[ADF] Please ID - Is this Red Leg?

[FrogMommy]

Hi, everyone. I'm new here. *waves*

I'm really worried about our little ADF fella my boss keeps in the office. He's still his usual leaping, frolicking, amusing self, but my co-worker and I noticed that his legs and parts of his underside are a little pink/red. We're worried that it may be red leg, or maybe early signs of that. We're ADF newbies though, so we were hoping for some help.

We took some photos:



Will someone please let us know if there's anything to worry about here?

Thanks so much! Greatly appreciate any help.

[Jace]

They do look a little pink, don't they? Is there anything in the tank that he could be rubbing himself on accidently that would cause irritation? Is all his water treated? Is there any other fish/frogs in the tank with him that could be causing stress? We have a great Moderator on the Forum who has vast knowledge on these little guys, named Terry. I am sure that if he sees this thread he will be able to help you more. It's a good sign that your frog is still active and eating, though. Hopefully this is something common and minor and there will be nothing to worry about!

[FrogMommy]

Hi, Jace!

Currently, there's nothing in his (temporary makeshift) tank except for 1 bamboo stick. Our boss went on a trip suddenly and didn't provide us with anything else to help care for the poor little ADF, except for the tank he came in and his food. The ADF came in one of those supposedly "self-contained" aquarium environments. His water is not treated and is not filtered.

We noticed his water was getting dirty so we transferred him temporarily to a separate container in order to clean out the original tank environment, including the rocks.

Hopefully, he's fine and its his natural underside color!

Thanks for any and all help!

[Jace]

Okay, any water that he is in needs to be treated with a dechlorinator. Most water straight from the tap can really hurt frog skin, and this could account for the pinkness you are seeing.

[FrogMommy]

Oh shoot, forgot to mention that when we changed the water, we used drinking water at room temperature from the cooler. Is that okay for him?

[Jace]

That should be okay. Most water that is used for human consumption does not have loads of chlorine and whatnot. Another thing to do, is to fill up a clean plastic jug or chemical free bucket and leave it out for 24-48 hours. Then you can use this water to do further water changes if needed. In the meantime, I would just keep on eye on the little one and if the colouring gets worse, take another picture and post it for us to look at. Maybe another member will have a suggestion.

[Kurt]

The frog looks normal to me.

[tgampper]

Oh shoot, forgot to mention that when we changed the water, we used drinking water at room temperature from the cooler. Is that okay for him?

The best dechlorinator IMO is Stress-Coat. It can be found at any store selling pet supplies. I been using it for 20 years for my colony of clawed frogs. The frog does have a reddish coloration but I don't think it is red-leg. Red-leg is a common bacterial infection among clawed/aquatic frogs, it is characterized by red patches on legs and cloacal (vent) area. In advanced cases, the skin will peal off. Watch the reddish area for the next couple of days. If it isn't cleared, let us know and send pictures. Good luck!

[FrogMommy]

Thanks to everyone for the responses!

Just an update:
So far, our little friend seems stable (here's to not jinxing him, eek!) . We've been trying to keep his tank clean. So far, the redness does not seem to be getting worse -- we'll be keeping an eye on that.

The other day, while making ridiculous kissing noises at him (I'm sure he appreciates that ever so much, haha :Frog Smile: -- hey, it's a sickness, I can't help it, he's just so darn adorable ), he made low purring/chirpie noises back!! I've never heard him do that before, but he's repeated it a few times since. Maybe he's maturing and looking for his girlfrog! Hehe, anyhow, hope he stays okay.

[Jace]

Glad to hear he is doing so good. Sounds like he is trying to woo you!! I love hearing my frogs call, and once you hear it, you never want it to stop. Thanks for the update and I know he will be just fine.

[tgampper]

I am also glad your frog is doing well. Thanks for the update.