Hi all. Hope you can help me, and please tell me if there's a better place on here for this post. I spotted a tree frog, maybe 1 1/4 inches long, on the floor of the outer lobby at my job. At first, his back legs were splayed out wide, and that looked wrong. So, I went to get a cup to bring him in. When I returned, his legs were pulled close to him again, but I brought him inside. He's not very mobile at all. Once in a while, he'll blink his eyes a bit, or nod his head up and down for a sec, or shift his legs just a little. Sometimes he looks like he's swallowing. His belly is sticky, which I know is normal, but I don't know if this helps us know anything about his general good health. His front legs look a little...thin...and I don't think his toes are very well separated.
Because I've heard of frogs suffering from drying out, and I've seen tiny black frogs inside our building seemingly petrified and stuck to the floor, I carefully dripped little drops of bottled spring water onto his back, sides and legs with my fingers. Am I right that he gets his water through his skin, rather than by drinking? Should I try to feed him anything? Is there anything else I can try to do for him? We do have stray cats all over the place here, but I don't see any punctures or blood on him. (Would I see red blood?) Any advice is appreciated.
And yes. I definitely am coming to this in almost complete ignorance.
Could he be aestivating? (I have no idea if his limbs are like they should be or if they're injured, but if they're ok and he's just really still, I'm wondering if that could be it.) I was reading that they do it in hot or dry times. It's definitely been hot here. Thoughts welcome.
Hi ,
Please post a photo when you can as it will need to be identified.
It's likely a cuban tree frog ....I see your in FL?
This is an emergency for this frog.He needs to soak. It's not hard to do this !
He needs to be re-hydrated immediately.
100% spring water or better yet solution of unflavored pedialyte and distilled water.
The pedialyte: distilled water solution should be 1:10 ( 1 pedi: 10 distilled)
All above available at the supermarket.
Pick up a small spray bottle while you are there. ( by the makeup or pharm dept)
Pick up a plastic sandwich container. ( by the plastic wrap/bags )
( like a container you would put a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in - make air holds in the lid )
Pedialyte in the infant care section by the baby food.
Pick up a container of 100% spring water.
Purchase Pedialyte Oral Electrolyte Solution for less at Walmart.com. Save money. Live better.
Handle the frog as little as possible.with damp hands
Wash and rinse your hands before and after handling him.
Add the water to the sandwich container ( make holes in the lid) shallow enough NOT to go above the frogs chin!
They don't need much .
Or
You could place the frog on VERY dampened paper towels with the same water/ same container.
Then- Get a critter keeper from a pet store. Do the same with the paper towel on the bottom of the cage.
Put the soaking container in the critter keeper. Keep the frog in the soaking container for at least 30 minutes.
You could do this a few times today.
Put the 100% spring water in the -cleaned- spray bottle. Lightly spray the critter keeper 2-3 times a day
Please-keep us posted
Lynn
Current Collection
Dendrobates leucomelas - standard morph
Dendrobates auratus “Costa Rican Green Black"
Dendrobates auratus "Pena Blanca"
Dendrobates tinctorius “New River”
Dendrobates tinctorius "Green Sipaliwini"
Dendrobates tinctorius “Powder Blue"
Dendrobates tinctorius "French Guiana Dwarf Cobalt"
Phyllobates terribilis “Mint”
Phyllobates terribilis "Orange"
Phyllobates bicolor "Uraba"
Oophaga pumilio "Black Jeans"
Oophaga pumilio "Isla Popa"
Oophaga pumilio "Bastimentos"
Oophaga pumilio “Mimbitimbi”
Oophaga pumilio "Rio Colubre"
Oophaga pumilio "Red Frog Beach”
Oophaga pumilio "Rio Branco"
Oophaga pumilio “Valle del Rey”
Oophaga pumilio "BriBri"
Oophaga pumilio "El Dorado"
Oophaga pumilio "Cristobal"
Oophaga pumilio "Rambala"
Oophaga “Vicentei” (blue)
Oophaga sylvatica "Paru"
Oophaga sylvatica "Pata Blanca"
Oophaga histrionica “Redhead”
Oophaga histrionica "Blue"
Oophaga lehmanni "Red"
Oophaga histrionica "Tado"
Ranitomeya variabilis "Southern"
Ranitomeya imitator "Varadero"
Ranitomeya sirensis "Lower Ucayali"
Ranitomeya vanzolinii
http://www.fernsfrogs.com
https://www.facebook.com/ferns.frogs
Hi Lynn. Thanks so much for getting back to me. Sorry I took so long in getting back to you. I'm afraid the froggy died--at least as far as I could tell. I didn't see him moving or blinking at all after about 6 a.m., and his eyes got very dull, but I continued to try to hydrate him until about 9:30 a.m.. After 7 a.m., since it seemed he was still clinging to the side of the plastic cup I had him in (turned on its side), I put some bottled spring water in the cup and tilted it in my car cup holder (I was on the road doing errands after work till about 9:30), so the water came up to just below his neck area (if you'd call it that?). He kept clinging for a while, but eventually fell off into the water, so I poured it out and left him to his rest beside an outdoor plant when I got home. Does it sound to you like he had definitely passed away?
Another question, because I'm sure this will come up again for me at some point. On The Squirrel Board (The Squirrel Board), for rehydrating squirrels by syringe feeding, there's a recipe for homemade Pedialyte:
Posting it here, just to find out if it's suitable.
"1 tsp salt (teaspoon)
3 Tbsp sugar (tablespoon)
1 quart warm water
Mix all ingredients in warm water. Store in refrigerator."
Would that be suitable for soaking a frog to rehydrate? I know Pedialyte has salt in it too.
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