Hello everyone!

I have a two-month-old Green and Gold Bell Frog (Litoria aurea) named Froakie raised from a tadpole, who has a hump on his (or her!) back. My sister had another frog of the same species and roughly the same age who didn't have the hump, but sadly it died for unknown reasons . I am a total newbie when it comes to keeping frogs, so I thought I'd come to the forums for advice! I am wondering whether this hump is a spinal deformity or something, or whether it is normal.

I am sixteen and on a very tight budget, but over time I am doing what I can to upgrade Froakie's home. I have grown to love frogs, as they are amazing creatures, and I want Froakie to be my companion for many more years to come.

The frog lives in a temporary tank set up with large, smooth gravel as a substrate (I know gravel is bad, but the pieces are too big for my Froakie to eat, and I'm designing a more permanent half-and-half tank with sphagnum moss). Three to four times a week, I feed Froakie undusted wingless fruit flies (about 10-15). Froakie has a small bowl of water for bathing that I clean and refill with de-chlorinated/ aged water every day. He/ she does not have a heat lamp, but sometimes I turn my fluorescent desk lamp onto the tank on dreary days, and put his tank in the sun on nice ones I am at home all the time, so I keep an eye on it.

While I was raising the tadpole, I fed it tadpole food from the pet shop.


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Until I can get a better picture of him, this will have to do.. he's tiny, about an inch long from nose to tail if anyone could tell me what this hump/ hunchback could be, it would be greatly appreciated!

(Also, how can you tell the gender of a frog? O.O)