A Few Questions

[tgampper]

But I was wondering about sexing it. Should an ovipositor be visible already or would it develop more towards sexual maturity?

It is very difficult to sex juvenile ACFs. They do not reach maturity until they are about 3 inches snout-to-vent. The age of maturity is about 1 year. Sexually mature males have nuptial pads on their fingers. These are black, rough patches which help the male grasp the female during amplexus. The female are larger and have protruding anal papillae (swollen cloaca). I have included more detailed information on sexing if you visit the social discussion group, "The Tongueless Society".

Should I try feeding a little extra (like a few pellets) between the 2 - 3 day gap of a full feeding or get it on a regular feeding time instead?

Sorry that your frog is not in the best of health. ACFs are generally tough frogs with plenty of defenses to protect them from disease. However, this protection fails due to poor husbandry. A healthy frog should be placid, with moderately slimy skin and a nice pear shape. I have been keeping ACFs for over 40 years and never had any health problems. Let me share my routine with you:

1) don't put any other species in with your frogs. I found that single species aquariums work best.

2) I do a complete water change once a week. The aquarium is cleaned with salt, making sure that all the scum is wiped out. Rinse thoroughly. Don't use distilled water, it does not have any minerals that the frogs need. I condition my tap water with Stress-Coat (1 ml to 2 gallons of water, use a syringe to measure), Optimal water temperature should be 66-72(F) or 19-22(C). I do not use a water heater. My frogs are kept at room temperature all year around.

3) I feed my frogs Tetra's Repto-Min exclusively and they seem to thrive quite well. Feeding schedule is 3 sticks per frog per day (5x/week). According to some studies, ACFs have the best growth potential on a diet of tubiflex. Be careful, feeding live food items can introduce parasites and other diseases.

4) Even though these frogs are fully aquatic, it is best to keep the water depth to no more than 150% of the frog's length.They love to float, sticking their head above the surface. I keep 2 frogs in a 10 gallon tank. If you want to breed you need at least a 20-29 gallon tank.

5) Since both males and females of this species call, you can't sex them based on who makes the noise

6) With good care, these frogs can live more than 12 years.

also want to know if melafix is okay for this kind of frog. It's been my general purpose medical care for my fish but I want to know if I might be able to use it to treat any abrasions/tears/etc that the frog might get in the future that nature can't take care of on it's own.

The problem with treating frogs at home is that there are not many sources with good information on the types of medications work and the dosages. Also, there are not many veterinarians that heal frogs. Since these frogs are both predators and scavengers, they often do a great job hiding their illness and often when it is detected, it is too late. ACFs naturally have skin secretions that protect it from most diseases. Generally, these frogs die due to improper husbandry. The only home remedy that I know that works on frogs is Bactine, it heals cuts and abrasions and is an anti-bacterial. Generally fish medications do not work on frogs.

Should I wait until it's reached adulthood to really tell or can I tell a female straight away?

Yes.

Feeding: Can I supplement a little in the beginning (for say, a week) since the frog had poor care and appears underweight or should I just get it on a regular feeding schedule instead?

Try Repto-Min or live tubiflex to bulk them up quickly.

Medical: Melafix in emergencies. Yes or no?

No.

I'll be happy to answer any other questions you may have. Good luck!