Please help

[LeAnnaMasi]

Hi,
I have had my clawed frog for a little over a year now and noticed yesterday that there is some white tufty material stringing off of his skin under his belly and on his sides and back of his head. It is very light and almost flows with the water when he moves. It is not cottony patches on his actual skin. If you looked at him quickly you wouldn't even notice it. It is only when you look up close in detail that you notice it. I am concerned that it is some type of fungus. I read online that many frog owners use Maroxy to treat a fungus but I am unable to find this in the petshops. Most of the petshops say it is discontinued. Is there another product that is safe to use with this type of frog? Do you think that it is a fungus from what I describe? When I called Mardel Labs they said that Maroxy isn't safe for amphibians. Please help, I am very concerned.

Thank you!

[Kurt]

Sorry I cannot be of help here. Terry is your man with Pipid frogs.

[tgampper]

The only thing that comes to mind is that the tufts that are loosely attached to the sin or floating in the water is a form of water mold ("fungus") known as Saprolegnia. It is a fairly common infectious disease among clawed frogs. These molds seem to be a secondary skin infection of injured or debilitated frogs. Water mold is often associated with water that has a high level of organic material (waste from frogs or fish as well as uneaten food).

FYI - Often fish will transmit this disease to the frogs that's why you shouldn't keep aquatic frogs and fish together. I am not sure if you keep fish and frogs together.

Without pictures, it is hard to make a diagnosis. Here are some of the signs of this disease: lethargy (fatigued, lazy, listless); grossly visible grayish-white tufts loosely attached to the animal and mats of these organisms can be seen floating in the water. A salt bath would be an appropriate treatment, if it is water mold. I would tear down the tank and completely sterilize everything before putting the frog back in. Good luck! Jenna is our other clawed frog expert.

[LeAnnaMasi]

Hi,

I have a little update. Last night while I was watching him in the tank and observing this issue, a "sheet" of this loose almost silky looking thin film came off and just floated away in the tank. This basically cleared him of the problem that had been going on for a day or two.
However, today I noticed that there are a few spots that are starting back up with this filmy material. I dont know if it is just skin that is peeling normally or if it is a fungus or some other type of disease. Does this help at all? I have maroxy on order but I am not sure if I should use that yet since I am not sure what it is.

My frog is still very active and hungry so that helps me be a little less concerned right now but you know how things can change in a hurry.

Thanks for your advice.

[FrogmanGav]

It was only last week that I had a similar problem with my one of my clawed frogs. I went out and i bought some 'melafix' which contains extract of tea tree oil which is superb for fixing the likes of ulcers and open wounds. I put in 10ml every day and do a 20% water change tokeep everything clean. If you leave the problem when it is at its bacterial stage then it will progress, more than likely to a fungal problem which will be very unpleasant.

Im no expert in this field but I can only give you advice that worked for me as my frog is fine now

[LeAnnaMasi]

Hi,
Thanks for that information. Strange thing is that the skin (or whatever it was) that I was concerned about peeled off one night. The next day it started to look as if it was starting again. Somewhere over the past few days it came off again. At that point, it didn't come back. Frogee has been eating A LOT and is very active in the evening when I get home. I am wondering at this point if it was just shedding skin. I am keeping an eye on him but so far so good for the past 3 or 4 days. I have him in 1 gallon of water with some artifical grassy plants and a little upside down type bowl that he goes behind sometimes. I do a full water change every week and he doesnt seem to mind.

Alright well I will keep you all posted. Thanks for helping.

[tgampper]

That's good news Most likely it was a minor injury and it pealed off during the shed. These frogs, if kept properly, have a remarkable way of healing themselves.

[LeAnnaMasi]

HI,
I hope you are correct. So far so good. All seems calm on the Frogee front.