New Tree frog not eating!

[Mellyjoe04]

Hello,
I have a new whites tree frog and he is not eating. It has been about three days since I have bought him. How long does it ususally take for a frog to get comfortable in a new environment? Also his tail bone is sticking out really far it looks as though it is irritating the skin like it is about to come out of the skin. I am really worried about him. I have called Petco where I bought him and he said to bring him in if he hasn't eating in a week.
What do you suggest?

[Amphibians]

I would first suggest not getting a frog from Petco, they are pretty terrible. The move can be stressful, and I'm sure life at petco was equally as stressful. Three days of not eating isnt surprising to me. Give it some more time, let him settle in, and post pictures of what your describing with the tail bone that will help.

[John]

Yes, Richie is right about the photo - can we see one please? Richie is probably right about the adjustment period too but it will help if you can give us the conditions under which you keep the frog.

[Mellyjoe04]

Well I will send pictures! I have him in a very large terrarium and he is on coconut substrate. He has trees and vines but never gets on them. I keep the humidity around 70% and the temp at night is around 68 and during the day around 80-85. He still has not eaten. He just turns around when I put a cricket in front of him. He is very clumbsy when it comes to climbing. I know I probably shouldn't have but I wanted to see if he would like it on one of the vines and as he tried to get down it looked as though he didn't have the strength to climb down an just fell. He didn't fall far the vine wasn't high but it scared me so much. I don't know what to do. I called Petco and they said to bring him in on Friday if her still haven't eaten. I just want him to be okay. I don't know what to do.

[John]

Lethargy and refusing food sound like the frog has succumbed to stress and has a bacterial septicemia - this is quite common in animals that go through the pet trade I'm afraid. Yours is not the first petco white's tree frog to be discussed in this context on the forum. An amphibian-savvy vet may be able to save the frog but aside from that it's highly unlikely to get better on its own. I doubt petco will do more than exchange it for you. I can't see them saving the exchanged frog though.

[Kurt]

I don't know about that. A friend of mine is a store manager for Petco and he said they do send animals to the vet. He told me of a rat that cost them over $1,000 in vet fees, as soon as the animal was well, someone came along and bought it as a feeder for his snake.

[Mellyjoe04]

Hello,

I actually took her back yesterday to the store and wanted them to have a look at her. All the manager could say was, "so do you want another one". I said well I would like to find out what is wrong with her and they said they would send her to the vet. I ended up getting another one but feeling horrible for leaving her there. My fiance said that he might have seen the manager take her back to the cage where the other Whites were. This tree frog seems much healthier and I hope he will be healthy for a long time.
My fiance decided to name them Kermit and Fozzie and I hate it. But I love them and their names don't matter to me.!

[Kurt]

I would take the new guys to a vet for a check up, you know, just to be on the safe side.

[Mellyjoe04]

Well I have the new frog now and he seems to be doing well. He is very active and the only scary thing is he hasn't ate yet. I didn't want to mess with him too much yesterday since I just got him yesterday, but today I tried to feed him and he did the same thing he turned away from the cricket. Well he had crickets in his cage when I bought him so he might not want to eat. I am just nervous because Kermit has never refused food. This new frog is refusing to eat right now but what a relief I will feel when he does eat. I will keep you posted. I will also get pics!

[Kurt]

Good luck.