A red-eyed tree frog should not arrive as a mystery in a plastic tub. Expect a receipt or invoice from the breeder or shop that names the species clearly, states whether the frog was captive-bred, and records roughly how old it is or what stage it has reached. Captive-bred origin matters especially for this species: a frog raised in a terrarium is already settled on feeder insects and indoor humidity cycles, while a collected frog may carry a harder adjustment, an unknown feeding history and a past you cannot reconstruct from a single sales slip.
Origin and identity paperwork to insist on
The core document identifies this exact frog, not just any frog in a batch. It should give the common and scientific name, the seller's details, and the frog's origin — bred by that seller, raised by another keeper, or imported through a wholesaler. If the frog changed hands before you, a simple chain of previous keepers is worth asking for, because a red-eyed tree frog that has already been rehomed twice needs a gentler settling period than one coming straight from its breeder. Photographs from the seller, especially of the frog awake at night with its red eyes and barred flanks visible, help confirm the animal described is the animal delivered.
The feeding and enclosure history that should travel with it
Paperwork about daily life is as valuable as the receipt. Ask what feeder insects the frog has been taking — most are raised on crickets and similar soft-bodied prey — how often it is fed, and whether it hunts confidently or needs food offered close by after lights-out. The seller should also note the setup it is leaving: the warmth and humidity it has lived in, its misting rhythm, the plants or branches it sleeps on during the day, and whether a shallow soaking dish was used. Red-eyed tree frogs absorb their surroundings through sensitive skin, so knowing what water treatment and cleaning routine the old enclosure followed protects the frog from an abrupt change at your end.
Health notes worth requesting before you pay
A short written health summary should cover appetite, activity after dark, and any recent changes in skin colour, posture or soaking behaviour. Ask whether the frog has ever been treated for anything, whether it has been housed alone or with other frogs, and whether any tank mates became unwell. You are not looking for a guarantee — no honest seller can promise a frog's future — but a seller who can describe normal nights for this animal, when it wakes, how eagerly it feeds and how it sheds, is handing over observations no vet visit on day one can replace. Note anything the seller mentions verbally and add it to the written record before details blur.
Turning a sales packet into a living record
Once home, file the receipt, origin note and history together and treat them as page one of the frog's ongoing record rather than paperwork to forget in a drawer. Recheck the details against what you observe in the first weeks: does the frog wake at the hour described, feed on the insects listed, and settle on the sleeping spots the seller mentioned? Differences are information for a vet, not failures. Starting from a complete handover means every later note you add builds on a known beginning instead of guesswork about where this frog came from. Keeping that beginning attached as the frog's life continues is exactly what KinsLe Transferrable Profiles is built for, so its history, records and routines stay with the frog if it ever moves to a new keeper.