Defining Characteristics:
Name: Belonging to the family Hyperoliidae, the Starry Night Reed Frog is scientifically known as Heterixalus alboguttatus. Sometimes referred to Spotted Reed Frogs or simply 'starry nights', these frogs are so named for their contrasting yellow and black pattern, which resembles the sky on a clear night.
Recommended Vivarium Size: A 10 gallon aquarium is suitable for 2-4 Starry Night Reed Frogs, but Josh's Frogs recommends a 20H or 18x18x18 Exo Terra Glass Terrarium, as it will allow for easier cleaning. Not sure how to set up a reed frog enclosure? Please watch our video on How to Set Up a Terrarium for Reed Frogs.
Want to spice up your enclosure with live plants? Our experts have curated a kit of easy-to-care-for and SAFE plants for your reed frogs. Check it out here!
Temperature: They can tolerate a temperature range of 65 F to 85 F, but prefer temperatures in the mid 70s. Temperatures over 90F are dangerous. A low wattage basking spot, with a temperature of 85-90F, will be utilized but is not absolutely needed.
Humidity: Like most frogs, reed frogs prefer a humidity range of 70 – 80%, but can tolerate humidity down to 50% for short periods of time if the frogs have access to water. Low humidity levels, especially without access to water, can quickly be fatal. Starry Night Reed Frogs occur in the marginal areas between water and land, referred to as the riparian zone. As such, they require high humidity paired with substantial ventilation.
Size: Adult female reed frogs are larger, measuring in at approximately 1.5 inches. Male Heterixalus alboguttatus are a bit smaller, averaging about 1 inch at maturity. All of the Starry Night Reed Frog froglets Josh's Frogs sells are well started juveniles, and measure approximately 3/4” long.
Age: Heterixalus alboguttatus is capable of living over 5 years in captivity under ideal conditions, although a lifespan of 2-3 years is more common. Active breeding shortens expected lifespan down to 1-2 years. All reed frogs for sale at Josh's Frogs are well started juveniles, and are 2-3 months old.
Feeding: At Josh's Frogs, we feed our reed frogs dusted crickets. At 3/4", juvenile reed frogs can easily take 1/8" crickets, and 1/4" crickets as adults. Make sure to dust all prey items with a quality vitamin/mineral supplement. We place the crickets in floating food bowls in the reed frog habitat, to prevent crickets from drowning and fouling the water. To learn more about feeding reed frogs, please watch our video on How to Feed Reed Frogs.
Color/Pattern: A very variable reed frog, all Starry Night Reed Frogs are black with yellow/white spots. The amount of black, white, and yellow can vary widely among individuals. Spots can be large in some individual reed frogs, leading to an almost netted appearance. Males can have a very faded pattern or almost complete lack of pattern. Adult Starry Night Reed Frogs tend to have orange feet. Please keep in mind that juvenile reed frogs sometimes take a few months to develop their adult coloration, and may appear cream or brown colored at first. At night, reed frogs may appear pale in color when they are active.
Social Behavior: These frogs do well housed in groups their entire life, as long as enough space is provided.
Breeding: Reed frogs are very easy to breed—just house a male and a female together! When housed in a proper environment, Starry Night Reed Frogs are very prolific, laying clutches of 50-200 eggs every 2-3 weeks. Eggs are generally laid right above or below the water's surface, and quickly develop into very small, delicate tadpoles.
For more information on how to take care of reed frog eggs and tadpoles, please watch our videos on How to Care For Reed Frog Eggs, and How to Care For Reed Frog Tadpoles.
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). We recommend purchasing at least 4-5 reed frogs at a time.
Natural Range: Heterixalus alboguttatus are native to Madagascar. They inhabit riparian zones, where a body of water (mainly a pond) meets the land. Among emergent vegetation, reed frogs spend the day sleeping on the underside of leaves. With their limited range and the seemingly imminent destruction of their native habitat, maintaining this species in captivity should be of the utmost importance.
History in the Hobby: Starry Night reed frogs have been imported directly from Madagascar several times over the past several decades. These imports are the foundation of the captive population of Heterixalus alboguttatus in the United States today.
Links of Interest:
Still not sure if Starry Night Reed Frogs from Josh's Frogs are the right poison dart frog for you? Read the reviews below and see what other customers are saying!
After placing an order containing a live animal, you will receive a scheduling email containing our JotForm scheduling link to schedule your new pet's delivery date.
With this scheduling link, you will be able to schedule your order's delivery up to 30 days in advance. You will be able to choose a date of delivery for Tuesday-Saturday (Saturday arrival depends on the carrier's service availability) with the estimated time of arrival generally being 12pm, or 4:30pm for more rural areas. Overnight lows must be above 40°F to ship directly to you (or above 30°F for FedEx Ship Center/UPS Customer Center pickups) as well as below 90°F by estimated time of arrival.
If you require further assistance, or prefer to talk to one of our Customer Service agents, please feel free to reach out to our [email protected] email or our phone line 1-800-691-8178.
Based on 25 reviews
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Ordered 4 of these guys and all of them came in good condition. Very happy with their colors and patterns. Id be very careful ensuring your enclosure is 100% escape proof beforehand as these guys are quite tiny and like to hang out in the top and corners of the tank especially in the nooks and crannies along the black ceramic of the tank/lid or foam back drops like the exo terra tanks. They can easily fit through the tiniest of cracks at arrival so try and plan accordingly for that, consider using a strip or two of duct tape if there is any gap at all in your setup. a 10 gallon or even smaller could easily fit a group of these guys at arrival and youll still have trouble seeing them especially if youre using lots of plants or decor. They do very well with water and will curl up under broad leaves like anubias and pothos during the day.
Picked up 2 of these at an expo and was initially kind of bummed by their muted colors. However- when I brought them home I started to figure out that their colors change dramatically throughout the day/night- so don't let that deter you if you're thinking about picking some up! Hoping they grow into their brighter colors soon! Super fun frogs to have.
When my family chose frogs for our next pet I didn't have a clue how to start. Josh's videos were extremely helpful. At one point within a couple of days after receiving Violet and Jack they disappeared, or so I thought. Searched for hours. Contacted Josh's. Even with Covid 19 just having shut everything down Josh's staff gave me a bunch of places to search I hadn't thought of. After a few more hours I still couldn't find them. So I decided to empty the habitat and sort of start over. When I turned it over to empty out the last of the water I found them both hiding between the background and the lid. I was embarrassed but they were very happy we had found them and they were safe. Recommend this place anytime
These frogs are not only beautiful but very entertaining
I had never heard of these frogs before and decided to buy a trio on a whim. I love them! The noise they make at night was weird the first night I had them but now it's like I'm sleeping outside at night listening to them talk to each other. I added a low profile aquarium filter to the tank along with some crystal shrimp and blue rili shrimp. Along with a small female betta and an albino corydoras "cory cat".
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