PARASITES! help!

[elly]

It's hard when a frog won't eat. All I can suggest is trying gently to put something between her "lips" so she opens her mouth, but you said she's too small for a card? I have a fairly small tree frog that I use only the corner of a card for. Is she showing any interest in prey at all?
Leaving her alone when possible seems like a good option.
Do you use distilled water? That could be a source of bloating, though really it could be anything.

I'd suggest ReptaBoost for a frog that's lost a lot of weight although there's a cost factor and also it involves getting a frog to open its mouth.

[Hypnofrog]

Thanks for replying! I don't really have anyone to hold her for me so I can slip the card in and bug at the right time, but she's smaller than my thumb, I'm scared to rip the skin of her lip trying to wedge the card in. Are they very delicate or tend to keep their mouths open for a moment when pried?
She did show interest earlier in the week in a dubia, no running after anything but really she tried to get it and sadly got dirt instead. Otherwise she doesn't respond unless something bumps into her and she withdraws her eyes. However she's always watching me back when I check on her so I can't say if she hunts while I'm gone. She spent about three or four days fully burrowed a couple days ago, but she had strength to snap at my finger when I accidentally bumped her nose checking the soil and then hop around her tank angrily until she found a new burrow. She's up today, after being moved the other night. Hopefully she'll stay up tonight so she can see the new food.

I use tap water treated with Tetrafuana aqua safe for reptiles and frogs.

Heading to the store for crickets right now, I will check if they have reptaboost, if I can I will get it. Otherwise I'll wait on that and try feeding dusted bugs unless it gets worse by payday.

[Hypnofrog]

Got crickets, they were out of mediums and I had to get the small, but I got enough to grow in the next week or two to a better size and I think some of them are large enough to catch her attention. They did have ReptaBoost available but I'll wait and see if she'll take the crickets first before getting it.


Do babies like higher temps than adults? (thermostat varies by a few degrees over the day but it's averages about 80-83)

[Bynny Ribbit]

My pacman Truffle soaks up a lot of water, too, and she rarely uses her water bowl unless she's shedding. I think it's a trait held by many terrestrial amphibians who don't always have access to water in their natural environment. Whenever I disturb her for cleaning or soaking, she always pees it out and it's pretty crazy how much it fluffs them up. I don't think it's anything to be alarmed about unless they are unable to release the water (edema). Just a method of survival, to my knowledge.

How are you feeding her? Do you just throw the food in and let her go at it, or have you tried tong feeding? I'm sure you've told me in the past, but I can't remember. I only ask because she seems pretty alert and her chasing the dubia is telling me she wants to eat, but may be getting dispirited by her inability to catch it.

I'm pretty sure babies like the same temperatures as adults.

[Hypnofrog]

SHE ATE!!!
Not only did she eat but whipped around to watch the cricket as the first one fell into the tank, looking at it crickets and possibly mealworms are all they fed her in the store, maybe she didn't recognize some of the other bugs as food and may have been discouraged by the texture of the dubias, she's got a bad aim and took a mouth of cocofiber too, but she spat it back out quickly, the rest of her tank is clear of the stuff for now but she's not ready to explore it yet. These crickets are definitely a little small for her but she caught at least two last night and she spun around to follow a new one just now, got a little little dirt again..but she spat it out. :/ Kept count of how many are in there too see how she did when it's time to change the water dish.
I can't believe this was such a stupid problem! gah. Not out of the woods yet of course, but it's a start.
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I've just been throwing the bugs in, around wherever she happens to be, and picking the leftover's out later as well as I could without disturbing Gorf. I tried tong feeding but my tongs were maybe a little short and with my hand in the tank she didn't show any interest so I use those for spot cleaning now. I would like to get some better tongs soon and try again, are the metal ones for lizards safe on her jaws? They do sell those nearby but none of the softer wood ones or rubber.

I knew they absorbed a little but wow! That's quite the effect, maybe it was more dramatic because she'd usually soak in her bowl daily and this time she'd spent several days in the substrate, she puffed up a little again being in a wet tub for a few hours while I was cleaning out the old one, I can see the difference in weight a little better now, vs when she was fat & puffed up with water.

She does seem to gets a little discouraged by her ability to hunt sometimes, although she'll keep trying for quite a while, once she dug a new burrow chasing a bug into the dirt..even though there were several others right next to her..

[Bynny Ribbit]

That's good! It sounds like Gorf is just having some trouble getting her food or recognizing it, as you said. I think the metal ones are okay for reptiles who will simply eat off the tongs, but since frogs always lunge, I don't think they're safe for them. I use bamboo tongs for Truffle and my WTFs and I haven't had any issues. Truffle will even wrestle with them while chomping down on a worm sometimes.

[Hypnofrog]

There are no bamboo tongs nearby, I'll have to order them soon.

She pooped!
I think she's had at least three or four small crickets, last night she got a little stressed and tried to hop up the wall when I went in to change her water, so no eating, but she seemed to calm down after not too long.

But now she's had algae water because my city didn't tell anyone the water was infected for a week and that water has been sitting around in a tub potentially growing while I gave it to my animals!!!