I've kept these guys before. When they turn brown, they are stressed, correct?

I have a friend who has 3 in a large cage with a uvb bulb. The temps get up to like 30 degrees in the day cause she's kind of a moron with her animals. She insists that the brown is just how they are and that 2 week old crickets are better than the much more plump (but still small) 3 week crickets. Think these frogs, who were panting like crazy, might be stressed? My vote is yes.

yeah.
They can turn colors for various reasons,stress being one. But the heat is a bad thing. They Do not need, do not want, to be that hot at all. And bigger crickets are better. I also wonder, with that much heat, how she's keeping humidity up? Would think that would make it evaporate faster.

Sorry to demur guys, but not so.

First, Hyla cinerea often changes color for several reasons, including heat, humidity, mood; brown can mean that they are cold as well.

But with MANY hylids, especially frogs in the genera Hyla, Phyllomedusa or Pachymedusa, do NOT assume that heat is always bad. I have seen Hyla cinerea, both grey frogs and H. gratiosa all bask under lamps (and some African hyperoliids, like Leptopelis or Chiromantis are notorious for this).

Okay, maybe not for as long, or as close to the lights as many lizards, but you'd be surprised. Just make sure that:1) they can move away and; (2) the temp drops at night.

The more important factor for long-term maintenance of our native U. S. hylids is seasonality. Drop the temp and lessen the photoperiod in the late fall, increase in late winter. You'd be amazed at the difference in long-term vigor...

Second, while frogs can eat relatively larger prey than insect-eating lizards, these are not Ceratophrys. All frog, even Ceratophrys, should be offered prey items no wider than the head. They are easier to swallow, and easier to dust with powder (smaller items have a greater area-to-volume ratio--the square/cube law).

Bigger crickets are not better. they have a harder exoskeleton and are harder to digest. More, smaller crickets is best. Be sure to gut load them on good food with calcium.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.