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Thread: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

  1. #1
    bluemoonmonkey
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    Default Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    I'm new here and can't seem to find any helpful information. I have 4 Pacific tree frogs we have raised since tadpoles (now almost a year old). We think we have 1 female and 3 males. One of the males, the smallest and most active of the bunch, developed severely swollen area just inside it's mouth literally overnight. He has always been the most active and is now fairly lethargic and not eating, acting as though he is gasping for breath and tilting his head back. Is he (I think it's a male) sick with something and if so, how do I treat it? Everyone is on vacation right now. Is this something related to mating, because they just began making croaking sounds. Could this be a bacterial or fungal infection? I keep their tank very clean with a UVB light, feed them calcium fortified crickets and they have fresh clean water regularly. This is a first. I isolated him today for fear of it spreading, but if this is something related to mating, then I don't want to separate them. Help!! He's always been my favorite; I don't know what to do, if anything, and I really don't want him to die!
    Thank you in advance,
    Miciah

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  3. #2
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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    It's hard to say what could be the cause without a picture of the swollen area. I doubt it's due to mating. Opening mouth and arching head back might just be shedding behavior.

    When is the last time you've seen it eat? Ever try feeding with tongs? What does the habitat look like? Is there any possibility of impaction? More information may help, but if it does turn out to be an infection or disease of some kind, your best and only option is to take it to a vet.

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    Super Moderator flybyferns's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    Quote Originally Posted by bluemoonmonkey View Post
    I'm new here and can't seem to find any helpful information. I have 4 Pacific tree frogs we have raised since tadpoles (now almost a year old). We think we have 1 female and 3 males. One of the males, the smallest and most active of the bunch, developed severely swollen area just inside it's mouth literally overnight. He has always been the most active and is now fairly lethargic and not eating, acting as though he is gasping for breath and tilting his head back. Is he (I think it's a male) sick with something and if so, how do I treat it? Everyone is on vacation right now. Is this something related to mating, because they just began making croaking sounds. Could this be a bacterial or fungal infection? I keep their tank very clean with a UVB light, feed them calcium fortified crickets and they have fresh clean water regularly. This is a first. I isolated him today for fear of it spreading, but if this is something related to mating, then I don't want to separate them. Help!! He's always been my favorite; I don't know what to do, if anything, and I really don't want him to die!
    Thank you in advance,
    Miciah
    Miciah,
    Brian is right !
    Also can you please post a photo.
    What do you use for feeders? ( could it be a bite)

    Vet idea for today.
    There is a vet you can e-mail -try to do it today?
    Include photos and as much information as impossible.
    He will not charge you to e-mail back and forth.
    He will help you via email , then will prescribe something and mail it.
    The fee for the medication is paid for via credit card.
    The Christmas holiday will likely delay his treatment , but at least you can get things going.
    When his office is physically closed, he may still answer e-mails?

    dr.frye.vetatmilan@gmail.com

    and see:

    http://www.frogforum.net/tree-frogs/...-prepared.html

    http://www.frogforum.net/content/bas...first-aid-142/

    Lynn
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  7. #4
    bluemoonmonkey
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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    I am unable to get a picture but there is a picture identical to mine from this forum dated June 22nd, 2010 - and I read everything they had posted about their sick tree frog, but nothing is very helpful. I don't feel right reposting their pictures - but it was by a member by the handle of Kaddock. I had google image searched "tree frog swollen lip" and saw Kaddock's picture which lead me to this site. I have tried feeding our little frog with tweezers and he refuses. I fear he is at deaths door. I have him in an isolation tank with eco-earth on half of the floor and the other half just the plain plastic of the enclosure, a small water dish and a single injured cricket I put in there so it would be easier for him to eat if he feels like it. His lip looks like a large almost whiteish translucent bubble. I don't know what to think at this point. He is very lethargic but very skittish..very unlike him.

  8. #5
    bluemoonmonkey
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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    I sent the online vet an email, but with this time of year, I doubt I will hear back in time. Our little frog has tried lurching at a cricket obviously trying to eat it, to no avail. He is obviously trying to eat, but cannot get anything in his mouth because of the swollen lip. It almost appears as though it might be full of fluid? His back is caving in from not eating now for going on 5 days. I just wished I knew what was causing this and how to help him

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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    Can you try feeding him by hand or with a pair of tweezers? If he's lunging after food, there might still be reason to be optimistic.

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  11. #7
    bluemoonmonkey
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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    I have tried feeding him with tweezers and he simply can't open his mouth large enough to fit the smallest of crickets in it. He lunges at the crickets, but can't seem to fit it into his mouth because of the swollen lip/mouth. He even trapped a cricket under his foot and tried eating it, but couldn't manage to fit it in his mouth.

  12. #8
    bluemoonmonkey
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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    ok so after much research I think it is a ventrolateral gland that is swollen - I was reading it's size depends on certain phases of the breeding cycle. I still don't think this is within normal ranges..I don't see how this is healthy. Maybe he was bitten by one of the crickets and the gland is now huge. I don't understand how he will survive when he can't fit crickets into his mouth.

  13. #9
    HerpDerp
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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    Since it's been so long since he's eaten you might want to try to force feed so that the food actually gets in his mouth. Instead of crickets try cut up night crawlers. They're softer and easier to get in the mouth. Or even wax worms would be okay for now since he hasn't eaten so the extra fat would be okay. This is very stressful for the frog so it's only done when completely necessary. You just need something blunt and flat (I've used a rounded cuticle pusher that wasn't sharp) to separate he mouth and then just push the food in so they have to swallow it. In your case it sounds like it might be somewhat welcome since he seems to actually want to eat.

