New....Parasites HELP

[frogged]

Hello, just got two unsexed Litoria caerulea yesterday. It appears that during this process of acclimation and quarantine, I have noticed some health problems with one of them. This particularly one was chosen for its level of activity yesterday, but was sluggish and sleepy this morning, even as I was making noise by cleaning the tank. He also appears to have very inconsistent faecal matter which are strung all over the place and a slimy vent area. He has darkened in colour from his head to the upper torso this morning. Photos coming later. Additionally, I'm wondering how you clean faecal matter off the walls to maintain some level of sterility in the enclosure.

The next fellow was chosen for his apparent health and slight blue tinge on his back. He is with the first frog in the same cage, and I will try to separate them as soon as possible. Well formed faecal matter, and a light green shade to him, photos as well.

Does emailing Dr Frye about this make sense?

[frogged]

Photos of Gulp, the first frog. They are both on paper towels moistened by anti-chlorinated water. Note his faecals, darkened colour and perhaps belly. His belly is actually slightly redder than it appears in the last photo.

[frogged]

Photos of the second frog, Slurp. Note lighter green(less stress?), higher activity levels this morning, well formed faeces.



Does his belly indicate any underlying health condition? It is reddish.

[frogged]

A bump for help and some extra information.
Temps (Celsius): 27-28 Day, 24-26 night
Tank size (Quarantine): 5 gallons
Substrate: Misted paper towels, moist to touch; no water released under pressure
Food: Haven't tried
Water: Water bowl with large surface area, misted walls, dechlorinated water
Lighting: None
Hides: Temporary toilet rolls
Climbing items: None currently
Humidity: Likely 50-70%. Tropical and humid country. Walls misted when dry.
Ventilation: Plastic lid with vents

[Bolisnide]

Hi there, I would say that yes, an email to the resident vet is in order if a herp vet isn't available in your area. You're right, the poo doesn't look good; both frogs should be tested for parasites. Hopefully someone in your area is able to do a fecal exam, as Dr. Frye is in the US.
The overall color of the frogs look fine to me.
Good luck, I hope they get better soon.

[frogged]

I will be isolating both frogs from each other today. In this case, will the second frog with well formed faeces be exempt from a medical test?


Both frogs are very active, jumping all over when awake, but they tend to sleep at any chance in a hide, no matter the time of the day.

I have tried small mealworms yesterday and both frogs displayed interest in the food, but I cannot yet tell if one ate the other's food because the bowls were empty this morning.

Faeces are removed immediately upon sight, area of affected paper towels are replaced immediately as well and the tank floor wiped down.

The frog in concern apparently turns dark every morning and lightens towards the night, so I think the colour is less of a concern.

[Bolisnide]

That's good the frogs are separated now.
If the frogs were mine, I would test both frogs for parasiites because they were housed together. Even the one with healthy looking stools could be sick too. I would also discontinue with the meal worms and go with a food item easier to digest, like crickets, earth worms, night crawlers. Even in a healthy white's treefrog, meal worms are an on occasion treat. The chitin (exo skeleton) is difficult to pass, and given that at least one frog is having soft stool, the mealworms should not be used until they're better.
I think the best thing to do right now is find out what is causing the soft stools, which means they need a fecal exam. That's the only way to find out precisely what is going on. In my area, I paid about 35 USD for a fecal.
Also, just so you know, white's are nocturnal, so you will only see them sleeping or hiding during the day and being active at night. And their color is always changing from dark to light. This is all normal white's behavior.
Oh, and keep dusting the food items (if your not currently, start now) with calcium every other feeding and a multi-vitamin made for herps once per week. There are many different brands on the market and all work fine.
Good luck with finding someone to perform a fecal test on each frog. I believe this is absolutely necessary at this point.

[Bolisnide]

Just realized I never answered your question on how to clean the fecal matter to maintain cleanliness. I would use just plain de-chlorinated water and clean as soon as you see it....there may be alternative products, but I'm not aware of any that may be used in an occupied enclosure.

[frogged]

Yes, I used the mealworms for the purpose of checking the feeding response. Didn't think that feeding lobster roaches would be a sane option during acclimation, seeing as they move pretty fast.

There's only one clinic that deals with white's tree frogs here, and I'll have to wait till next Wednesday.

I have never been sure about the frequency of dusting. How often should this be?

[Bolisnide]

I've never used lobster roaches... so don't know about that.
It is good that the frogs seem to have an appetite. I always feel a white's with no appetite is not a good sign.
Many people have many different philosophies about dusting. I personally use a product called Repashy Calcium Plus, this product has calcium and vitamins. I dust every feeding. Others use a calcium powder every other feeding and vitamin once per week, and others dust with calcium only once per week and vitamin once per week. I feel that as long as thy're getting their calcium at least once per week and a vitamin once per week, that would probably suffice.

[Bolisnide]

I found this link on doing your own fecal exam....
Might be worth a try.
Frog Forum - How to do Fecal Exams

[frogged]

I read one account that bad looking faeces turned out to be fixed upon acclimation of a white tree frog on this forum. Is this a possibility with mine?

I will be sending faecals over nonetheless. Come'on people, chip in.

[Bolisnide]

I read one account that bad looking faeces turned out to be fixed upon acclimation of a white tree frog on this forum. Is this a possibility with mine?

I will be sending faecals over nonetheless. Come'on people, chip in.

Yeah, c'mon people, chime in
I suppose the problem could correct itself with proper diet and environment. I would give it a go for only about a week or two. If after that time they're still experiencing soft stool, than get worried.
I think that a product called panucur could be used as a preventative and can;t hurt. Some use it regularly to prevent parasites.
do you have a pet meds dot com? you can order it directly and dust every feeding for 3 days. If it were me, I would consider dooing that.

[frogged]

Technically. Exotic pets are illegal here. The only legal one would be Litoria Caerulea and cuora amboinensis. Don't have a pet meds website here, and the only exotic vet is in a isolated part of the island.

Yea, panacur is useful, can't find it here though.

The activity levels are insane. Hopefully, a sign that their health is better than initially expected.

[frogged]

A quick bump.