Deflated frog....HELP!

Originally Posted by Julia

I have had my Budgett's frog for almost a week. Here is the back story about this guy if you have not seen my latest posts...Anyone in BC CANADA?

A few days ago I got a 18"x18x18 exo terra for $50 off craigslist...last night "Bruce" moved into his large new home. By this morning my extremely inactive frog was moving around and actually tried to attack me through the glass! I was so pleased to see him moving and alert for the first time since I brought him home. I fed him 2 calcium coated crickets and went to work. When I returned he looked happy still...and about an hour later I looked at him and was shocked to see that he looks DEFLATED! This frog looks like a balloon that has lost its air. His skin is sagging and I can see where the jaw bones are. He also appears to have a large lump on his right side. My initial thought was that he had a big poop or something...but was not able to find one in the water. He is still active and alert...and again tried to attack me through the glass...but he looks so wrinkly! The first picture is of Bruce when I brought him home a week ago ...and the last 3 are what he looks like now....how does this happen in 1 hour!!!! Any idea what this could be?

Deflated is exactly right. Many frogs puff up with air to make themselves appear larger. He looks thin as is pretty typical with wc frogs but with good feeding he will fatten up. I would recommend feeding him quite a bit till he starts to look a little fatter. Budgetts have large appetites so he will probably eat a great deal if given a chance.

So he was just full of air for 6 days...and now he is relaxed enough to show his true self? Frogs amaze me...I was feeding him 2 full sized crickets a day but I think I may increase that....

Originally Posted by Julia

I was feeding him 2 full sized crickets a day but I think I may increase that....

Might not be a bad idea to give him some rat pups or hopper mice till he fattens up some. Long term it isn't a great staple but it isn't a bad way to put some meat on the bones of a thin frog.

That sounds like a good idea. I will pick up some fatty worms and some pinkies this weekend. Thanks for the help Seth!

That lump isn't right. I think he may have a pebble or two inside him. I certainly wouldn't keep him on those pebbles that you have. Big impaction risk.

He is fed in a separate container to avoid impaction. The lump is soft

Well there's a mystery I can't answer. Is his appetite still healthy?

This morning the strange lump on his right side was GONE! I can see his hip bones poking out near his back end (so sad) but no squishy lump anywhere.

Bruce is more active then yesterday. He moves around a lot and if I place something beside his tank like a spray bottle he tries to eat it through the glass! (Not too bright!)

This morning I fed him 4 crickets and a super worm, and I plan to feed him a few more bugs a little later today. He still looks disgustingly skinny but hopefully with 2 feedings a day and some fatty foods he will recover quickly.

One strange thing...I was dangling the super worm in front of his face and he lifted his body up stood on all four legs and made a strange barking sound. He then proceeded to eat the worm. I've heard my whites croak at their crickets when they miss but Bruce was like "yummy!!!!" and then gulped it down.

Glad to hear the lump is gone. Barking at his food, hmmm? Bruce might not be all that bright, but it sounds like he is making up for it in personality. I hope he will fatten up quickly for you!

The 'lump' was probably ****...Did you notice if he'd had a 'movement' in it's cage after the lump was gone? I'd say it was more visible due to it's strange weight loss?These guys can eat a heck of a lot. Crayfish and fish are good staple for these mostly aquatic frogs. Based on what I've read about them that's their primary diet besides other frogs.

Thanks Jace!

There has been no poop so far that I know of...although there is a good chance that if he did go the filter cleaned it up.

I am not too confident about feeding fish because of the great chance of them carrying parasites.

The barking is a defensive response. Budgett's do this a lot, even more than some of the Horned Frogs (Pacman frogs).

Do fish always = parasites?

minnows ...goldfish ..ect?

"Feeder" fish definitely = parasites in my book.

Originally Posted by Malachi

Do fish always = parasites?

minnows ...goldfish ..ect?

Keep in mind though that some parasites are not necessarily a big deal. Nearly all wild amphibians and a good portion of captive amphibians are going to have them. Only rarely do they actually cause problems.

Please remove the pebbles from the tank! Bruce will eat them. Check out the x-ray that I posted- I don't want that to happen to Bruce!