Orange-Legged Monkey Frog worries?

[mintyfresh]

Hi all,

My Orange-Legged Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa Hypochondrialis) is acting strange. She's generally brown now, and rarely moves. I have no idea why. Every so often I see her in her water dish, and sometimes I'll touch her and she'll go clambering away, but normally she's just sitting there every time I look at her. And when I wake up in the morning, she's in the same place she was when I went to sleep (most of the time). I'm worried. Does anyone have experience with this?

Thanks,

Austin

[killerecho]

Here is the usual checklist of questions:

When did this start happening?
Is she eating/defecating normally? If not, when did she stop?
What are the day/night temperatures and humidity levels?
Other than the coloring, are there any other physical signs of stress or disease?
Pics of the frog and your setup would help.

[mintyfresh]

Hey, thanks for the response.
I don't know when it started happening (it seems to be off and on).
I believe she is defecating normally, though I can't vouch for the eating part. I see her eat rarely, but the crickets seem to disappear over time.
I just took a look at her, and I don't see any other signs. She seems aware when I wake her up.
I'll try to post some pics shortly.
I used to keep the daytime temperature around 85-88, with a short drop at night, and the humidity anywhere from 20-40%. But I realized this is good for the P. Hypochondrialis Azurea, from the Gran Chaco, and not the P. Hypochondrialis Hypochondrialis. I have no idea which one she is.

[flybyferns]

Hi all,

My Orange-Legged Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa Hypochondrialis) is acting strange. She's generally brown now, and rarely moves. I have no idea why. Every so often I see her in her water dish, and sometimes I'll touch her and she'll go clambering away, but normally she's just sitting there every time I look at her. And when I wake up in the morning, she's in the same place she was when I went to sleep (most of the time). I'm worried. Does anyone have experience with this?

Thanks,

Austin

Hi Austin

How long have you had your frog?
Has it eaten and pooped? How big are the feeders?

It's hard, I know...but don't touch her. It will make her more stressed.
If you keep a viewing light on at night and don't need it for heat, I would turn it off completely.
Sneak up on her with a tiny light to spy.

Re-evaluate things.
I don't have this frog. I am very interested in them and have read quite a bit. Sorry, I can only review the basics. Owning them makes all the difference in the world.

They are small frogs, but still need plenty of space--a nice tall tank w/ high/suspended leaf cover. The bigger, the better.
Since they are small, they need smaller foods; small crickets or even large fruit flies. Like red eyed tree frogs you will want their food ready to go when 'lights off'. Therefore the day/night cycle is very important. The crickets you feed need to be monitored so you can keep track of what she is eating and replenished so they are dusted w/ calcuim often. Crickets can clean the dusted calcium off themselves very quickly. Maybe add a small (3" high sides) clear class bowl into the tank w/ small dusted crickets- to start- to get her used to it-if you don't already use a bowl. If you do use a bowl, the crickets must be fresh everyday; returning the un-eaten ones back to the crickets bin in the AM to feed.

Settings-Warmer than red eyed tree frogs.
day temperature 77F-85F, with a slight drop at night.
Humidity- 65-75%
This time of the year - after the heat comes on in the house- is an important time to double check humidity settings.

And,of course all the other important things like calcium, vits, and de-chloritated water in the all important shallow soaking dish.

Hopefully you can figure it out!
Maybe sent a fecal to Dr Frye? Better to be certain.
Sometimes parasites they harbor can cause problems if they become stressed.

The link to his email -is in a sticky -at the top of the Tree Frog section.
He will not charge you to speak to him via email.

Hope this helps,
Let us know

[killerecho]

I don't have any experience with p. hypochondrialis, so I can't provide too many answers. I would say that if she appears to be a healthy weight and shows no obvious signs of stress, there's no cause for concern. You should try using a feeding bowl so that you can have a better sense of how she's eating. I know that Michael Novy of Rainforest Junkies fame breeds these frogs, and might know the difference between subspecies. Give him a call 216-965-2856.

[mintyfresh]

Hi Lynn,

Thanks for the response!

I have had her for about 9 months (I'm pretty sure I got her in February).
I see her eat sometimes, albeit rarely.
The feeders are "small" crickets (1/4" I believe), though I have tried mealworms and phoenix worms in the past.
I try not to touch her, but I'm worried so I just want to check...but you're right, it's better to leave her alone, especially if I'm unsure about her condition.
I used to have a night heat bulb, but I shut it off because I thought it was heating the tank too greatly. She seems to be doing better without it (more active )!

I have an Exo Terra 18" x 11" x 11" for her (she's alone because I can't seem to find any more), with a mix of live and artificial plants. The substrate is eco earth with a layer of Spaghnum and Frog Moss (pillow moss) on top. I used to have leaf litter too, but I took that out because the crickets seemed to be going under it.

I tried a bowl for the worms, but I don't think she touched them. Maybe she'll go for it if I put crickets in there.

Thanks so much for the info! Very helpful! I'll keep you guys posted!

PS: I can't seem to find the email...what is the title of the post?

Thanks!

Austin

[mintyfresh]

Thanks! I know Mr. Novy breeds them from time to time, so I'm sure he'll have some answers.
I'll try the feeding bowl as well. Any tips on keeping the crickets in there? They're sneaky little buggers.

[flybyferns]

Thanks! I know Mr. Novy breeds them from time to time, so I'm sure he'll have some answers.
I'll try the feeding bowl as well. Any tips on keeping the crickets in there? They're sneaky little buggers.

Here is Dr Fyre's information
http://www.frogforum.net/tree-frogs/...-prepared.html

Call Michael Novy...I will PM you his #.
He will help you !

Lynn

[killerecho]

Use a bowl at least 3 inches deep with smooth sides so they can't crawl out. Keep it low so the contents are easy to see and keep a piece of paper towel in there to absorb moisture which might drown smaller crickets.

[mintyfresh]

Hey everyone,

I am happy to announce she is fine! Bright lime green and cruising around the tank
Turns out I was keeping her in P. H. Azurea conditions, rather than P. H. Hypochondrialis. I switched the temps and humidity and she is doing great now!

Thanks for everything!