grey treefrog

Question
My daughter has been keeping a gray tree frog since this spring, feeding it flies and crickets.  We live in Iowa and as it approaches fall & winter are wondering if she needs to adapt its habitat for hibernation or just continue to provide a water bowl and food as she has been.  Thanks!

Answer
Hi LeAnn,

She may have to take her cues about his feeding schedule etc from the frog itself. Captive animals  will often respond to the shorter days and barometric pressure changes of winter even though the enclosure temperature is artificially maintained. Your frog may slow down dramatically over winter and stay hidden or slightly buried down in the substrate or you may notice no change.

I would not suggest trying to imitate the cooler temperatures. Actively cooling captive frogs over winter is usually only done for breeding purposes. She can leave the water in. If you do notice that he has gone dormant or slowed dramatically then remove any extra crickets from the tank and resume feeding when his activity level rises. Starving crickets have been known to bite and injure sleeping reptiles and amphibians.