Froggy 911!! HELP, please!! My two year old put dish soap on our green tree frog!!

[nixie]

My two year old filled a small toy cup with dish soap and water and poured it into our green tree frog's tank. This happened about one and a half to two hours ago. I don't know how much actually got on him, but there was definitely evidence of it in his environment. As soon as I discovered this, I removed him from the tank and sprayed him with his mist bottle for a couple minutes in hopes of getting the bulk of the soap off him, then put him in a cool-whip tub with dechlorinated water to swim around for a while (with a tank cover over it to keep him in the water) to hopefully rinse him off more, and thoroughly cleaned his tank. He's back in his tank now, and he seems to be acting ok. His skin and color look ok, so far. There are no vets in our area that see frogs. Please let me know if you guys think of anything else I can do to help him!! I'm worried sick.

[RedHed]

I think you've done everything you can for him already .... I would continue a bath again tomorrow and watch him carefully .... Good luck ... You're doing great

[nixie]

Thanks so much for your reply! Good idea, I'll definitely give him another bath today. He still seems ok this morning

[InfinitysDaughter]

It sounds like you caught it as fast as possible and took appropriate action. You SHOULD be ok. I stress should because all frogs are different but Greens, while looking small and delicate, are fairly hardy. Mine survived 20 minutes of "play time" with the cat earlier this year and we had a thread about a month ago of a green that had stowed away in some cabbage and traveled from Florida to Minnesota in a refrigerated truck and once put in a proper environment he perked up and was perfectly normal.

I'd say keep up with the baths for today and maybe tomorrow and double check the tank for any signs the soap is still there (dish soap is really hard to get off). I'm sure you cleaned it extra well but safety checks are never a bad idea.

I hope your little one is ok! I'm sure he will be cuse you did everything just right as soon as you caught it.

[RedHed]

I'm glad to hear he made it through the night !! Always a good sign. Let me know how things turn out but like Infinity said it seems like things should be ok from here. I would also check the terrarium again.... maybe replace substrate or boil fake plants or vines if possible. Good Luck !!!

[flybyferns]

Nixie,
I glad to hear --- things sound ok.
Just wondering what kind of soap was it?

[nixie]

I'm so sorry I didn't get back to you guys until now. Kreacher, our little froggy dude, survived his ordeal and is doing well! Thank you so much for all the great advice! By the way, Lynn, it was Dawn antibacterial dish soap. The antibacterial part was freaking me out, as I'm sure a balance of good bacteria is essential to a frog's sensitive skin. The only lasting consequence (hopefully) was that I had to toss his favorite branch, and he doesn't seem to have the same affection for the replacements I've offered. On the other hand, he definitely prefers his new water dish. His original dish was porous stone, so I didn't trust that I would have been able to rinse it out completely. Thanks again for all your help!

[flybyferns]

I'm so sorry I didn't get back to you guys until now. Kreacher, our little froggy dude, survived his ordeal and is doing well! Thank you so much for all the great advice! By the way, Lynn, it was Dawn antibacterial dish soap. The antibacterial part was freaking me out, as I'm sure a balance of good bacteria is essential to a frog's sensitive skin. The only lasting consequence (hopefully) was that I had to toss his favorite branch, and he doesn't seem to have the same affection for the replacements I've offered. On the other hand, he definitely prefers his new water dish. His original dish was porous stone, so I didn't trust that I would have been able to rinse it out completely. Thanks again for all your help!

Hooray! It's great to read about this good news.

[BlueisallIneed]

They are pretty hardy, years ago whites got out of his tank and some how stuck himself into a mop my mother used in bleach, tap water and all kinda of chemical cleaners! Don't know how long he was in there but found him with all kinds of dirt and hair stuck to him! After rinsing him off forever and soaking him he was fine. Had. Him for almost 16 years, you did good