Sleeping in the Water Dish?

[HerpDerp]

Oh my god I'm so mad right now. I just called the pet store and told them what was going on and the first thing I was told is that "oh well white's tree frogs are pretty lethargic". And then she went on to tell me "well they sleep during the day and he was like that when he was here too". And then when I said I thought he was impacted she was like "well they poop in their water sometimes so you need to look in there and maybe he pooped and you just didn't see it". And THEN when I mentioned the vet I was told that vets can't do anything for frogs because they're "not like other pets". She acted like I was stupid for thinking a vet could help. She said all they could do was take the frog back and put him in the same tank he was in and just watch him. So I told her I would just keep him and see how he acts for the next week (since I have a 15 day guarantee). I'm just so mad that they wont do anything about it.

[HerpDerp]

So I got a chance to take some pictures of my frog today. I'm still pretty annoyed about petco blowing me off the way they did. I'm really hoping that he's just adjusting and will start acting normally soon. So maybe you guys can take a look and tell me if he at least looks healthy? And should I still be feeding him even though he hasn't pooped or should I hold off on that for a bit? Thanks so much for all the replies I have gotten already

[CamilleElise]

Well, his nice, white belly is a good sign. And to me he doesn't appear bloated. My Daphne girl used to like to be that color a lot, some frogs just prefer darker colors, Dexter is never anything but brown, he just likes being brown... I think give the frog more time to settle in, moves are really stressful for them. Keep observing closely, and go with your gut instinct.

I know my vet has felt the belly of my frogs to check for impaction before, looking for a firm mass, not just the firmness normal organs would cause. You could perhaps consider this, if you feel comfortable. Of course you'd have to be gentle. Anything super hard would be a red flag something wasn't right.

[HerpDerp]

Thank you so much. This actually puts my mind at ease quite a bit. I actually have felt his belly and he really doesn't like me touching it at all but that could just be him not liking my finger there. But I haven't felt anything at all. I'll try feeding night crawlers tonight. He hasn't shown much interest in them but I know they're better than crickets. I'll keep a really close eye on him and inspect the tank really well to see if he's pooped.

[CamilleElise]

Mine don't love their belly touched either, so my vet had to hang onto the little wiggly ones with a firm (but not overly harsh) grasp just to be able to probe their little tummies better. It does stress them out to do this, but if you are seriously concerned about impact, this is an option. What type of substrate was he on at the store you got him from? Personally, I find most pet stores don't have great care of their creatures, and put them in cages way too small. I don't think my frogs poop daily, though I couldn't tell you for sure what their natural poop cycle is. I don't find 7 poops daily though, granted they could be well-hidden and sometimes disintegrate into the water dish (ewww, I know, but true). If it's financially feasible, you could consider a vet checkup on your own. My vet is an exotic animal vet, and I believe his basic checkup fee is only $30 or $35, which is reasonable for me on my budget, but I know is a stretch for many people as that amount can pay for quite a bit elsewhere. You might just call around and inquire what basic fees are. I always tend to ask if the vet is experience specifically with tree frogs or Whites tree frogs. I know once when I lived in another stated, I found a vet in my (relatively) small hometown, that had previously been the caretaker, at a well-known zoo, for the amphibian exhibit, including several Whites. His rates were very reasonable (though more than I pay my current vet) and he saved a couple of my frogs from (almost) certain death, helping them go on to live long, happy, healthy lives.

[HerpDerp]

Well as far as I know there aren't any vets anywhere near me that actually know what they're doing when it comes to anything more than your basic mammalian type pets. Finding an avian vet has proven impossible for me (which is beyond frustrating). I had assumed the vet that petco used dealt with amphibians but the not so helpful associate I spoke with today informed me otherwise. They had that infamous impaction inducing moss in the tank with him and they were feeding him those massive crickets (which I'm convinced are just too big for him). But here's the good new! He Pooped tonight! It really wasn't a lot but it's something! And I can't believe I'm asking this, but what is normal white's tree frog poop supposed to look like? My only experience is with pacman poop which is HUGE and long. My white's poop was pretty small and wasn't watery but did look a bit... wet lol. But then again, with the amount of water he's been soaking up it could be understandable!

[CamilleElise]

I'm sorry to hear no vet is available nearby.

However, that is great news about your frog! Does Froggy have a name yet? I'm glad he went poo! It varies for White's but generally my frogs make bigger ones (though they are sometimes smaller than normal) and they are usually a solid mass, that yes, does look a bit wet. They will dry out pretty quickly so generally anything made the night before if I find it the next day is dry by the time I clear it out. It sounds pretty normal for a Whites poo.

Not a fun picture because it's of poo, but if it looked something like this, except wet, that's normal (these ones are dried out) Recent image by whitie2 on Photobucket

If Whites ever start making completely watery poo with no form to it, be worried, that's not normal. But, keep in mind that if they poo in their water dish, sometimes the water will disintegrate the poo by the time you find it in the morning, so don't stress if that happens.