White Tree Frog Ate a Piece of Bark! What to do?

[megsfrogs]

One of my whites tree frogs just ingested a small piece of bark while feeding. Now that my frogs have grown I am switching my substrate to eco earth only in the places in my vivarium not covered by live moss. This is the first time I noticed one of my frogs eating a piece of bark. What do I do? This only happened about 30 minutes ago. I have heard to keep them wet and in their water bowl. Any ideas other than watch for lack of appetite and not being able to dedicate and lethargy? How long should it take to pass?

[Rocco92]

Takes quite a while to pass, nothing to worry about, it'll pass, now if it were eating it constantly then you should be worried.

[Crispy42]

How big was the piece of bark? If it was big enough it could cause an impaction. Do you have a quarantine tank you can temporarily move him to with moist paper towels instead of substrate? That would make it much easier to monitor if he's pooping regularly (and also how well he's eating). Make sure he has a water dish to soak in and watch him closely. If you notice that he isn't passing any feces, you can soak him in a warm honey bath to try to coax a bowel movement. Just add a few drops of honey to water deep enough to reach his chin and soak him for 15-30 minutes. Test the water on your wrist first to make sure it is comfortable to the touch so you don't accidentally scald him. Then he will need a rinse bath afterwards to remove any honey residue.

Also, especially right now avoid feeders that pose an impaction risk (like mealworms or superworms). If he likes nightcrawlers you can feed him an appropriately sized piece of one since it's a soft-bodied food that can help push the bark through his digestive system. I've also heard that hornworms can have a laxative effect, but I have never tried them and they can be hard to find unless you order online.

[Frogger00]

A quarantine tank really isn't necessary. Basically, if he doesn't poop in a week give him a honey bath until he poops. If he still doesn't poop, feed him a horn worm or two. That should get him pooping in no time.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[LilyPad]

A quarantine tank really isn't necessary. Basically, if he doesn't poop in a week give him a honey bath until he poops. If he still doesn't poop, feed him a horn worm or two. That should get him pooping in no time.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

A quarantine tank is a good suggestion because then you can monitor the fecals better and watch for the bark to, or not to, pass.

I agree with Crispy on feeding night crawlers and doing honey baths if he goes too long with a poo. Keep a close eye on him, hopefully it passes easily.

[Frogger00]

A quarantine tank is a good suggestion because then you can monitor the fecals better and watch for the bark to, or not to, pass.

I agree with Crispy on feeding night crawlers and doing honey baths if he goes too long with a poo. Keep a close eye on him, hopefully it passes easily.

But it could also cause unnecessary stress. It's not like he has a virus or parasites,he just ingested a bit of wood. No big deal, just make sure he poops.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Crispy42]

Needing to make sure he poops is the reason for the quarantine tank. In this case it's purpose isn't to contain an illness or parasite but to serve as an observation area. In a tank with Eco earth, live moss, branches, etc. it can be hard to catch every poo without poking all around and causing even more stress.

[megsfrogs]

Thank you all so much for the advice. My tree frog is looking well today she had not pooped yet. She's a pretty laid back frog so I am going to give the quarantine tank a go just to monitor the bowel movements. If no bowel movements soon, I will try the honey bath. Thanks so much for the great advice everyone.

[LilyPad]

Needing to make sure he poops is the reason for the quarantine tank. In this case it's purpose isn't to contain an illness or parasite but to serve as an observation area. In a tank with Eco earth, live moss, branches, etc. it can be hard to catch every poo without poking all around and causing even more stress.

^^^^^ That exactly. You can also monitor exactly how much she's eating so you can see if she stops.

Good luck to you, Meg, keep us updated.