# Eco Earth sticks to my frog!



## Skinny J (Aug 1, 2012)

I've just bought my first red eyed tree frog.I've owned a few North American tree frogs in the past.I used Eco earth as substrate I love the natural look of it but it sticks all over the frog when he is wet and he soaks almost nightly so he always has the stuff all over him.What substrate can I use that has the natural look,and won't stick to the frog so much?


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Is he coming down to the substrate to eat? Does he bowl eat or free range? Maybe try covering the eco earth with leaves.


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## Pacblu202 (May 8, 2012)

A lot of people use ABG. If you search up Truth about ABG you'll find the recipe or you can order it online. It's a really good soil mixture to use and people usually do that, then add some wet but wrung out sphagnum moss on top, then leaf litter. I know that's for darts at Least, but I'd imagine it wouldn't be far off for RETFs. It's a great soil for live plants too


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## Skinny J (Aug 1, 2012)

He comes down to catch the crickets also a lot of the time I catch crickets in the water bowl.So I imagine he's making attempts at them as well.After he eats he will usually soak his rear end in the water then crawl out and make his way back to a perch.I know this seems petty but I like to see the colors on the frog and mostly I'm seeing a "muddy" frog.This is a temp. tank I am in the process of building a big one with lots more plants.


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## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

Adding some leaf litter will take care of that, cheap & easy.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Hehe muddy frog. I was frog sitting some darts for a guy. Their tank was all ecoearth and it stuck all over them. I thought they looked like little frog cookies that had been rolled in chocolate sprinkles. 

Anyway, Try bowl feeding them. A glass or ceramic bowl, dust crickets and put in. They can't get out and he'll learn where they are and come to the bowl to feed. If he eats free range, he can accidentally get a mouth full of dirt and may get impacted. 

If you want to set up a natural viv for him, I second the ABG mix, or something similar, over a false bottom, and then cover with leaves. Or carpet it with live moss. Add springtails to eat the waste. Then feed him in the bowl so he doesn't go rooting around in the dirt.


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## Totenkampf (Jun 25, 2012)

once upon a time, i used to breed these cool frogs and they often get stuff stuck to their tongues when they miss a strike. you are right to want to change the substrate top layer since they will eventually get impacted bowels from coco. if you have good light then live moss is my choice. otherwise leaf litter works like a charm.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Eco-earth and other fine ground coconut substrates tend to stick to the frogs more when they are freshly placed in the tank. After a few weeks or so, the material become less likely to stick to the frogs. 

Ed


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