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Thread: Old age or infection in grey tree frog?

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    Junior Member wodesorel's Avatar
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    Default Old age or infection in grey tree frog?

    Hi all, could use a little help!

    Our grey tree frog is not doing so well the last few weeks, she's become very weak and seems to be losing muscle mass. Today her skin was dry and sticky. We've had her for five years so I am thinking it may just be old age, but if there is something more I can do I would like to try. I am trying to find a local vet that can treat amphibians but do not have much hope.

    If anyone has ideas or can point me to more resouces, it would be appreciated!

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    100+ Post Member Larry Wardog's Avatar
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    Default Re: Old age or infection in grey tree frog?

    I don't think it's old age they can live for around 12 years and possibly more if in proper care. Sounds like lack of calcium has effected the frog. I answered a post from someone else on here about something similar. Get Repti Vitamins by Zoo Med the Repti Vite without D3 and a Calcium with D3 and get a Ziploc bag and put the frogs food whatever the frog reacts to the most waxworms crickets whatever and shake up the bag with them in and let the frog eat them. Do this in 3 feeds a week. One day use vitamins next feed nothing then the third feed use the calcium the same as the vitamin. You can soak the frog in warm sugar water or just water to help the frog feel better. You should try to feed it a good diet of crickets waxworms mealworms earthworms and other Captive feeders that can really help. I hear the calci worm or repti worm is food in calcium you can pick it up at Petco or PetSmart and feed it to her and see if she will take them. Hope this helps.

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    Junior Member wodesorel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Old age or infection in grey tree frog?

    Her foods have always been calcium dusted with Repashy Calcium Plus, Rep-Cal without D3, or injected with Repashy Rescue-Cal, depending on the feeder and what she received the previous feeding. She's also always been under UVB lighting that is changed out every six months. I rescue MBD reptiles so I am super careful to make sure everything in my care is getting proper supplementation!

    Edit: she soaks in her pool from lights off to sunup every night, that hasn't changed. I tried to force her to soak just in case yesterday and she peed so much that I feel I did more harm than good by trying.

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    100+ Post Member Larry Wardog's Avatar
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    Default Re: Old age or infection in grey tree frog?

    Have you gotten the frog checked for parasites? What's the temperature and humidity of your setup and how big is it?

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    Junior Member wodesorel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Old age or infection in grey tree frog?

    Yes, she has been parasite checked twice and was dewormed not long after she showed up in our home. Humidity varies from 50% to 85% closer to the soil, temperature around 77 since it's summer, and it's a 18x18x24 Exoterra at head height to make her more comfortable.

    I added two new birdsnest ferns last month to her viv, but they were amphibian safe from a person I trust. They are from a pesticide-free source, and she had been growing them out herself for a few months in the same way I would have. I removed them as they started to rot in the centers, I don't have great luck with live plants.

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    100+ Post Member Larry Wardog's Avatar
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    Default Re: Old age or infection in grey tree frog?

    This would have to be a parasite problem because there doesn't seem to be anything wrong and the frog could have something maybe that came from the plants or naturally had something. When my wild toads were checked the vet said wild amphibians can carry parasites undetected if they aren't having an outbreak at this moment. She said that's the benefits of hibernation. Sadly there has to be something wrong with the frog because it's only 5 and they live twice that age.

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    Junior Member wodesorel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Old age or infection in grey tree frog?

    I'm seeing 5 to 8 years on average? And she was an adult when she showed up so she could have been several years old at that point.

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    100+ Post Member Larry Wardog's Avatar
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    Default Re: Old age or infection in grey tree frog?

    Quote Originally Posted by wodesorel View Post
    I'm seeing 5 to 8 years on average? And she was an adult when she showed up so she could have been several years old at that point.
    The average is 5-8 years but in good conditions they can live much longer just like any animal. These frogs have been documented by some advanced keepers and reptiles magazine to live much longer then the average frog. If you think it's old age there is nothing anyone can help you with but I think the frog being old makes it more easily effected to illness. I hope the best for your frog and it gets better.

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    Junior Member wodesorel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Old age or infection in grey tree frog?

    So, she's still holding the same - edema in her abdomen and muscle wasting in her extremities. Still eating and defecating normally.

    She had a vet visit almost a month ago, and we ran through differentials. Parasites were brought up and she was treated, no change. MBD of course was talked about, especially since there can be a kind caused by malabsorbtion (I have a snake with this), but I had gone into active MBD protocol (replaced UVB and changed calcium to Rescuecal) a month prior just in case, no change. Diet was brought up, maybe meals were too large, switched that out to smaller items less frequently, no change. Doc did not see any physical signs of an infection.

    Doc brought up that cancer is surprisingly common in older frogs. Given her symptoms and lack of response to other treatments, this is looking like the most likely scenario. I've dealt with cancer over a dozen times in cats (one of my ten year olds just got diagnosed with lymphoma a couple weeks ago), and with quite a few fish over the years. The muscle wasting, abdominal swelling, lack of response to supportive care - as soon as she said cancer it sadly clicked.

    So long as Ine as hanging in there and does not seem to be in discomfort and is eating, we'll keep going. She seems okay for now, just not the spunky girl she's always been.

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    100+ Post Member Larry Wardog's Avatar
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    Default Re: Old age or infection in grey tree frog?

    It's very surprising to hear how this frog would get cancer with just 6 years of age. The frog must have been older when you caught it or it's possible the genes of the frog meaning one of it's parents was naturally unhealthy. Possibly it's not very common in Gray tree frogs as I've been studying them but inbreeding could cause a younger lifespan too. I hope the frog can live a happy life moving forward! It's a strong little fella

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