Need Help With Frog In Distress

[Lacene]

Hello all, I'm a new poster here. I do not have any frogs as pets, but I do like all little creatures and reptiles (anoles/grass snakes/frogs/etc.). This morning I awoke as I always do, and shuffled off to the bathroom to pee/brush my teeth, etc. As I entered, I found a little green tree frog sitting on the floor in the middle of the room. It appears to be the common American Green Tree Frog (Hyla Cinerea), and was an adult as it was easily 1.5-2 inches in length from snout to rump. It was looking pretty thin, and was dried out and covered in lint all over. It is still alive, and moved feebly as I picked it up, but looks very weak.

I took it outside, but first got a cup of water. I would dip my fingers into the water and let the drops fall on his back and limbs to re-moistened him. The dust was sticking to his skin, and I didn't want to pull at it too hard for fear of injuring him. By wetting his limbs and body I was able to loosen the dust enough to more easily remove it, but there's still quite a bit around his feet. I am afraid of hurting his feet by pulling too hard, but also feel he needs them clean to better move about.

Anyways, I placed him in a plant pot that has a small fern tree growing out of it. I poured some water into the potting soil to moisten it a bit, and set him onto the dirt. His eyes are open but he's pretty still. I fear for the little fella's life.

What else can I do to help him survive? I read where tree frogs like to eat crickets - I'm about to mow a part of my yard, and when I do, crickets usually tend to make an appearance by jumping out of the way of my mower. If I see one, I'm planning to grab it and put it into the fern pot for the frog, but he seems too weak and still to be able to catch it. We'll see. Should I also place a small dish of water in the pot for him to drink? I have some plastic caps of come containers that I can turn upside down and use as a shallow water dish for him. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, I have no idea at all how the little guy found his way into my home. Even though it's the hot summer time, I never leave my windows open, preferring instead to cool down with my AC system. I wish I found him sooner, before he got so weak. Thanks again!

[LilyPad]

An electrolyte solution, like pedialyte, may help rehydrate him. I'm not sure of the ratio, I will look around the forum and see if I can find it. Make sure any water you use with him is dechlorinated or you'll have even more issues, also, it should be about chin deep, deeper than that and he could drown in his current state of weakness. Thanks for trying to help this little guy. You can offer him the crickets you find, but I doubt he will eat at this point.

[LilyPad]

10% pedialyte, 90% dechlorinated water. Someone with more experience with ill frogs may suggest a stronger solution, but that is where I would start until someone else suggests otherwise.

[Lacene]

Thank you for the help Amy. I used to drink pedialyte myself when I used to play recreational tennis. I guess they have un-flavored pedialyte water? I will go see what my grocer has, as well as some un-chlorinated water. I have a big bucket near the potted plants that I let fill with rainwater, and used the water from that earlier.

The frog before wasn't noticeably breathing before - that is to say, I didn't see the puffing of the sides of his abdomen like frogs normally did, even though he was clearly alive and moving. But when I went to check on him after posting my OP, I saw him move a little and his sides breath in. Maybe that's a good sign...I'll hope anyways. Thanks again!

[Mentat]

Myself would do the Pedialyte or similar unflavored fluid electrolyte bath first. You can use the rainwater for all the frogs needs. Any other water sources (tap, well, bottled spring) will need to be treated with a dechlorinator like Seachem Prime or ExoTerra Aquatize.

OK, on to bath! Get a small critter keeper or a plastic cup with holed up top and fill with solution of 90% water (80F) and 10% electrolyte to frogs chin depth. Place frog in it (wait until frog is active at night); place top, and cover with towel so frog relaxes for 20 minutes. Afterward you can take water solution out and try feeding frog. If weak; imagine will have a better chance of catching a cricket in small container. Crickets should be same or smaller than distance between frog's eyes. If frog eats, you can release and it should be OK .