Sick White's Tree Frog...please help!

[hadkins0617]

I clean out the water dish and give them new water every other day, or every day depending on how much water is in there. And I mist each day. I last fed them on Saturday, there are still crickets in there for both to eat.

The bowl is large enough for both, however I never see them in the bowl together. Most of the time they sleep on the back wall or inside the rock cave, however this one has been in the water bowl when I go to bed and when I wake up. He hasn't moved out of it much, just seems to be lounging in there.

Thank you all for your posts and suggestions.

[Badger]

Don has more experience with them than me, but what type of gauges are you using? (Ex. Analog, Digital/probe)

[DonLisk]

I would basically keep an eye on weight and physical condition. I would check to see how the droppings are after he eats, If you keep him in a separate tank you can monitor how much he eats. Also, using a damp paper towel on the bottom makes it easy to monitor droppings. If he has runny droppings see the bottom of this post.

Whites Tree Frogs are active at night and will look sleepy during the day light hours. I would mist twice daily at a minimum to see if that changes behavior. The substrate should feel slightly damp on top and not dry.

If you are finding droppings from both frogs, usually found both in the water or below where they sleep, then you know they are eating. You can also look into having a fecal exam done with a local herp vet to get a clean bill of health on the frogs.
You can monitor how much they eat by using a glass cereal bowl. Place the bowl down into the substrate and drop the crickets in. A round bottom glass cereal bowl gives the crickets zero traction to jump out and escaped crickets sooner or later fall back in.

Now, as Dalton was getting to, hydrometers are not the most accurate things and when I select one I try to compare the readings off a few different ones to find several (different brands) that are reading the same. Basically, if your glass is wet, soil damp, and part of your top is covered, you have humidity.
If you have any type of lighting for daytime, this will burn off humidity quickly. Just keep an eye on it to see how quickly your readings change between misting. Your WTFs like between 50 and 70 percent and night temps around 68 - 70, days between 75 - 80.

One thing I would like to also point out is that your frogs like to sleep and perch on plants and branches so have enough up high for them to be on and sleep on. Snake Plant and Bromeliads are great for tree frogs and they usually are more active up high when they have paths to move across. IE: branch to leaf and so on. Mine slept most of the time in the Bromeliads and one loved to sleep on the snake plants leafs.

Lastly, I'm not a fan on treating something unless I know it is in fact the problem. A vet is your best bet for making that determination:
It is possible your frog has the following condition:
Symptoms: Listless, often found in water or hiding, watery droppings.
Cause: Parasites in intestines, “Protozoa”
Treatment: Parasites are always present in the intestines, but they will cause problems when the animal is weak. Treat with METRONIDAZOLE (FLAGYL) 1 drop in 8 drops of tepid water. Place one drop on the back of frog. Duration: Each day for 6 days. Treatment for the vivarium: 1ml per 5 liters of water; use this to spray the vivarium.


Keep us posted.

[DonLisk]

If George is reading this, I would like to hear what George has to say on how often one of his Whites is found in the water dish.
Humidity was fine but he just loved being in that dish.

[Herpvet]

Lastly, I'm not a fan on treating something unless I know it is in fact the problem. A vet is your best bet for making that determination:
It is possible your frog has the following condition:
Symptoms: Listless, often found in water or hiding, watery droppings.
Cause: Parasites in intestines, “Protozoa”
Treatment: Parasites are always present in the intestines, but they will cause problems when the animal is weak. Treat with METRONIDAZOLE (FLAGYL) 1 drop in 8 drops of tepid water. Place one drop on the back of frog. Duration: Each day for 6 days. Treatment for the vivarium: 1ml per 5 liters of water; use this to spray the vivarium.

Hi DOn,

I fully agree about the vet (as I would, being one : )) but just a thought if you are going to recommend treatments - it might be an idea to specify the dose (in mg/kg) of metronidazole you are using (and/or what size of frog the mentioned dose is for) and the specific preparation used - various different concentrations of preparation ar often available (can't speak specifically for the US personally, but I would imagine so), and some preparations may have toxic carrier ingredients.

Hope this helps,

Bruce.

[DonLisk]

Hi DOn,

I fully agree about the vet (as I would, being one : )) but just a thought if you are going to recommend treatments - it might be an idea to specify the dose (in mg/kg) of metronidazole you are using (and/or what size of frog the mentioned dose is for) and the specific preparation used - various different concentrations of preparation ar often available (can't speak specifically for the US personally, but I would imagine so), and some preparations may have toxic carrier ingredients.

Hope this helps,

Bruce.

Sorry, but this information was copy and pasted from the frog first aid section on the forum and I wouldn't have a way to determine what a drop equals in mg.

[hadkins0617]

Thanks everybody. We've been monitoring him, changing the water every day, got a new light to increase the heat and have been spraying the tank to keep the humidity high. He's doing better, spending time on the leaves and branches instead of the water dish.

We are still keeping an eye on him, but looks like he is recovering from whatever was ailing him.

Thanks again!

[CamilleElise]

I found this thread because I am having similar problems with my frog. I also have 2 White's that I have had for a few months now. I've raised White's basically my whole life so I am very familiar with the species and their needs.

I keep the humidity between 70-80 by misting the tank several times a day. The soil is damp as evidence that humidity remains in the tank. I also have a humidifier in the room where the frog tank is just to be sure to keep humidity up since I live in dry, dry, dry Tucson.

I have 2 White's, Dwight & Daphne. I got them as captive-bred juveniles and both have grown substantially since my initial purchase. Daphne lately has gotten extra fat, earning her the nickname of Jabba The Hut. Dwight too was getting nice and fat until about the last week. He's been getting thinner, but isn't yet dangerously thin, but enough to have me worried. And lately, as the person who started the thread noted, he has been sleeping in the water dish when normally he sleeps up at the top of the tank behind a fake hanging plant (I have a tall tank so they have room to climb up). Also, I change the water dish daily and replace the water with de-chlorinated water, so they always have a source of fresh, healthy water. And sometimes I do find the two of them bathing together as the bowl is big enough for the two of them to share.

I have tried to isolate him in an effort to see if he is eating. He did not eat either of the two crickets I provided last night, and I am not sure if he ate any mealworms. He gets really agitated when taken out of the main tank and placed into the carrying tank and spends his time trying to get out. He also isn't nearly as tame as Daphne so if I sit there watching him, he is extra-agitated and won't eat for sure. I did, at one point, see him looking at the food bowl containing the mealworms with interest, but I don't know if he ate any...

Any suggestions for me? Since he's losing weight should I just take him to an exotic animal vet to see if it's parasites? I'm not sure if/where he has been pooping. There is a small poop in the cage but that could be Daphne's. I'd keep him isolated longer but he gets frantic when isolate and I am quite sure that can't be good for him, right?

Help!