Bloated ADF

[justin31love]

Hey,


So 2 days ago, I while feeding i noticed that one of my ADFs looked bloated, so I stopped feeding him (but while i was feeding my other frog, he stole some of the bloodworms). Anyway, I didnt feed him last night, but he is still bloated, I am very worried for him and I am praying that it isn't dropsy. Also, he seems normal with activity level, but he seems to be spending a lot more time near the top and floating in his "zen" position. My other frog is completely fine. Any opinions or suggestions? thank you.


Here are some pictures:

[tgampper]

I don't think there is any need for concern at this time. If the frog is experiencing any unusual swimming behavior or excessive bloating (looks like the Michelin man), then you will need to treat it. Bloating eventually will ruin the kidneys and the frog dies. Salt baths are a common method of treating bloating.

[MadameGrenouille]

Hello

your frog doesn't look bloated to me, if you are worried about your frog spending too much time floating on top of water, you may want to check your water parameters, ammonia and nitrites should be at zero, water should be around 77F. Hope this help

[celticstarb]

I agree that you frog doesn't look bloated. From the pics, it looks like your frog may be a female. If that is the case, she may just be developing mature eggs. Some of my girls would get huge just before spawning. They would often stay near the top or hidden in plants to avoid over amorous males until they were ready to release their eggs.

I agree with MadameGrenouille about water parameters. If ever in doubt, test! Every so often it's a good practice to take a water sample to your LFS to double check the accuracy of your test kit by comparing you results at home to the results at the fish store. Many fish stores will test you water for free or a minimal charge.

[justin31love]

Thanks guys, so I have been fasting my frog for 2 days, so do you think I should start feeding her again?

[celticstarb]

I would feed her (?) sparingly. If she is developing eggs and doesn't have the nutrition for them, then she might become malnourished. Watch her for any other signs of stress and check the water parameters closely. Maybe do a water change with water that is a few degrees cooler than the tank water. If she is ready to breed, and assuming there is a male present, the cooler water should kick start spawning. Of course, we shouldn't rule out illness, so keep a close eye on her.

I hope everything goes well and she perks up soon.

[justin31love]

Hey, so I am a bit freaked out, my frog is not literally floating and doing backflips in the water, I am not sure if this is intentional, or if she(?) can't control it. Has anyone seen this before? thanks

[justin31love]

There also seems to be a thin string coming out of its butt. ugh this is so stressful. Any help would be appreciated if anyone has experienced anything like this.

[MadameGrenouille]

It did happen to me,I saw one of my frog, being in a zen position at the bottom of the tank, slowly falling on her back, lay on her back for a while then got back on her feet like nothing happend, I would call that a normal behavior. If your frog stay on her back and can't strenghten up then there is a problem, how is she acting right now?

[justin31love]

Thanks! well now she has climbed onto my heater and is using her leg to prop herself up, so that her nose is above the water.

[justin31love]

Sorry, but she was floating on her back for a while and so I got her with my net ( she didnt fight it or anything like she used to, which scares me) and put her in a small container that my betta came in, with clean, dechlorinated water. And now she is still floating, but vertically. I now realized that such a small container can cause more stress, so I put her back in the tank and she continues to float around, right side up this time.

[MadameGrenouille]

Sorry not to have get back to you earlier, I might be wrong, it's really hard to tell why a frog suddenly start acting funny but something might be wrong with your water, either the parameters or the temperature. If everything is fine on that side, maybe you can get her a tall plant so she can rest on it, she would be closer to the water to take a breath

[Jenste]

She is best in the smaller container with a ventilated lid. Only a small portion of water so that if she was to "stand" she wouldn't have to fully extend her legs to breath - this will save her any strain or wasted energy trying to get to the surface. These frogs will not purposely stay in a plant or seek out a new higher level on purpose, it is usually found by accident while swimming around.
Once they start losing the ability to right themselves in the water however it is usually not a good sign.

[justin31love]

Thanks guys, I had her in the container overnight and this morning she died. My other frog seems to be doing well, but do you guys think I should change all the water in the tank and clean everything? Could whatever this was be contagious possibly?

[Jenste]

I would do a normal but slightly larger water change.
To be honest, I avoid feeding bloodworms as there have been several instances of them contributing to bloating in frogs. In a barebottom or sand substrate tank you can try feeding live black worms (they will burrow into the gravel and die then rot in the tank) or feed a pelleted food (which is what I do for my own) such as HBH or Zoomed frog/tadpole bites. Or even the small size of the Reptomin floating sticks.

Keep an eye on your remaining frog and wait before getting any buddies for him. If you do get more, make sure you quarantine at least 30 days (preferably 6 weeks)

[justin31love]

Thank you, I do have pellets, but when I drop them in the tank, they are so small compared to the gravel, and are similar in color, so I wonder if he can actually find them

[Jenste]

Try getting a small dish (like used for hermit crabs) and put the pellets in there so there are easier to find and won't get stuck in the gravel to decompose. He will quickly learn where to go when he smells food if you feed in the dish every time.

[MadameGrenouille]

Sorry your frog didn't make it

[celticstarb]

Sorry to hear about you frog.

I know it doesn't help, but you did all you could. Dwarf frog diseases are often difficult to diagnose. They are bred at farms in outdoor ponds, which means that they are essentially wild caught. Then, to make matters worse, most pet shops have no idea how to keep them and feed them fish flakes and other fish foods that do not have adequate nutrition. Unfortunately, most pet shops won't take advice from their customers.

I agree with Jen about keeping an eye on your other frog for a while before getting him a friend. Once you're sure he's ok, you will need to get another frog for him. They are social creatures that need the company of other frogs for optimum health. Just be sure to quarantine new frogs, as Jen suggested, before adding them to you tank.

I hope everything goes well for your frog.

[justin31love]

Thanks guys. Do you think this may be caused by the fact that my tank is still in the process of cycling? Granted I change the water at least 50% every 2 days (3 days Max), and use SeaChem Prime but still. Could one frog be more sensitive to water parameters than the other?