Houdini lives up to his namesake....

[accidentalfrog]

Hello, my rescued gray tree frog (Houdini) once again foiled my attempts to keep him in his tank and managed to escape. Problem is I found him this morning between the jaws of my 6 month old kitten. He appears unharmed but looks a little shocked by what's happened. He's sitting on a rock in his tank looking worried!! Will he be ok??

[Kathryn Dorn]

Eep! I'm sorry about Houdini's unpleasant experience...and, unfortunately, I can't say anything medically useful without knowing more about his condition, but I'd guess (as a non-veterinarian, just to be clear) that the main problems he might have that wouldn't be readily visible could be broken bones or internal-organ injuries? I don't know how much a vet could do for internal bleeding, but if Houdini's still acting at all weird/lethargic/not like a healthy tree frog, I'd recommend bringing him in to see an amphibian specialist and explaining the situation in case there are any problems they can identify (and treat).
Good luck, and I hope he's doing better now!

[accidentalfrog]

Since I posted he got a bit more active, he bounced around the tank for a while and has now gone to his favourite spot to sleep for the day, he also had a poop. I'll keep an eye on him but he seems ok at the moment!

[Mentat]

Frogs do not manage to escape from their tanks . Either your enclosure is not kitty cat proof or their are openings that should not be there. Either way you need to make corrections so that your frog does not end dried out or inside your cat . BTW, many frogs have toxic substances that could make your cat ill or worse if eaten.

[accidentalfrog]

I have a fine mesh screen that sits over the top of the tank under the hood that houses the lights, he has managed to push the screen up and squeeze under the space in the hood where the wires go. The hood is far to heavy for the cat to have lifted it! I have now bought a piece of perspex to sit ontop of the screen to avoid any further escapes! The last thing I want is any harm coming to my wee guy! Houdini is the master of escapology....hence the name! He escaped certain death travelling here as a stowaway in a jet engine...then escaped from a temporary tank I had him in on the first night he was here. Hopefully there will be no more escapes now!

[elly]

I've heard of frogs pushing up screens, definitely try to fix up some kind of weight or latch to keep it shut. I'm glad he seems okay, you might want to keep an eye on the kitten to see if it looks sick. (Oh, by the way, since he's a Gray, Houdini would be a tree frog rather than a true frog. )

[accidentalfrog]

Yeah have it weighted down for now untill I get the perspex cut. He seems fine and so does my kitten! And yes...i realised just after posting that there was a tree frog section not just frog!!

[Kathryn Dorn]

Glad he's doing better! I had a (super-genius) Cuban Tree Frog who escaped three times, once through an opening that I thought was too small for his body and twice after I put successive layers of tape on both sides of the opening, and every time I found him in a relatively safe place (either in his old, smaller cage or asleep on the ledge of a music stand), but I've known two fire-bellied toads who somehow climbed the wall of a ten-gallon glass tank, lifted the mesh lid that was many times heavier than themselves, and disappeared permanently. So, I wouldn't blame yourself for the escapes, but - well - the only way I eventually got my tree frog to stay put was to keep him in a very sturdy plastic file-storage bin with many <1/4-inch-diameter holes in the lid and heavy-duty clamps on opposite sides of the lid.

[accidentalfrog]

Hopefully the perspex will do the trick! Looking at how I can put some sort of clamp/latch on so it can't be moved

[LilyPad]

What is perspex? Is that some sort of plexi glass? If so, keep in mind that Houdini needs ventilation, a completely enclosed tank will make him ill.

[accidentalfrog]

Yes, its like toughened plastic about 1/4 inch thick. I will be drilling holes in it to allow ventilation and laying it on top of the screen so there are no bug escapees either!