Help with unexplained Fantasy frog deaths

[SkeletalFrog]

So, I've been having some problems with Fantasy frogs lately, and was wondering if anyone here might have recommendations.

Specifically, they're dropping like flies, to the point that they have shorter lifespans than the WC cornuta whose skeleton is my Picture Of The Month entry. I've had two (one I got last year, one just a few weeks ago), both of which died inside of a month for no apparent reason.

In both cases, temperature was fine and checked with IR temp probes. The first one was kept at a constant 78F, the second had a gradient from 81-75F.

Substrate was cocofiber in both, and I've used the same cocofiber for other herps without issue. In neither case was there any palpable mass suggesting impaction.

Water was always dechlorinated with a treatment that also removes chloramines and heavy metals, which has been used on other frogs before.

In both cases, they were fed gut-loaded crickets of the appropriate size, with an additional dusting of supplement (containing Ca, D3, and plenty of other vitamins) every alternate feeding.

Cages were brand new both times, thoroughly washed beforehand.

There can be no airborne or water contaminants, because I've kept Ascaphus in this apartment with no problems, and it doesn't get more finicky than them (they die if exposed to temperatures over 72F or even tiny water impurities).


The frogs both died in a similar manner. One day, they were fine, the next they'd show weakness and lethargy, followed rapidly by spasms of leg extension and tremors. Both showed significant edema (water retention, in the abdomen in both cases) at the time of death. The symptoms are, to me, indicative of MBD, but in one case they were fed supplemented crickets regularly, while the other died inside of two weeks, far too rapidly for MBD unless it was pre-existing. I've scoured my copy of Wright & Whittaker's Amphibian Medicine text, and that's all I can find. Accumulation of waste doesn't fit, both because of cage size and rapid duration, and neither showed any sign of bacterial or fungal infection, nor hypervitaminosis A.

Does anyone have any clues? Fantasy frogs are supposed to be hardy, yet mine have proven more frail than even Tailed Frogs and imported cornutas. Is it possible that these are just "duds" who didn't metamorphose properly? Or is there something I'm missing?

Any help would be much appreciated.

[demeteraurion]

Did you get both frogs from the same place/dealer? If so it could be possible they were sick or had a disease and its infecting all of their frogs. Just a thought. It does seem pretty mysterious.

[SkeletalFrog]

Nope, different dealers and different years.

[John]

That's a bit of a mystery. I honestly don't know what to tell you. Third time lucky perhaps? Were they eating for you?

[SkeletalFrog]

Yep, both ate like champs right until they started going downhill.

I'm torn between trying again and just assuming *something* is wrong here and waiting until I move to try again. I might also hold out for an adult and see if that helps.