Cody ate plastic decor

[MeTree]

Hey guys. I was feeding Cody tonight just like I normally do. He was hunting a nightcrawler that had wondered over somewhat near a plant, but not under it. He got the worm successfully, but I then noticed that the worm pulled a small plastic plant with him into Cody's mouth! Cody usually just spits out plants with a little bit of patients, but Cody decided that he was hungry and he wasn't going to let the worm go just because he had plastic in his mouth.

I tried to wrestle the plant out of his mouth, but the more I tried, the more he clamped down. He ended up swollowing the entire thing. I feel horrible that I wasn't able to help him.

Is anyone aware of a frog's capability of digesting plastic? I know they can digest things like rat bones and so on, but plastic isn't on the menu for most pet pacs. I am really worried about impaction. I'll try to upload a picture of the plant before he swollowed it (tomorrow). In the meantime, any ideas or suggestions? I'd really appreciate some imput.

Thanks guys!

-MeTree

[Wizzlewuzzle]

If it was really big you're probably going to need to take him to the vet. If it was small enough that he might reasonably pass it with some help, I believe the usual aid for impaction is a soak in lukewarm water with a few drops of honey added. If it were me and my frog, though, I would probably take him to the vet because I'd be too worried about possible damage from it going through his system. So sorry this happened

[mikesfrogs]

Give it a few days and see what happens. Soak it twice a day. Most vets won't be able to do anything. They can't do operations on frogs. Don't stress too much

[MeTree]

I appreciate the advice. Cody is alive and somewhat Ok looking today. He obviously isn't able to digest the plastic plant. He has two HUGE bulges on either side of his stomach. I soaked him for about thirty minutes in warm water, and then I put him back in his tank. He seemed a little stressed, but he seems to be in a much better mood than he was last night.

I'll try to upload some pictures of his tummy bulges and the plant he ate later if I get a chance.

[GrifTheGreat]

Plastic doesn't digest. Plus you wouldn't want the plastic burned away from the wiring that is used to support the plastic. It would make matters worse.

Definitely keep us updated. Try and stay calm. He is going to be in a lot of discomfort.

[MeTree]

I think I'm pretty calm. I mean, other than soaking him and trying not to stress him out too much, there really isn't a lot that I can do right now. I guess I'll just have to be patient and see how it all turns out.

Finally got some pictures for you guys. He looks pretty creeper with the bulges sticking out of his sides. I didn't edit a circle around them or anything like that, but I think they're pretty clear.

This is the picture I took when I was trying to (gently) wrestle it out of his mouth.


This is about 2 minutes after he completely swallowed it.


The rest of the pictures are pictures of the first time I soaked him today. I soaked him around 11:12am today (Monday), and he ate the plant at about 11:56pm yesterday night (Sunday). Just to give you guys a time-frame idea.




So if you guys come to any conclusion, or have any thoughts on his present/future condition (e.g. "he's probably not going to make it", or "Oh, that little thing? He'll be fine") feel free to say something.

I'll keep you guys posted. I sure hope he pulls through.

[Wizzlewuzzle]

I'm so sorry for your loss