HELP- fire bellied bloated and molting?

[coolcat12987]

Hello all-

I got a fire bellied toad about a month and a half ago and it has been doing fine so far. I noticed a couple of days ago that it looked a little bloated. Not severely but to the point I noticed. The next morning I cleaned its tank and fed it some calcium dusted crickets. . I also put it near a window so it can get some more natural sunlight and heat. It has positioned itself against the side near the sun and where it can lay almost completely underwater but it's head on the above ground rock in the tank. The bloating has not gotten worse but I don't think it's gotten better. It doesn't seem to be eating the crickets, either (to be fair it did not eat much before). Now it looks as if there is some sort of semi-translucent stuff coming off of it so I believe it shedding.
My questions are more about it's activity. Is the stuff coming off of it mean it's molting / is that what it is supposed to look like? Also- is it normal that it isn't eating much if not anything? Finally- is it normal for it to not be moving much? If the tank is moved it moves but only slightly. Other than that it doesn't seem to have changed positions in the past two days.
I would really appreciate any help on this. I already love my fire bellied toad and want to make sure it is alright or if i need to do something different!

[jasonm96]

Hi,
The enclosure should not be postioned next to a window as this can cause overheating. Also, these frogs require UVB and this can not transmit from the glass of a window or the tank to inside the tank. What temperature are you keeping it at? Frogs will shed their skin and this is fine, although excessive shedding may indicate disease. I've always found they feed better in groups and fed every other day. Be sure to use a multivitamin alongside the calcium. Bloating can be due to heat stress, water edema or if the frog is carrying eggs

[privet01]

I usually don't supply heat to my tank, so my fbt's get a little cold in the winter time and sometimes they don't eat for what seems like a week or more. They are also a little sluggish too. But all that goes away when the temps warm up. Right now the water temp in my tank is about 66F and they have been slightly sluggish but they look very healthy otherwise.

You are right to be cautious though. Especially if you are sure of the bloating accompanied with other signs of poor health.

[privet01]

How's your frog doing? Well I hope.

[coolcat12987]

How's your frog doing? Well I hope.

I was really relieved to hear that your fire bellied toad gets sluggish in the winter time and can go for what seems like a week without eating. In that time, how many small crickets do you feed it per day if it doesn't seem to be eating?
I have made an appointment for a reptile vet consultation tomorrow because the shedding has stopped but it seems even more bloated and I am concerned about that. Do you have any other tips for this first time owner?

[privet01]

I only feed them twice a week at the most. Ideally a cricket that is about 3/8 inch in body length, one per frog and an extra one or two to allow for those crickets that immediately jump into the water and play dead or burrow into the substrate.

I just take a plastic container with glossy sides that they can't climb and empty it onto the dry part of the viv. If they have not eaten them in an hour or so, then I try to get them out. If you leave them in, they poop everywhere and eat your plants. If you don't have plants, then they soon don't become a nutritious meal as once they've pooped out everything they loose quite a bit of the nutrients you want your frog to get.

There are little suction devices you can get to help you capture the uneaten ones. Like one of these..... https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...rds=bug+vacuum