A case of Red Leg?

[Diver]

I can't really comment on the suitability of Maple as it doesn't come up much where I live, but can maybe give some feedback on the conditions.

Temperature-wise 80F during the day is good, I'd drop it to 72-73F at night but you weren't miles away. With regard to the basking light, firstly I wouldn't use one but secondly 50w sounds a lot for what is probably a small cage? What temperature would it have directly under it and how is it controlled? Similarly 50w at night sounds a lot for the same reason, but also regardless of colour wouldn't it have been too bright to give a proper photo-period?

I would use higher UVB, 2% is next to nothing and literally nothing if used above a mesh screen unless the frog can get very close it.

Humidity should be higher. 60% or a bit more.

The water, as you already said should have treated tap water rather than distilled as distilled water apart from having no essential minerals will actually draw minerals out from the frog when used in the water bowl. Fine for misting though.

So POSSIBLY, I'm thinking too hot (under 50w light), too dry, wrong water, no recognisable night period for activity and feeding due to being too light could have been factors.....

[elly]

Maple does have sap (think maple syrup) I wouldn't think a lot would be in a small branch that was heat treated, but it might have done something.

Could it be the rubbed places on his side became infected? But you'd probably see redness and swelling there.

According to some sources I've read White's live in a variety of places and should be tolerant of 50% humidity though that may be a little low. People can't seem to agree on the proper humidity, but I doubt the humidity would directly harm the frog much by itself. Unless it wasn't soaking which you said it wasn't. Hm.

Seconding the thing about distilled water, but you knew that.

[Mynok]

Thanks for the replies!
Diver, you may be right about my humidity between 40-50% being a problem. Source explains requirements for juveniles, http://talkto.thefrog.org/index.php?...ad&topic=19976
Juvenile Phyllomedusa bicolor need 60-70% humidity, adults 40-60%. I was going with the idea that these are high canopy frogs exposed to wind and lower humidities. The small size of my juvenile (1 inch) compared to the 4-5 inch adults is likely responsible for the change in requirements, going along with the lower temps (mid 70s during day, 70 at night).

My consistently high temps of 78-80 combined with low humidity would result in drastic evaporation from the frog and loss in body weight, which cannot be estimated based on hydration appearance of the skin. This would probably be exacerbated by less eating and a potential cause of the loss in appetite. This source (attached) I found does a great job of explaining the relationship between frog temperature, body weight, and relative humidity. Suprisingly, frogs do not appear to absorb moisture from atmosphere through their skin even at dew point (100% relative humidity). They can only absorb moisture when submerged in a bath or when liquid droplets are on their skin from misting. Atmospheric condensation will not happen on frog skin, because despite being cold blooded, frogs still produce heat from their metabolism-its just easier for them to exchange heat with their surroundings, gaining heat through conduction, convection, and metabolism; losing heat from evaporation. Thus an increase in relative humidity will raise the body temp of a frog given constant atmospheric temp. Understanding relative humidity is also important. For example with my 50W basking light off temp is 70 (close to my room temp) and humidity is 60, but when i turn the light on temp rises to 80 and r. humidity falls to 50%. The same amount of water vapor is present in the air but because warmer air has a larger water vapor capacity, relative humidity falls-the source says relative humidity and not absolute humidity is the important factor for all known objects, including frogs. So thats some fun thermodynamics..

This might explain why my frog sought shade in the day, hiding in a plant, the day before he lost weight. Waxy monkeys are known to be advanced frogs and juveniles seem to be even more sensitive to their environment. So the 78 at night was def not close enough to proper temp and may have contributed. In fact i changed the light from a 25W moonlight to a 50W moonlight a few days before this happened..the more i think about it the more this high temp/low humidity explanation makes sense..
If i get another juvenile i will lower the wattage of the daylight, maybe not buy a basking one; and go back to my 25W nightlite which hardly raised cage temp at all. In terms of the ExoTerra Night heat lamp interferring with day/night cycle, the frog was def active at night and moving around..before he got sick anyway..

[poison]

Hi, just to add to this your frog unless proven was not cb. A lot have come into the country recently as cb however they have been collected as tadpoles in the wild and raised in capacity.

[Diver]

Hi, just to add to this your frog unless proven was not cb. A lot have come into the country recently as cb however they have been collected as tadpoles in the wild and raised in capacity.

How do you know they are collected in the wild rather than bred at a farm out of interest?

[poison]

Jeremy over at JL exotics let me know before purchasing the
.

[poison]

If mynok has the breeders name or if anyone does that has been producing these for nearly every petsore in the states that would be very helpful.