URGENT: Something is wrong!!

[MaxVanity]

When I was adjusting my filter I had found one of my baby firebellies dead and the other one is moving very slowly. He had even flipped himself upside down stayed that way for quite a while before rolling back over. I've taken him out of the enclosure and placed him in a critter keeper with a wet paper towel. he's looking very thin which leads me to believe he has not been eating, and when I offered him blood worms he ate one and then stopped taking anymore. The tank is always at 70 degrees and temp never changes. I also have a filter which I changed the cartridge to at the beginning of this month. The last time I cleaned the thank was sometime last week, I rinsed all decor and added new water with prime dechlorinater. The tank itself is 40 gallon and I have jungle mix as the substrate along with moss. I took a log out of it today because it's an old log and was starting to grow more mushrooms than what I'm comfortable with. I use peg board for lid and have installed lights to the lid which helps keep humidity in. Will provide pics of enclosure if necessary I just need to know what's wrong. He's not moving hardly at all anymore but is still showing signs of life. I'm hoping him taking the first worm is a good sign and maybe he only needed one because he's still pretty small.

I always feed my frogs a variety of isopods, worms, bloodworms, and very very rarely crickets.

If I do have to forcefeed how do I do it?

Right now he's in the critter keeper with the wet paper towel and I've placed the critter keeper with ventilated lid on top inside the enclosure to keep it heated.

[Strider18]

Sorry about your frog Can you please answer these questions and highlight them if possible?

“Trouble in the Frog Enclosure”
The following information will be very helpful if provided when requesting assistance with either your frog or enclosure. To help with your questions, please utilize the below list and post the information in the proper forum area to get advice from FF members that keep the same frog. This will allow for little confusion and a faster more informed response.

1. Size of enclosure
2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences
3. Humidity
4. Temperature
5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish
6. Materials used for substrate
7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials.
- How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv.
8. Main food source
9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often)
10. Lighting
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure
12. When is the last time he/she ate
13. Have you found poop lately
14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine)
15. Describe frog's symptoms and/or recent physical changes; to include it's ventral/belly area.
16. How old is the frog
17. How long have you owned him/her
18. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred
19. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats
20. How often the frog is handled
21. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area
22. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc)

by Lynn(Flybyferns) and GrifTheGreat.

[MaxVanity]

1. Size of enclosure - 40 gallon aquarium
2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences - Two adult Fire-Bellied Toads
3. Humidity - Unsure, my hydrometer broke.
4. Temperature - 70 Degrees Farenheit
5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish The bottom of the tank is filled with water from the faucet that is dechlorinated using Prime Water Conditioner
6. Materials used for substrate I used Jungle Mix and Terrarium Moss
7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials. Two artificial plants
- How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv. - The frog in question was born in the viv
8. Main food source- The frog in question eats blood worms and fruit flies
9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often) The frog in question does not receive any due to it being particularly difficult to dust such small species in bugs
10. Lighting- 60 watt red bulb and 60 watt fluorescent light
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure - Heat lamp
12. When is the last time he/she ate -Today one blood worm
13. Have you found poop lately - I never see their poop. I believe the filter cleans well enough that I never see it
14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine) - Will post pics after this post
15. Describe frog's symptoms and/or recent physical changes; to include it's ventral/belly area. Coloration looks the same. He moves very slowly and turns himself upside down several times.
16. How old is the frog - 6 months
17. How long have you owned him/her 6 months
18. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred was bred by my two in the tank
19. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats see number 8
20. How often the frog is handled I almost never hold him because he's so tiny I'm afraid of hurting him
21. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area VERY low traffic it's in my room
22. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc)Filter is always going. I change half water about 2 times a month and entire change once a month. Substrate change once a month. Decor is rinsed during water changes and filter change once a month.

[MaxVanity]

[Strider18]

The only things that seem like they might be the problem is the humidity and the fact that the insects aren't dusted. Have you ever had your frog taken to the vet? They might be able to help more than I can. I would get a hyrodmeter and see if the humidity is in the proper range or not.

