my green tree frog

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a green tree frog. My son actually does, not me but I am (of course) looking after it. It came to us in a  small aquarium so I bought it a bigger one and the lady at the pet store said to use this coconut husk/dirt substrate. I soaked it in water and spread some on the bottom of his new 5 gallon aquarium. But this week when he ate a cricket, he ate the dirt. I saw him reaching into his mouth to try and remove the dirt. Later the next day I saw him doing what I think was throwing up the dirt. Now his poop is liquidy with dirt. Sounds bad yet he is as active and happy as before. Will he be ok? Also, I have read on website that you can use a carper as substrate or flooring, is this true, can I use something other than dirt?

ANSWER: Hi Kim, Any loose particle substrate presents accidental ingestion possibilties. This is especially true with frogs that have a "lunge with a big open mouth and a sticky tongue" style of going after their food. I don't actually  keep any substrate at all in my treefrogs' tanks for this reason. It's also a reservoir for bacteria and mould.I have pieces of decorative aquarium backing paper cut to fit the bottom to cover the bare glass. It's plastic coated and can be washed along with the rest of the tank.
He should be able to pass the cococut coir because it is ground fairly fine. Particle substrates should ideally have pieces too large to ingest or fine enough to pass if ingested.
The various reptile carpets sold for tank bottoms are another option that would work. Try to find one that does not feel overly abrasive. Frog skin is more delicate then lizards' and any abrasion is an invitation to infection.

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QUESTION: Thanks so much for the answer. Just one moew question, someone I know suggested using foam sheets. She buys them at the dollar store, puts them on the floor of the tank then throws them out at the end of the week. She also said she sometimes uses felt, as it's soft. Do you think this is ok?

Answer
Hi Kim, Those ideas are probably no different from the commercial reptile carpet and much cheaper. Frogs skin is more permeable then reptiles. I would check those things for any type of chemical residue or glue smell before using them, maybe even give them a rinse prior to use. Remember that they will be in an enclosed area so if any slight fume type smell is on them it will really concentrate in a tank. As for the felt, just make sure there are not tiny fibres coming off of it that could be ingested or end up tangled around toes. As I recall the fibres that make up felt are quite short so you should be O.K.