery 2 days
- Full cleanevery month
- Vet check-upFind a vet who sees exotic petsevery year
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Australian green tree frog - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.orgused for names, taxonomy, range, appearance, colours, behaviour, captive care, history, fun facts, IUCN status
- Litoria caerulea - Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan) animaldiversity.orgused for range, length by sex, lifespan, behaviour, diet, cocoon
- Green Tree Frog - Australian Museum australian.museumused for identification, distribution, similar species, popularity as a pet
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.