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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    Agreed with the force feeding, just try to do it gently. In the meantime, you should try to give him a nutrient bath using a pedialyte and honey solution, or something like this. Anything to help the frog recover some semblance of energy.

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    Default Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    Yes, the soak will be good to give him a boost.

    Try the cut night crawlers. Try using tongs. You can make them extra small and he can eat more of them if it works.

    You can also pick up some reptaboost. It's a nutritional supplement for amphibians and reptiles. It is a powder you mix according to his size. It comes with a syringe.

    If he cannot get the worms in his mouth, or you cannot get the reptaboost, you'll have to force feed. If you can do it, cut up some night crawler pieces, add a tiny bit of calcium and a very tiny bit of dechlorinated water and blend in a blender until an applesauce like consistency. You could do it with crickets, but you'll need to remove the head and legs.

    Get a small 1 ml syringe from any local pharmacy and very gently syringe a drop in at a time. Allow him to swallow before the next drop. Keep him upright when feeding, not in a laying position, to prevent choking. Syringe it in on the nonswollen side.

    To hold him, dampen a paper towel in dechlorinated water so it's moist. Gently pick him up with and carefully swaddle it around him to keep his arms out of the way, to keep him from wiggling too much, and to prevent risk of hurting his skin or giving him human bacteria. Wash and rinse your hands very well before handling him. The moistening water should be luke warm, not cold. If you are concerned about getting him sick from holding him, apply a thin layer of ORIGINAL neosporin (NOT with pain reliever -it kills frogs) to the moist paper towel and rub the paper towel together to spread it. Pick him up with the neosporin side.

    I also used to soak my baby right in the paper towel. He is very mellow though.

    Try not to stress. Remain as calm as you can.



    You'll need to contact a vet, as flybyferns has noted, to treat the swelling and resolve the problem. The quicker the swelling resolves, he'll be able to eat on his own and he'll have less stress and better healing.
    https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203589094112277&id=1363241107&set =a.1434844115446.2055312.1363241107&source=11&ref= bookmark

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  18. #12
    bluemoonmonkey
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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    Thank you everyone so much for your advice and help! I was able to hold him and get him to eat one small cricket last night with tongs. He seemed very happy after that, but I could tell it was very difficult for him to swallow. I tried to feed him today, but he shunned it. He is much more active today actively hunting, so I will watch him and if he doesn't seem like he is eating, I will try the wet towel swaddle (thank you so much Heatheranne) and feed him again. The sweeling is definitely still there, but I am glad to see him eat something and act more like his old self a bit more. I will keep updating, but I am still curious as to what this swelling is and what has caused it to ensure it doesn't happen again.

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    Super Moderator Heatheranne's Avatar
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    Default Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    Glad you got him to eat . If you tong feed you can remove the cricket legs for ease of swallowing.

    Any chance you reached a vet?

    You're welcome. I forgot to mention, I just use my pointer finger nail (smooth) to open his mouth but others have used a clean guitar pick.
    https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203589094112277&id=1363241107&set =a.1434844115446.2055312.1363241107&source=11&ref= bookmark

  20. #14
    bluemoonmonkey
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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    Ok so the latest update is that I put him back in with the other frogs, and he seems content. They all swam around the pond and hung out together for hours on the edge. At feeding time, he actually hunted and ate on his own. His mouth is still super swollen. I have no idea what's going on. There isn't a local vet that is a reptile expert, so visiting a vet is fruitless here. I will be keeping a close eye on him in the days/ weeks to come. This forum I am sure saved his life, and I thank everyone who sent advice. Without this place, I wouldn't have known how to help him at all. I still am pretty clueless, but I am learning more every day!

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    Default Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    Try emailing Dr.Frye a photo and give him a call. See if he has any advice for you.

    http://milanareaanimalhospital.com/about.html

    I'm glad he's eating .
    https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203589094112277&id=1363241107&set =a.1434844115446.2055312.1363241107&source=11&ref= bookmark

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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    Happy to help. And glad to know he's making progress. You may want to continue to find a vet that you can at least contact in an emergency, if you need to down the line. It never hurts to be prepared.

  23. #17
    shannynd
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    Question Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    I'm thinking my frog has the same issue. I can't seem to find anything helpful and this is the closest I've found to any answers. But yet, there isn't much of an answer. Do you have any advice? I'm worried about my frog, he has a massive swollen lump.. Sorta bubble thing. It's hard to explain but I need help!

  24. #18

    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    This is an old thread, and you probably are not going to get a response, you would be much better off if you created a new thread.

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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    I actually started reading when this came up and didn't notice the date so started liking posts! DOH!

    I wish there had been some follow up posted about the past frog it certainly would have helped to know what was found out and what the resolution was. Strider's right though, you should start a brand new thread for your frog and be sure to provide all details and particulars so folks will know how best to help you. Good luck!

    (Oh, and read this post and follow the directions. Thanks! http://www.frogforum.net/tree-frogs/...enclosure.html )
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  26. #20
    bluemoonmonkey
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    Default Re: Pacific tree frog has severely swollen mouth/ lips

    Quote Originally Posted by shannynd View Post
    I'm thinking my frog has the same issue. I can't seem to find anything helpful and this is the closest I've found to any answers. But yet, there isn't much of an answer. Do you have any advice? I'm worried about my frog, he has a massive swollen lump.. Sorta bubble thing. It's hard to explain but I need help!
    I'm sorry I don't. Our tree frogs all died. From looking back I think it was related to not enough variance in diet or a bit from an insect, like a cricket. I wish you the best of luck!

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