young gray tree frog seems sickly =(

[wriggles]

I've been raising a wild baby gray tree frog for about 9 months now. He was healthy and hopping all over at first, but then all the sudden lost his leg strength and always stays hidden at the bottom of the tank. He only eats 3-5 small crickets a week now. Whenever I give him a bath he stretches his butt way into the air and scratches under his butt frequently.
Here's a video of this strange behavior, as well as him eating and pooping.


Here's the poop. I think the white stuff is his skin, he was shedding at the time. It wasn't moving so I guess it wasn't a worm or some kind of parasite?


I've been dusting all of his crickets but they don't always have powder on them still by the time he eats them.
He's in a quarantine tank with a water dish he never uses, wet paper towel on half the bottom he spends a lot of time on, and lots of bark strips for him to climb on that he never uses, but hides under them.
My first gray tree frog grew up so healthy, I don't know what happened to this one =( Any ideas?

[LilyPad]

He's definitely agitated about the bath, that's why he's all puffed out. Are you using dechlorinated water? How old are your calcium supplements? Pretty much all greys sold in the states are wild caught so there is a very good chance there are parasites and he needs to have a fecal test done. If you could copy/paste and fill out this form, it might give me even more insight -

- try to answer as many questions as possible.
- if you do not know an answer to a question say "I don't know" rather than leaving it blank.

QUESTIONS

1----what 'kind' of frog is it ( what species)
2----please include a photo of the frog
3----Please include a photo of the frog's current enclosure
4----size of enclosure ( W" x D" x H" )
5----# on inhabitants - ( if there is another frog --- is there a size difference ? )
6----has or was the frog kept with a different species or with any other tank mate
7----is there a new tank mate----was the new tank mate quarantined
8----what is the typical humidity level
9----what temperature is maintained
10---what is, specifically, being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure
11---describe the enclosure lighting ( very specifically)
12---describe enclosure maintenance ( water changes, cleaning etc)
13---what kind of water is used
-----for misting
-----for the frog's soaking dish
-----is de-chlorinator used / what brand
14---material(s) used for substrate - be very specific
15---enclosure set up:
-----if recent - describe how the enclosure was cleaned
-----plants( live or artificial) if artificial plants are used are they plastic or fabric
-----describe wood, bark , and background materials
16---when is the last time the frog ate
17---have you found poop lately
18---how often is the frog fed
19---what size feeder is given
20---what other feeders are used as treats
21---what is the frog's main food source
22---do feeders roam free in the enclosure or is the frog bowl fed
23---vitamins - what brand and how often
24---calcium - what brand and how often
25---was the frog without calcium for any period of time
26---approximate age of the frog
27---how long have you owned the frog
28---who cared for the frog before you
29---is the frog wild caught or captive bred
30---how often the frog is handled -- are gloves used ( what kind of gloves)
31---is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area
30---has or was the frog properly quarantined (yes or no)
-----for how long
32---has the frog been treated with any medication:
-----for what
-----name of medication
-----for how long
-----what dose
-----was medication prescribed by a herp vet

[wriggles]

Are you familiar with the strange butt stretch he does at the 1:08 mark in the video? My other gray never does this. He constantly rubs under his butt too.
Here's his ghetto quarantine tank, He used to climb up the bark but now he just sits at the bottom. I bought an exo terra but i'm scarred he'll infect it with parasites if i put him in now =(

He's definitely agitated about the bath, that's why he's all puffed out. Are you using dechlorinated water? How old are your calcium supplements? Pretty much all greys sold in the states are wild caught so there is a very good chance there are parasites and he needs to have a fecal test done. If you could copy/paste and fill out this form, it might give me even more insight -

Actually i think the cat spooked him when he jumped on the table to check the frog out. I doubt he liked falling in the water upside down either
I think the calcium is 4 months old now. I know the vitamin D goes bad after about 6 months. I only use dechlorinated tap water.

- try to answer as many questions as possible.
- if you do not know an answer to a question say "I don't know" rather than leaving it blank.