[MaxVanity]

The only things that seem like they might be the problem is the humidity and the fact that the insects aren't dusted. Have you ever had your frog taken to the vet? They might be able to help more than I can. I would get a hyrodmeter and see if the humidity is in the proper range or not.

No I haven't, my mom won't let me. She doesn't view frogs in the same light as cats and dogs so sees it as ridiculous to take one to a vet. How do you dust such tiny insects?? I do have fluker's calcium with vitamin D3 supplement, but even so there's no guarantee I can even get him to eat. So is it possible to force feed such a small frog?

Before my hydrometer broke the humidity always ranged anywhere between 70-80% and nothing has changed since then so I don't know if that gives you a general idea.

[Strider18]

For dusting the fruit flies just put them in the dust and very gently shake the dust with the fruit flies and they should be covered up with a coat of dust. Hopefully some other members chime in

[MaxVanity]

well good news is i don't think he's going to die. He seems to be moving a bit better but he's still not eating..

[Strider18]

Keep us updated

0.1.0 Psuedacris regilla

[MaxVanity]

As of right now he's obviously improving. He's moving around a bit more, however he still hasn't eaten the worm I put in the quarantine keeper. I guess I'm satisfied he has at least eaten one bloodworm so it's not like he's running on absolutely nothing. I will try to give him more in the morning.

[Strider18]

Poor guy Let us know how it goes!

0.1.0 Psuedacris regilla

[LilyPad]

How big is he? I am not sure how quickly fire bellies grow, but I would think at 6 months he should be eating something bigger than fruit flies. More like small crickets. The small foods may not be enticing anymore. Make sure the foods are no bigger than the space between his eyes, but big enough to be fitting his growth. I've also heard that live blood worms can do damage in the stomach of an animal that doesn't chew...that could be just a rumor, but maybe look into it.

I would read through the care sheet and make sure that all your bases are covered - Frog Forum - Fire-Bellied Toad Care and Breeding - Bombina orientalis and relatives - I wish I had more experience with firebellies to give you more help

[MaxVanity]

How big is he? I am not sure how quickly fire bellies grow, but I would think at 6 months he should be eating something bigger than fruit flies. More like small crickets. The small foods may not be enticing anymore. Make sure the foods are no bigger than the space between his eyes, but big enough to be fitting his growth. I've also heard that live blood worms can do damage in the stomach of an animal that doesn't chew...that could be just a rumor, but maybe look into it.

I would read through the care sheet and make sure that all your bases are covered - Frog Forum - Fire-Bellied Toad Care and Breeding - Bombina orientalis and relatives - I wish I had more experience with firebellies to give you more help

I don't give live blood worms I only give him frozen ones that I unfreeze and feed with tongs.

As far as size he's definitely not big enough to eat small crickets yet he's still REALLY small. I feed him a variety of live isopods and frozen blood worms. Right now I don't have isopods so I'm giving him bloodworms.

Anyway, today he is doing a LOT better. he ate two more blood worms and decided he's done for the day. He's jumping around quite a bit more but I'm keeping him in quarantine for the weekend just to be certain he's ready to go back into the enclosure before I put him back.

This is my first time taking care of babies and it's been a learning experience for me. Truth be told I was not prepared but I am definitely doing everything I can to take care of these guys and out of the three that survived the batch of tadpoles, this is my last survivor. I am sad that the others died and the cause of death is a mystery to me but I will do everything I possibly can to make sure this little guy makes it to adulthood.

[MaxVanity]

Oh! and by the way I have purchased a new hygrometer off amazon so it should be here by hopefully tuesday.

[LilyPad]

The fact that they haven't thrived could be due to the lack of vitamins. You can dust anything they eat, "shake and bake" style. Throw it in a bag with a pinch of vitamins and shake and dump.

A quote from the care sheet that I linked you to -

" They should receive a diet of dusted/supplemented fruit flies (Drosophila) and pinhead crickets 5-6 times a week. It is important to remember to dust both of these food items with calcium and vitamins several times a week to ensure an adequate growth rate."

I would skip the blood worms and just do the fruit flies or pinhead crickets if he's not big enough for anything else, which seems really unusual at 6 months. What is his length snout-vent? Can you take a pic of him with a penny by him?