Got this frog today,shop said he was ok

[phoebe froggy]

But I am worried that he has bad bloat,what can I do?

[Jenste]

yes that is not a healthy ACF.

You could take him back him back and advise the shop that they are selling very unhealthy frogs and they need to take better care of their stock.


As far as treatment I am not 100% sure...hopefully Terry will come along and help you out

[Jace]

Whoa-I agree with Jenste, something is not right with your little guy.

[tgampper]

Wow! I am sorry to see your frog in such condition.

It is no doubt caused by improper care from the place where you got her (looks like a female). Your frog has a condition known as whole body bloat or "hydrops" (the "Michelin-man syndrome"). Hydrops is caused when fluid gets into the subcutaneous spaces (under the skin).

Among clawed frogs, this condition is the result of one or more of these factors:

• too much and too frequent feeding of red mosquito larvae (bloodworms), mainly live bloodworms
• stress
• insufficient Calcium
• bad osmotic pressure difference

Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to cure the condition.There is an old trick that frog vets can use to relieve the fluid pressure - by inserting a needle and draining the fluid. This must be done very carefully to prevent further injury to the frog. It is also a good idea to give your frog a "salt bath".

Basic treatment for bloat from a German site, pipidae.net:

He recommended the frequent use of marine or sea salt to make the osmotic pressure lower. You can start with 1mg per litre then raise it raise to 3mg per litre. This at least eases the symptoms.
If there is fluid under the skin do NOT raise the water temperature! This will only kill the frogs faster!
In Xenopus laevis it is known that frequent puncturing of the skin to release the fluid helps the frogs to live for several years with the illness.
"Hydrops" is a deficiency symptom. Frequent feeding of (chopped) earthworms is good for prevention. They contain a lot of Calcium. The frogs of the keeper mentioned above lost all "balloon frog" symptoms after several months of weekly treatment.

Do not use iodized table salt.

Clawed frogs are very salt-tolerant. Good luck!

[phoebe froggy]

Thank you for your replies and for the information,now I have something to work on,he looks like a really smiley happy chap and is eating
The shop told me that it happens when they breathe too much air when they go to the waters surface.I have 6 ACF 4 albino and 2 wild coloured,the bloated one Einstein is Male.I know that I shouldnt have bought him home with me but I love these guys so much I didnt want anyone else to have him and not have the care he needed.
The man in the shop was also surprised that I wanted to buy any in the first place as they have had them in ages and nobody had bought any There was about 20 in a tank roughly 18 inches wide and 18 inches tall,no plants or hides,just piled up one on top of another,like people trapped in a lift
I will let you know how I get on

[tgampper]

Now that you mentioned it, your frog is a male (I am not sure how I missed those "nuptial pads" on his fingers )

I love the name Einstein. My pair of frogs are named Claude and Claudette. How original

Getting back to Einstein. I have never seen gas-bubble disease that severe without seing skin ulcerations. Air bloat usually affects the limbs, but not the entire body. This disease is caused by the frog being subject to oxygen-saturated water. One way to prevent this is not to run your filters constantly.

Gas-bloat and hydrops are not generally fatal, however they weaken the immune system. Watch for skin discoloration, loss of appitite, and swimming problems (float on surface), Bacterial infections are common with these symptoms.

As always, you should consult a vet. Also, I think a "salt bath" will help relieve the pressure. Good luck and you are an outstanding frog keeper for taking in Einstein!

BTW, keep Einstein isolated from the rest of the frogs during treatment.

[Jenste]

how is Einstein doing? any picture updates?