Jr is acting strange...

[Guenhwyvar]

I haven't been on for a long time and thought I'd come back and try to figure out what Jr is up to. He hasn't wanted anything other than his nightcrawlers for over a month now. I tried feeding him crickets to vary his diet a bit, but could only trick him into eating one...he grabbed 2 others but pulled them out of his mouth like they were poison. I had to change his bedding twice in the last month because of mites. He has new bedding again and 2 days later it's covered in mites! I'm getting mad! He has been burying himself completely for about 2 weeks now. I pour new water in his tank to moisten the bedding, which makes the mites go nuts, and he comes out. He's very white...he was a high red with brown and lime green stripes. He stopped eating a week ago. I had to force him to eat, not force his mouth open or anything, but I teased him with a worm for a good 20-30min before he ate it last week. I've been playing pacman chirping noises for him to try to get him to chirp, but no luck so far. could that be making him bury himself? It's summer and has been about 80F in the house and over 100F outside, so I don't think he should be hibernating at all. He has gotten a lot bigger, but hasn't pooped for 2 weeks...I'm starting to worry. He won't eat anything other than his earth worms. They are chemical free, farmed worms, not wild caught.

[Wizzlewuzzle]

As long as he's happy eating the worms, I wouldn't be too concerned that he doesn't want the crickets. I'd definitely be trying to get rid of those mites, though--maybe someone else will be along with some good advice on that. As far as not pooping for 2 weeks, you can try giving him a soak in lukewarm water (dechlorinated, of course), with a few drops of honey dissolved in it.

[Wizzlewuzzle]

A couple of extra thoughts. Are you dusting the worms with a calcium + d3 supplement and a multivitamin at any point or no (not every feeding and never both at once)? You say the house is around 80 degrees--what about the tank temp? And what is the tank humidity?

[GrifTheGreat]

As for the mites. I bet they're coming from your crickets and need to be gotten rid of. only way is to change the substrate, clean the tank, and buy all new furniture for him. Get rid of all driftwood, fake plants, and hides. you can keep the water dish the soak it in really hot water. This is the only way to get rid of them. He is severely stressed and the mites are probably attacking him. Fees him the worm and forget about the crickets.

[Guenhwyvar]

As for the mites. I bet they're coming from your crickets and need to be gotten rid of. only way is to change the substrate, clean the tank, and buy all new furniture for him. Get rid of all driftwood, fake plants, and hides. you can keep the water dish the soak it in really hot water. This is the only way to get rid of them. He is severely stressed and the mites are probably attacking him. Fees him the worm and forget about the crickets.

I haven't tried crickets for a while because I figured the mites were coming from them. I just haven't been able to get rid of them this time. I'll have to take out his live plants. The mites are also crawling on his gauge, should I rinse that or just let it dry out in the sun?

[GrifTheGreat]

I haven't tried crickets for a while because I figured the mites were coming from them. I just haven't been able to get rid of them this time. I'll have to take out his live plants. The mites are also crawling on his gauge, should I rinse that or just let it dry out in the sun?

You don't want any eggs left behind.

[Guenhwyvar]

yeah, that would be bad...he may have to live in his little cricket keeper for a few days while I clean his tank. He's almost too fat for it. At least he's growing, not as fast as I thought he would though. He's pretty small for a 1yr old. Would it be safe to run the gauge under hot water?

[IvoryReptiles]

My guess is that even when you have cleaned his tank, some mites have been hitching a ride on him!
Clean & sanitize everything, get rid of the plants. Give the frog a good soak and keep him in what we call a "Hospital" container, a smaller container on damp paper towels for at least a week. See if that helps cut the mites out. Give him a good soaking while cleaning the stuff off.

As for the temps.....it isn't your room's temp that matters, it's the enclosure's temps that matter. Get a temp gun and monitor the temps inside the enclosure and tweak them until they are just right. No higher than 82 at the hot area & no lower than 76 in the cool side. Humidity should be a constant 80%.

Food.....earthworms/nightcrawlers are a perfectly fine staple diet with supplements & calcium added to occasional feedings. We have some frogs that absolutely HATE crickets or anything with legs.......that's okay.
Just make sure they are getting the correct amounts of vitamin supplements & calcium to make it a complete diet.

Best of luck in getting rid of the mites and returning the frog to a healthy environment!

[Guenhwyvar]

His tank is about 81F and his humidity is 70-80 now that I poured water over the bedding. He gets a dusted worm with cal-d3 about once a week but won't eat it when it has the multivitamin on it. I had a hard time with him when he was a baby because he wouldn't eat dusted food no matter how long it was in there, so I had to gut load his crickets. i'll give him a soak, I normally do it every time I change his bedding, but I didn't this last time. I feel bad for him because the mites are crawling all over him and he must itch like crazy. I'll have had him for a year next week, He turned a year in July.