I think my daughters tree frog is sick and I don't know what to do!

[Mary Jane]

My 6 yr old daughter caught a small tree frog in our front yard after a big branch from our tree fell and we were cutting it up to remove it and she didn't want it to get hurt. She of course then wanted to keep it so I agreed. We have had it for over a month now and it was doing fine eating very well and seemed happy, well as happy as a as a captive tree frog could be. I went to the pet store in our area and asked what to feed it and they told me small crickets so thats what I have been doing. He has been eating very well. I went to the pet store mid last week and they had a shortage on small crickets so I had to wait to get them, they didn't get more in until today. So I bought a bunch and when I went to put some in his cage I noticed that the frog was not in his usual hiding spot in the corner of his cage where he seems to spend most of his time. I found him burrowed in the moss at the bottom of the cage acting very lethargic and thats when I noticed that my daughter had tried to feed him a piece of bread since we couldn't purchase crickets at the time ( which i know he wont eat but she did not think of that as being a 6 yr old) noticed it was starting to mold so I removed it and cleaned his cage. After cleaning his cage I put three crickets in there with him figuring he had to b really hungry by now and after an hour and a half it still hadn't eaten any of them and normally it would have at least eaten 1 to 2 of them in that amount of time. He didn't really move much and just let the crickets crawl around and on top of him. I mean he is still breathing and moving a little but has no interest in the crickets and seems pretty lethargic. This is my first pet frog so I don't know what to do and am very worried about him. Any help with this would be extremely appreciated.

[Jessalyn]

First and foremost are you dechlorinating the water you give it? The chlorine is poisonous to frogs and will kill them. Second, if you could check out the Trouble in the enclosure thread at the top and fill out as many possible questions as you can it will really help the more experienced people get an idea of what could be wrong. Also, if you can get some pictures of the frog that would help a lot too!

You may want to consider purchasing a flightless fruit fly culture at your pet store or online in case of cricket shortages. I got mine at petco and have had it for about 2 months now.

[Mary Jane]

I dont live in the city so I don't have to worry about the chlorine in the water since its from a well. I am new to this site so Im not really sure what you mean by the Trouble in the enclosure thread. I do plan on getting a picture up as soon as I can since I'm not even sure of the breed of tree frog.
Thank you for the idea of the flightless fruit fly culture I had never heard of it before I will check with my local petsmart to see if they have it or or order one online. That is a great idea.

[flybyferns]

Hello Mary Jane
****We need to id the frog****
Once we are certain of the species will be able to help you provide a proper enclosure for it.

1)
If there has been moss in the enclosure...it is possible the frog ingested some, of which cause an impaction, (blockage)
Remove all the moss. Do nto put it back.
Line the bottom of the enclosure with very well dampened unprinted paper towel. ( very damp --not floating )
Keep the paper the very flat. Replace the paper a least every other day( when the frog is sleeping).
It can remain this way for a long time. It will be easy to monitor food intake, eliminate,the possibility in ingesting moss, and you can monitor poop.
If your are in the middle of no-where ( and there is no rick of pesticides) you could catch a small moth, remove a leg or 2 - he may eat that. The fluddring wings may get his "hunt -on".

2)
If you witnessed the frog eating small crickets do not change , do not give it fruit flies.
Continue with small crickets. Dust the crickets with a Calcium and Vit D supplements a few times a week
( ie RepCal Calcium and vit D )

Remove all uneaten crickets each morning , return them to the cricket bin to feed.
Well fed crickets are healthier for the frog. Purchase cricket food. You could also give them red leaf lettuce, they live it !
Crickets must have water- wet a cotton ball. I'm sure you are aware they drown very easily.

3)
A frog may bury itself if the humidity is too low.
Spray the enclosures; the walls ( NOT THE FROG ) with distilled water or the prepared water.
Keep a shallow ( saucer dish ) of the prepared water in the frogs enclosure at all times
Clean it daily in HOT tap water. NO soap

4)
The water.... unless you are in the middle of 'no-where'
ALL water needs to be prepared 1st with an amphibian safe water de-chlorinator of which removes the chlorine and other heavy metals.

5)
If your daughter should touch the frog be sure she washes her hand thoroughly!!!!
Frogs can have parasites and salmonella. Frogs should not be handled unless absolutely necessary.
Handling is extremely stressful for them It is not a warm, fuzzy, cuddly pet, but one that is a 'LOOK" only pet.

6) you could - lightly- cover three sides of the frog's enclosure . This will help it feel more safe.
Please don't underestimate how stressed they get from touching and being 'bothered'. If this is constant the frog willfail to thrive.
Keep the frog in complete darkness at night.

7) for now ( until the frog is id ) keep the frog at a controlled room temp---- Not near the sun and not above 78 degrees !
Purchase a little glass aquarium thermometer and place it on the paper towel.


[B]In summary ----> most importantly
-remove the moss
-watch for poop !!!!
-need to id the frog
-keep the frog well hydrated
-do not handle the frog
-continue to offer small crickets- count how many you put in

BTW here is a link to "Trouble in the Enclosure"
http://www.frogforum.net/tree-frogs/...enclosure.html
BUT !!!! We have to ID the frog FIRST !

Keep us posted

[ColleenT]

a lot of wild-caught tree frogs do not do well in captivity. you may want to consider releasing him and finding a captive bred species for your daughter.

[DigitalPunk]

Mary Jane, Lynn has you covered with her advice. The water could very well be the issue, that and if your daughter is trying to touch it. My Wife has a hard time leave our frogs alone lol I can only imagine how hard it would be for kids

Follow Lynns advice and keep us posted. Hope your frog starts to show signs of improvement.

[Mentat]

Hello and welcome to FF Mary Jane! Just want to add a couple things to Lynn's advice. Get either Seachem Prime or ExoTerra dechlorinators. They remove possible harmful metals from water.

Can gut load crickets with lettuce, carrots, and cherios. Do so for 24-48 hours before feeding frog in evening. Remove any uneaten crickets in the morning. Crickets should be same size as distance between frogs eyes or smaller.

Get yourself a bottle or unflavored Pedialyte or similar baby electrolyte at Walmart or drugstore and some Fluker's ReptaBoost at pet shop. Make a solution using 10% Pedialyte and 90% 80F dechlorinated tap. Can use a small critter keeper or a plastic cup with holed up top filled to frog's chin depth for 20 minutes (cover with towel to reduce stress and keep warmth). If frog gets too stressed; another option is to use a dropper or small mister and apply solution to frog before it wakes up. Then afterwards try feeding it.

Dust all the frog's food in ReptaBoost for a week; than start a regular rotation of CA/D3 and vitamins, some sample schedules in here: http://www.frogforum.net/food-feeder...schedules.html. Good luck !