Help! My frog is incredibly bloated!

[ghettoted]

I came home from work tonight to find my white lipped tree frog looking like a meatball! He is breathing very sporatically and doesn't look too good. I read online that this is either caused by being filled with liquids or solids. I hope the tap water I am using for his water bowl isn't causing this. Anyone have anything I can do for the time being? I can't take him to a vet because it is too late right now (11:40pm EST). Also, does anyone have any references for a location listing on reptile veterinarians? See attached picture of my poor bloated froggie.

[ghettoted]

To add to this, I just cleaned his cage on Sunday and he was looking fine until I left for work 11 hours ago. He has been looking plump lately but I figured he was just eating a lot of crickets. Right now he looks like he is trying to swallow down something but is still having a hard time. His skin color is looking like a much paler shade of green than usual. I am using loose coconut fiber substrate in his cage. The temperate in the the cage is currently at 77 degrees but during the day it is in the lower 80's.

[Paul Rust]

Can you post some pics of the enclosure? Don't change anything or we can't help you. I don't like what I see so far.

[Kurt]

It is probably edema and needs to be treated with antibiotics. With experience you will know what is a well fed frog ans what is an edemic frog. In the mean time it is time to see that vet.
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/newjersey.shtml

[ghettoted]

Ok attached are a couple picture of his enclosure. This stinks because I just ordered a new tank for him to live in that was going to make his life so much better.

[ghettoted]

Thanks Kurt. I live in Toms River I see there is a vet right down the road from me. I will go tomorrow morning. Strangely enough, the bloating has subsided considerably right now.

[Paul Rust]

Thanks for the fast response. Not as bad as I had feared. The enclosure looks fine. I always suggest covering the coco fibre with moss. I suspect he ingests a lot of substrate with his crickets and that can get stuck in the bowel (impaction) and kill the frog. Kurt may also be correct, and I hope he is. Getting him to a vet is the best option.

[Paul Rust]

Thanks Kurt. I live in Toms River I see there is a vet right down the road from me. I will go tomorrow morning. Strangely enough, the bloating has subsided considerably right now.

This is great to hear, maybe he passed whatever it was

[ghettoted]

I have something called "Fluker's All Natural Moss" but I never liked to use it because it was so messy and the crickets would just hide underneath it. Of course I'm an amateur so I will be using it in the future. Thanks guys for the late night help. Much appreciated as always.

[Paul Rust]

You're always welcome

[Kurt]

I would use leaf litter myself to cover up the coconut bedding. They can't eat it so easily and it provides some natural predation situations, i.e., crickets can hide under it only to be nailed by a waiting, hungry frog when they emerge fom it.

Josh's Frogs sells some nice live oak leaves.

[ghettoted]

Oh man. I don't see any breathing and I lifted up his bowl and put it back down and he didn't flicker the slightest. His eyes are nearly fully shut. I'm afraid to touch him don't want to disturb anything. Think he's a goner?

[Paul Rust]

Put him in a small dish of lukewarm water and a teaspoon of honey. Or Pedialyte if you have it. Let him soak for 1/2 hour and see what happens.

Edit: Keep his head above water.

[Kurt]

I don't really want to say, since I am not there. I hope he's not.

[ghettoted]

Put him in a small dish of lukewarm water and a teaspoon of honey. Or Pedialyte if you have it. Let him soak for 1/2 hour and see what happens.

Edit: Keep his head above water.

Have to go run out and buy some honey. I'll post the results of what happens. Again many thanks for your tireless efforts.

[Paul Rust]

I gotta go for now, I hope it turns out ok. After he soaks put him back in the enclosure. Good luck.

[ghettoted]

Well...he's a goner. I tried lifting him up to put him in the luke warm bowl with a teaspoon of honey and he was completely lifeless. I guess I'll have to learn from my mistakes. I'm going to bet it was the substrate that he ingested. Thanks guys. Such a shame.

RIP Roberto

[Kurt]

So sorry.

[jtay]

Sorry for your loss

[ghettoted]

Thanks. If it helps the diagnosis any, he wasn't sleeping during his normal hours during the day the last couple of days. Thought I was just seeing him awake during odd hours but I just read something that that might be a sign of something being wrong. Jeez.