Swollen Frog? Please Help!

[Meer]

I have a gray tree frog who's recently appeared to get very swollen or bloated. His entire body and legs look very big and swelled up and his throat sack is always inflated and hanging down. He's not just fat, I haven't been over feeding him. And he as also stopped eating.

I don't know what I should do.

More details:
I've had the frog almost three years
Temps range about 77 F daytime
humidity 50-60%
Substrate coconut fiber
Live plants pothos and ficus
Glass tank with cork bark flats, and a plastic water dish.
Nothing in his environment has changed recently.
Diet B. dubia roach nymphs and an occasional moth
Only one frog, no cagemates.

[Tom Highum]

Has he pooped recently? What about his behavior? Are his eyes ok and is he shedding. Well I don't know what to do except try to give him a warm bath and go to the vets, http://www.frogforum.net/general-dis...list-vets.html

[Meer]

Has he pooped recently? What about his behavior? Are his eyes ok and is he shedding. Well I don't know what to do except try to give him a warm bath and go to the vets, http://www.frogforum.net/general-dis...list-vets.html

The poop I see in his water dish from recently (could have been yesterday) is very very small, loose looking and green. I am very worried. His behavor seems mostly normal, except he won't eat. For a while he was not climbing up on his branches, but staying down at the bottom of his tank most of the time. That was unusual for him. Now he is back in his "favorite spot" again near the top, but still looks sick.

I very badly want to take him to a vet, but I don't think I can find one near me. I will check that link you posted.

[Tom Highum]

Hope the link helps. Has he spent a lot of time in his water bowl? How big are the pieces of the coconut fiber?

[Meer]

Hope the link helps. Has he spent a lot of time in his water bowl? How big are the pieces of the coconut fiber?

I don't think he is spending any more time in his water than usual.

The coconut fiber pieces are very very small. Most of them really the size of pieces of dirt, a few sort hair like strands. The biggest "chunk" like pieces that I can see are maybe about 2 centimeters long. Pretty much it looks like this:
http://triplezranchandproduce.com/images/DSC00032.JPG
(not my picture, just one I found really quick)

I've been using it for years for all my terrarium animals, I thought it was safe.

[Tom Highum]

It is safe, I use it and it is fine. Just sometimes people buy larger chunky coir.

[Meer]

That's good to know, thanks. =)

I will try to get him to a vet, although the ones on that list that are in my state a still a ways away. It's not easy for me to do that, but I'm working on it.

Thank you very much for your help thus far! I've just sort of jumped in here because the last forum I was at wasn't very nice to me and I was kind of panicking trying to find a new place that might help me some.

[Tom Highum]

Sorry about your experiences with other forums. What kind of water are you using?

[Meer]

Reverse osmoses water

[into]

Thank you very much for your help thus far! I've just sort of jumped in here because the last forum I was at wasn't very nice to me and I was kind of panicking trying to find a new place that might help me some.

I can probably guess which one it is... they torment people for asking beginner questions and think you should be an expert if you want to keep a frog.

[into]

His entire body and legs look very big and swelled up and his throat sack is always inflated and hanging down...

How long has he been swollen? I would wash your hands good and take him out and carefully inspect him to see if he's just pumped up with air (from calling) or if he's retaining water.

[John]

It sounds like a fluid build-up problem, which is usually caused by organ damage or failure. Was the frog an adult when you got him/her? This could mean the frog is pretty old and reaching the natural end of its life - there is really no treatment for this in small animals.

It does not sound like an impaction to me. Of course, a photo would be very helpful.

A note on R/O water - I wouldn't use that unless you are using something to replace the electrolytes that are missing from it, otherwise you put a lot of stress on the frog's osmoregulation when he sits in that water. If you want to know more about water types then have a look at this: http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...hing-else.html

By the way, which forum are you talking about?

[Meer]

Oh no I have been using horrible water for my frog!! Could that be contributing to what's wrong with him? Where could I get things like R/O-rite or Electro-rite mentioned in that other thread to treat the R/O water? I would really prefer that to treating my yucky tap water.

My frog was an adult when I got him, although I think he was not full grown, he got bigger the first few months or so that I had him. That would make him four years old at the youngest. I'm trying to prepare myself that this may be the natural end of his life. But it might not, I'm not giving up yet. I want to do everything I can for him.

I really don't want to mention the name of the forum I was on before or say what happened. I shouldn't even have brought it up. It just wasn't a good fit for me personally.

Anyway, I am just waiting until morning to see about going to a vet. (it's 1 AM now, yay for insomnia )

Edit: Here's a picture

[John]

Looks like a healthy female gray tree frog from this angle. Can you take one from the side or the front please? I wouldn't rush off to the vet just yet.

[scribbles]

I don't see anything wrong in the picture.

[Meer]

He is definitely male and there is definitely something wrong with him. He is very swollen and not eating for two weeks and is now very lethargic. I guess it's just not that obvious from that pic. Here is a second pic from the side.

I do NOT normally handle my frog but this was the best way to get a side pic and I had to move him to an ICU container anyway.

I'm afraid he may die before I can get him to a vet, but Saturday is the absolute soonest I could do it.

But if he does make it, about my water question, can R/O water treatment produces be found anywhere in the US? I've never heard of them before.

[John]

Is it getting cooler where you are? Recently we've had several people report Gray Tree Frogs no longer accepting food due to the cooldown. That could explain his appetite right now. As for his size, how do you know it's a male? Just because the throat is baggy like that doesn't mean it's a male - have you heard it call? Right now I'm going to guess the temperature is the issue and he's just well fed. He doesn't look bloated to me.

[Kurt]

It could be a case of seasonal changes, but then again maybe not. To me that throat doesn't quite right. Personally, I would still have him checked out.

[AHsueh1994]

Hi, my name is Amy and I am a new member in this forum. I saw your other conversation "Swollen Frog, Please Help" while browsing online. My frog has a similar condition and I was wondering if you would be able to help me as well. Thanks so much!

His/her condition:

Swollen body (only the stomach, rest of the body seems fine)
Doesn't move a lot
Has never croaked before but made a kind of strange groaning sound after the swelling occurred
Hasn't eaten or pooped recently

She started getting fidgety over the week and only last night she started to lean on one side, the other side is kind of swollen. Today, after I came back from school, she had become completely swelled up.

Thank you for your time!
Amy.

[Eel Noob]

Could be a symptom usually referred to as Edema. Book recommends keeping frog in dry environment till swelling subsides.