New frog shedding skin, swimming up and down repeatedly. Is he ok??

[lbecktell]

I just ordered and received a lovely xenopus borealis to add to my existing xenopus laevis tank. He seemed to be acclimating well, but as the day went on began to swim up and down, up and down... And now he is shedding his skin in big rolls. Is he ok? Just stress from travel and being in a new home?? Should I do anything for him?

[DigitalPunk]

I am no aquatic frog expert my friend, but If I woke up today in your shoes I would move the frog to a separate tank for a QT period of 30 days minimum. You should have done that to start with, but since I have yet to share my time travel machine with anyone but this one annoying kid way back when all we can do is move forward with where we are today.

Get a small QT tank setup for your new addition and lets go from there.

Also I have a lovely list of questions that if you would be so kind as to answer we can begin to help you sort through this.

Cut below this line and Paste into a new response. Please reply beside each question. Unfortunately we don't have the list memorized so answering without the questions beside it is frustrating and confusing.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONS

1----what 'kind' of frog is it ( what species)
2----please include a photo of the frog
3----Please include a photo of the frog's current enclosure
4----size of enclosure ( W" x D" x H" )
5----# on inhabitants - ( if there is another frog --- is there a size difference ? )
6----has or was the frog kept with a different species or with any other tank mate
7----is there a new tank mate----was the new tank mate quarantined
8----what is the typical humidity level
9----what temperature is maintained
10---what is, specifically, being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure
11---describe the enclosure lighting ( very specifically)
12---describe enclosure maintenance ( water changes, cleaning etc)
13---what kind of water is used
-----for misting
-----for the frog's soaking dish
-----is de-chlorinator used / what brand
14---material(s) used for substrate - be very specific
15---enclosure set up:
-----if recent - describe how the enclosure was cleaned
-----plants( live or artificial) if artificial plants are used are they plastic or fabric
-----describe wood, bark , and background materials
16---when is the last time the frog ate
17---have you found poop lately
18---how often is the frog fed
19---what size feeder is given
20---what other feeders are used as treats
21---what is the frog's main food source
22---do feeders roam free in the enclosure or is the frog bowl fed
23---vitamins - what brand and how often
24---calcium - what brand and how often
25---was the frog without calcium for any period of time
26---approximate age of the frog
27---how long have you owned the frog
28---who cared for the frog before you
29---is the frog wild caught or captive bred
30---how often the frog is handled -- are gloves used ( what kind of gloves)
31---is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area
30---has or was the frog properly quarantined (yes or no)
-----for how long
32---has the frog been treated with any medication:
-----for what
-----name of medication
-----for how long
-----what dose
-----was medication prescribed by a herp vet


All The Best

Paul

[lbecktell]

Hi paul, see below!


1----what 'kind' of frog is it ( what species)

Xenopus borealis

2----please include a photo of the frog

(right)


3----Please include a photo of the frog's current enclosure

can be seen in my post history

4----size of enclosure ( W" x D" x H" )

20 gallon long

5----# on inhabitants - ( if there is another frog --- is there a size difference ? )

2 frogs--other frog is a xenopus laevis. there is a size difference in that new frog is much fatter.

6----has or was the frog kept with a different species or with any other tank mate

came from breeding facility so i assume he was in a tank with numerous other frogs

7----is there a new tank mate----was the new tank mate quarantined

he is the new tank mate. he was not quarantined

8----what is the typical humidity level

unsure

9----what temperature is maintained

~20 celcius

10---what is, specifically, being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure

nothing, tank stays this temp year round (have thermometer in tank to verify)

11---describe the enclosure lighting ( very specifically)

none, near window so receives natural daylight most of the day

12---describe enclosure maintenance ( water changes, cleaning etc)

Just switched over to new tank, so water maintenance has been 1x/week vacuuming detritus from amidst rocks and just did my first 25% water change yesterday. Weekly water tests.

13---what kind of water is used
Tap
-----is de-chlorinator used / what brand

Grow a Frog crystals

14---material(s) used for substrate - be very specific

large, smooth river rocks

15---enclosure set up:
-----if recent - describe how the enclosure was cleaned

water and a wet towel (no soap, ever)
-----plants( live or artificial) if artificial plants are used are they plastic or fabric

anubias
-----describe wood, bark , and background materials

mopani wood
16---when is the last time the frog ate

just got him yesterday.
17---have you found poop lately

yes

18---how often is the frog fed

just got yesterday

19---what size feeder is given

small terra cotta dish

20---what other feeders are used as treats

nightcrawlers, bloodworms

21---what is the frog's main food source

nightcrawlers & xenopus sinking frog food from xenopus.com

22---do feeders roam free in the enclosure or is the frog bowl fed

bowl

23---vitamins - what brand and how often

none

24---calcium - what brand and how often

none

25---was the frog without calcium for any period of time

??

26---approximate age of the frog

~1 year

27---how long have you owned the frog

1 day

28---who cared for the frog before you

the breeder

29---is the frog wild caught or captive bred

captive

30---how often the frog is handled -- are gloves used ( what kind of gloves)

never

31---is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area

intermediate

30---has or was the frog properly quarantined (yes or no)

no

-----for how long
32---has the frog been treated with any medication:

no

-----for what
-----name of medication
-----for how long
-----what dose
-----was medication prescribed by a herp vet

[spotfin]

I ordered some laevis from a breeding facility. For the first couple of days, they also swam up and down. It took a couple of days before they settled in. Also, do borealis require slightly warmer temps?

[Jenste]

Generally you should always quarantine new additions before adding them - I would keep a very close eye on both frogs for the next month or two, you never know what diseases the new frog came in contact with at the breeding facility (or going forward, pet shop etc).
These frogs shed skin frequently - that is normal for them. If it is shedding in taters, that is not and can indicate a sign of stress / illness. They breathe oxygen from the top of the tank, not through the water like fish, so surfacing is normal but frantic surfacing/swimming constantly is another stress indicator.

A lot of the questions in the frog health sheet do not apply to aquatic species (humidity levels, calcium, handling etc) so don't fret if you weren't sure how to answer them.

You need a better quality tap water conditioner than the grow a frog crystals (I would honestly toss out everything grow a frog gave you!).

You can find tap water conditioners at your local pet store in the fish care aisle, along with Reptomin or HBH frog/tadpole bites which can be fed to your frog and much cheaper than ordering from Burley at XenExp.