They live in moist forests and wetlands with trees, breeding in shallow ponds or slow streams that are well shaded. Adult frogs spend much of their time on land, sometimes straying quite a distance from the water if the weather is damp. They will often take shelter under logs or other debris to stay cool and damp. They prefer shallow, slow-moving streams, ponds or marshes for breeding. The call is not at all loud, low-pitched, and is sometimes described as a stuttering noise.
Embryos develop and hatch in about four weeks, then spend four to five months in the tadpole stage.
Tadpoles metamorphose into tiny hopping froglets, only a couple of centimetres long, in midsummer. Red-legged Frogs are thought to take three or four years to become sexually mature. Adult Red-legged Frogs feed happily on insects and other small invertebrates, which they hunt along the edges of streams and ponds. Tadpoles graze on algae. Where and When Red-legged Frogs are often found in damp wooded areas, but are very shy and will leap away swiftly if they feel threatened.