Untimely death causing questions on environment changes???

[treefrogger22]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you ahead of time for any help, advice or feedback.

I have been a new owner to two whites tree frogs (bought from a local pet store in early March). I originally bought the frogs as a class (viewing) pet, but ended up keeping them at home since the classroom can get fairly noisy at times and I didn't want to disturb my froggies (Jackie and Mo). Over the past few months I've tried researching as much as possible the proper care and environment for my little babies, and just this week have came across and read great information from Frog Forum/here (thank you!). Tonight though, I came home to my poor Jackie dead (??). I know without seeing an amphibian vet it will probably be hard to determine the cause of death, but if possible I'd like to double check/run by my housing details to see if anyone recommends doing anything different? I just don't know what went wrong and I'm worried about my little Mo now.

I only use bottled water for both misting and soaking. I have an under tank heater that keeps the temperature between a fairly constant 70-75 degrees. There is a good 1 1/2 inches of coconut fiber on the bottom of the tank as well as live plants and climbing branches. I just recently read through the forums here that the frogs should have a decrease in temperature at night so I ordered a UVB fluorescent bulb for the day time. I have two humidity gauges and one reads 60% while the other reads 70% and I mist twice daily. I dust crickets twice a week with a calcium supplement, and this is their only food source.

Up until today Jackie was not showing major abnormal signs of concern. She was still eating, but down to one cricket a day and was sleeping in the evening more the past two days. This morning she was soaking in the water and seemed a little lethargic and that was the last time I saw her alive. I was feeding the frogs in a seperate feeder carrier up until this week because Mo is smaller and was not eating as many crickets with Jackie around. This week though, Mo's appetite has come back and he is much more lively than I've seen him these past few months so I'm really hoping that he is okay. I'm just baffeled what I'm doing wrong and what could have happened. I just hope Jackie wasn't in pain or suffering.

Again, any feedback or suggestions is VERY appreciated. I want to make sure Mo has a happy and healthy environment, and I can't bare to go through another loss. My apologies for such a long post.

[Mentat]

Hello and welcome to FF! Sorry for Jackie's death ! First thing that comes to mind is; what kind of bottled water do you use for frog bath? If Spring it's OK, but if filtered have to be dechlorinated and if distilled, R/O or deionized it's a no-no. Also, the day temperature should be 85F. Ventilation is more important that humidity and 50-60% is plenty. More data is available in this care sheet: Frog Forum - White's Tree Frog Care - Litoria caerulea.

Please answer all these questions to try and find any issues that could affect Mo's health. Thank you !

“Trouble in the Frog Enclosure”
The following information will be very helpful if provided when requesting assistance with either your frog or enclosure. To help with your questions, please utilize the below list and post the information in the proper forum area to get advice from FF members that keep the same frog. This will allow for little confusion and a faster more informed response.

1. Size of enclosure
2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences
3. Humidity
4. Temperature
5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish
6. Materials used for substrate
7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials.
- How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv.
8. Main food source
9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often)
10. Lighting
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure
12. When is the last time he/she ate
13. Have you found poop lately
14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine)
15. How old is the frog
16. How long have you owned him/her
17. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred
18. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats
19. How often the frog is handled
20. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area
21. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc)

by Lynn(Flybyferns) and GrifTheGreat.