Hello and Help please...

[CameronNew]

Hi. I will keep this short as possible. I am in CA and in July went into PetCo and in the feeder goldfish tank was a tadpole (came in the shipment accidentally). My son was with me and I am a sucker for animals so PetCo gave the tadpole because they can't sell them. 2 days later he/she was a frog.F From what I have found on the web I am a pretty confident he is a Southern Leopard frog. Long story short, I was not dusting his crickets with Calcium because I did not know that this was something that needed to be done. In the last 2 weeks he is not eating really. I took him to my local pet store (not petco) and the girl there sold me Calcium powder and multivitamin. She made a mixture in the store last night of the 2, mixed with water. With a syringe she gently open his mouth and forced some into him. She told me to do this everyday.Today I put in some mealworms and noticed he was trying to get them but his tongue was not coming out. He was having trouble using it. I have also noticed him sitting with his mouth slightly open for the last week. I am tempted to grind up a cricket, the 2 powders and water to force feed him. Any guidance would be so appreciated. I don't want him to die. I just want to be sure force feeding him is the right thing to do. Thank you~~

[Mentat]

Hello and welcome to FF! Sorry your frog is not doing well . First thing is to stop mixing CA/D3 powder with multivitamins; the latter will interfere with the CA absorption. Also, force feeding is a last resort action, done when a frog is malnourished. Force feeding frogs is very stressful to them.

What you can do now is to get a bottle of plain Pedialyte or similar plain baby electrolyte and make a solution with 90% 80F dechlorinated tap water and 10% Pedialyte. Using a small critter keeper or plastic container with holed-up top; fill with solution to frog's chin depth and soak frog for 20 minutes. Then release in enclosure and offer some gut-loaded (feed carrots, lettuce, and cherios for 24-48 hours) crickets sized same as distance between frog's eyes. You can dust with the CA/D3 powder only. Can also try feeding Night Crawlers (not dyed) from Walmart or local bait shop. Cut them around same as frog length from the pointy end.

Please answer the below questions to provide a clear picture of what is going on. Also, read this excellent care article to learn more about your frog: Frog Forum - Leopard Frog Care - Rana pipiens (Schreber, 1782) and R. sphenocephala (1886). Good luck !

“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.

[CameronNew]

Thanks Carlos. I posted my info in the Frog Forum but I just did it in the general area under Frogs (Leopard Frogs). Will someone there be able to help me with why his tongue is not working....

Thanks!

[Tongue Flicker]

Speaking of tongue, hey cameron welcome aboard!

[CameronNew]

http://www.frogforum.net/frogs/27168...tml#post208102

I posted my reply in this thread since I was in the wrong place. Thank you for your help so far!