Trouble in the Enclosure

[jmor]

Hope this provides some insight
1. 5 gal ( which provides about 10-12 times the floor space he takes up)
2. 1 frog (horatio, the albino c. cranwelli)
3. 65-80% humidity
4. 70-80 degrees
5. bottled, distilled water for both this dish and the spray bottle
6. 2" of coco fiber on top of gravel
7. water dish on the cool side of the tank, a piece of wood from the pet store (for a hide), beaked moss around the water dish and on the opposite wall to hide the heatpad
8. crickets, crickets, crickets. On a few occasions I have given him wild caught earthworms.
9. up until 2 weeks ago he was getting cal./d3 every feeding. now every other feeding
10. no lighting. some diffused natural light from a window, but thats it
11. I have a heat pad, and he gets some ambient heat from the light on my ball python enclosure
12. Ate 3 wax worms yesterday (first time feeding him those)
13. found a small poop 5 days ago
14. pics to come
15. frog is between 12-18 mos old
16. I've had him for 9 mos
17. cb
18. almost no food diversification
19. I only handle him when I change out the substrate
20. The enclosure is in my office. I dont work from home or anything. He sees people but doesnt have constant traffic.
21. Spot clean as needed. Water changes when soiled or twice a week (whichever is more often). Mist daily. Complete substrate change every 3-4 mos

As I read through this thread, I see there are a few questionable answers on my list. I am always open to criticism when it comes to the lives and health of my pets Thank you guys so much for your help and consideration.

[Lija]

jmor - i would change following:
-humidity, keep it at about 75-80, 60 - too low
- temps, 70 too low, you want to keep at about 76-78(night) and 80-82(day)
-food - nightcrawlers ( not wild) and roaches, while crickets are ok on once in a while, they are not the most nutritious food out there.
-water - never ever use distilled water! only spring water or treated tap water is good for them, distilled is ok for a fogger or spray bottle.
-you said you dust with Ca/vitd3, you need to dust with multivitamins once a week.

-water changes have to be done EVERY day and every time after frog was in there. complete substrate change once a month!

[jmor]

noted. thanx lija, the appropriate changes will be made! I do gutload my crickets to get some extra nutrition to the frog. Any opinion on dubia roaches? Do you dust all feeders?

[GrifTheGreat]

noted. thanx lija, the appropriate changes will be made! I do gutload my crickets to get some extra nutrition to the frog. Any opinion on dubia roaches? Do you dust all feeders?

Definitely follow the advise that Lija has given. I would like to elaborate on a few things.

1. The five gallon is fine for his size. Even when they are in large enclosures, they tend to return to the same two or three spots to burrow. The small enclosure can become an issue if the substrate isn't changed often enough. Horned frogs urinate a LOT. Since you have a drainage layer, he/she isn't sitting directy in his urine constantly, but it still can be a problem. In a small enclosure the urine will built up faster and cause health problems.

3. As Lija said, try to keep the humidity steady at 75-80. You will probably have to mist two or three times a day.

4. Again, Lija has provided the correct temperature range.

5. Distilled water should only be used for misting. It is ok in the smaller amounts that misting provides. However, distilled water has no minerals in it. When the frog is exposed to only distilled water for extended periods of time, the water will actually pull nutrients out of the frog causing health problems. Lose of appetite and malnourishment is a very common result. Use de-chlorinated water for his water dish and for expanding the substrate. De-chlorinator is fairly cheap and with one frog a bottle should last you months.

6. Do you have a terrarium carpet or something along those lines to separate the gravel from the substrate? Because these are burrowing frogs, they tend to make a mess of things. The gravel will get mixed in with the substrate as time goes one. Gravel does pose a risk of impaction if swallowed. Often in their enthusiasm to get their food, they will also swallow whatever is around the food. Coco fiber passes through their system much easier, hence why it is the recommended substrate for them.

7. Same with moss; it also causes a risk for impaction. Does your frog tongs feed? This will reduce the risk of swallowing unwanted substances.

8. Crickets are ok, but not ideal. Nightcrawlers are the best staple diet. They are also must easier to keep than crickets. Please note that any feeder taken from outside carries the risk of containing pesticides or parasites. Better safe than sorry. Wax worms are ok for a treat but not as a staple. Their skin does not usually get digested by the frog. So don't be surprised if you see a couple of wax worms skins (kind of like deflated balloons) in the next bowel movement. Dubias are good for them, but some Pacs are picky about eating them. Only a couple of mine will even eat them. As a result I have an out of control dubia colony! Yikes!

10. Consider getting a lamp. I highly recommend getting one with a dimmer switch so that you can tweak the temp. Try a Fluker's 5.5" or 8.5" clamp lamp with a dimmer switch. Do not go above 50 watt bulbs. 50 or less and use a Exo-Terra 75% intense basking light bulb or something similar for day. The concentrated beam allows you to add supplemental heat without dialing the bulb up full blast. Use infrared at night. Both should be of the same wattage.

Please post pictures as soon as possible. Keep us posted.

[jmor]

I have nothing serparating the gravel from the coco fiber, but it is large gravel and I dont think it poses an impaction risk. He feeds off tongs (to avoid eating anything he isnt supposed to). I have water conditioner I use for my sons fish, so I willl start treating his water dish water. He is definitely a burrower. At one point I had closer to 4" of coco fiber in his enclosure, but he would dig down to the gravel layer for 4-5 days at a time. Idk if that info is of any use. Are there any disadvantages to using a intrared bulb full time?

[Lija]

Are there any disadvantages to using a intrared bulb full time?

no, that is what I'm using, plugged in hydrotherms, for almost all my tanks and just regular low voltage energy saving lamp for day light

if you want to use gravel as drainage you need to separate it from top layer. the frog can damage himself digging through bigger gravel, but in general with the amount of waste they produce you need to change substrate once a month anyway, so drainage layer is more work for you.

[jmor]

Update on C. Cranwelli albino:
The appropriate changes have been made as per the posts by Lija and Griff. Horatio seems to be improving drastically. Humidity is up. Temp is up. I've relinquished my drainage layer in exchange for more substrate changes. I'm looking into starting my own worm box (as the only herp food at my local pet store is crickets and mealworms =/) I havent been able to make it into town yet to buy multivitamin ( the struggles of the rural herper), but that's the only piece of advice I have yet to follow. Thank you all for your help!!

[GrifTheGreat]

I forgot to mention:

Water should be changed at the very least every other day, preferably every day. Stagnant water will also cause problems. Again, as mentioned, the substrate should be changed once a month.

Does the frog general burrow down or does he stay on top of the substrate?