QUESTIONS

1----what 'kind' of frog is it ( what species) -gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor)
2----please include a photo of the frog
3----Please include a photo of the frog's current enclosure
4----size of enclosure ( W" x D" x H" ) -1 foot tall, not sure on width
5----# on inhabitants - ( if there is another frog --- is there a size difference ? ) -one
6----has or was the frog kept with a different species or with any other tank mate -no
7----is there a new tank mate----was the new tank mate quarantined -no
8----what is the typical humidity level -I'm guessing 50-60%
9----what temperature is maintained about -60-65 at night, 70 daytime
10---what is, specifically, being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure -just our house furnace
11---describe the enclosure lighting ( very specifically) -small amount of indirect light from window
12---describe enclosure maintenance ( water changes, cleaning etc) -water dish cleaned every few days (he stopped using it a couple months ago when his health changed), paper towel sprayed every day, replaced every other day. tank cleaned out once or twice a week, poop removed when seen
13---what kind of water is used -dechlorinated tap
-----for misting -dechlorinated tap
-----for the frog's soaking dish -dechlorinated tap
-----is de-chlorinator used / what brand -Zoo Med ReptiSafe Water Conditioner
14---material(s) used for substrate - be very specific -moist paper towel
15---enclosure set up: -half the bottom has moist paper towel, small water dish, oak bark
-----if recent - describe how the enclosure was cleaned -washed out with hot tap water, dried then misted with dechlorinated tap water
-----plants( live or artificial) if artificial plants are used are they plastic or fabric -no plants yet
-----describe wood, bark , and background materials -oak tree bark
16---when is the last time the frog ate -this morning, he only eats 1-2 small crickets every other day
17---have you found poop lately -he usually poops when i force him to bathe
18---how often is the frog fed -i make sure there's always a few crickets in the tank
19---what size feeder is given -small
20---what other feeders are used as treats -none, wax moths in the future
21---what is the frog's main food source -crickets
22---do feeders roam free in the enclosure or is the frog bowl fed -they roam free, they stay high up under the bark away from the frog, and come down to the paper towel for a drink, that's when he eats them if he's hungry
23---vitamins - what brand and how often -only using calcium powder w/vitamin D
24---calcium - what brand and how often -Zoo Med Calcium With Vitamin D3
25---was the frog without calcium for any period of time -the first few weeks
26---approximate age of the frog -he was the size of my thumbnail when we found him 9 months ago
27---how long have you owned the frog-9 months
28---who cared for the frog before you -mother nature
29---is the frog wild caught or captive bred -wild
30---how often the frog is handled -- are gloves used ( what kind of gloves) -twice a week i force him to take a bath. i don't use gloves, but wash my hands with hot water and spray with dechlorinated tab water before handling.
31---is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area -medium-low
30---has or was the frog properly quarantined (yes or no) -yes? i don't know how proper my large pretzel container is lol.
-----for how long -since i found him, he was supposed to be with my adult gray in a larger tank by now, but i'm afraid he might have parasites.
32---has the frog been treated with any medication: -no
-----for what
-----name of medication
-----for how long
-----what dose
-----was medication prescribed by a herp vet

[LilyPad]

I would get a fecal test run. He looks healthy but I'm betting that's the issue and this would be the first step in figuring out what is going on. I have no idea what the butt stretch is, I've never seen a single one of mine do that.

[BeckyM]

I've seen my gray do a weird little butt-wiggle-scratchy motion when she sheds. Sometimes I've seen her do it when she soaks, but typically it's during a shed. I've also had grays for close to a decade now, and I've never once seen a turd with white stuff in it. That could be bad news.
Also, I wouldn't dream of putting Gertrude in a tank like that without the lid on, she'd be out of there and into the living room before I'd even get a word out. Your little man isn't trying very hard to escape...

I hope he feels better soon. :\

I like your ghetto pretzel jar tank. I brought my baby home in a coffee can. XD

[wriggles]

Thanks guys. We don't have any vets that do amphibians around here, so I'm assuming mailing the poop to Dr. Frye is my only option? Does anyone know the general cost of mailing the poop + medication?
Doesn't the frog need to be weighed before medication can be given? I'm new to all of this >.<

[whitestreefroglady]

Hey, he seems quite normal to me, however, seems agitated about that whole water thing. so I don't really know. What I really want to talk to you about is a few things.
firstly, why did u pick up the frog in the first place? Wild frogs should be left alone and only be in care if they are injured.
secondly, you mentioned the water dish is changed every few days? Water dishes must be cleaned daily, I reckon you should start doing it more often.
Thirdly, why are you bathing the frog so much? I don't even bathe my frog that often. That's very bad. If it wants to bathe, it can bathe in its own water dish without your help. That seriously stresses them, and they don't need to be bathed by someone that often.
and finally, that tank does not convince me. That has barely any room. You need a proper tank, with space on the bottom and the top. You need to have a bigger water dish, more substrate, more plants, you NEED lighting and a heater, etc. maybe pop it into an Exo terra tank, and make sure you release it as soon as possible.

[irThumper]

Hey, he seems quite normal to me, however, seems agitated about that whole water thing. so I don't really know. What I really want to talk to you about is a few things.
firstly, why did u pick up the frog in the first place? Wild frogs should be left alone and only be in care if they are injured.
secondly, you mentioned the water dish is changed every few days? Water dishes must be cleaned daily, I reckon you should start doing it more often.
Thirdly, why are you bathing the frog so much? I don't even bathe my frog that often. That's very bad. If it wants to bathe, it can bathe in its own water dish without your help. That seriously stresses them, and they don't need to be bathed by someone that often.
and finally, that tank does not convince me. That has barely any room. You need a proper tank, with space on the bottom and the top. You need to have a bigger water dish, more substrate, more plants, you NEED lighting and a heater, etc. maybe pop it into an Exo terra tank, and make sure you release it as soon as possible.

Just a note reiterating what Amy (Lilypad) said: Gray tree frogs are commonly sold as pets in the U.S., the great majority of them being wild caught, so Wiggles' frog most likely would have been WC, even if purchased from a dealer rather than being raised from a tad.

[wriggles]

Sorry I forgot to update. I don't know if forcing him to bathe and eat/poop is what helped or not but shortly after he got more and more energetic.
I haven't seen him do that butt stretch or any kind of stretching since either, not sure what that was.

[MantidBro]

Sorry I forgot to update. I don't know if forcing him to bathe and eat/poop is what helped or not but shortly after he got more and more energetic.
I haven't seen him do that butt stretch or any kind of stretching since either, not sure what that was.

I noticed my gray tree frog would press on his belly with his hand when constipated. Maybe he ate somethin too big for him, or too hard for him to digest. Either way im glad he seems better now!

[MantidBro]

also, my newest RETF pooped out poop with that white casing, i also thought it was probably shedding, she hasnt pooped it out since, and when she had been, she wasnt doing well, almsot seemed to have a bacterial infection. If your frog stopped pooping out the white stuff id day hes doing better