Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So I had two male and two female azureus in a 20 gallon tank. About two months ago, I noticed that one of my females was getting thin so I pulled her out and gave her a 5 gallon tank by herself. She continued to drop in weight. I have tried absolutely everything--feeding multiple times during the day, extra misting, even diluted gatorade--and she still will not pick up in weight for more than a day or two. I have heard a little about "wasting disease" and I was wondering if this is sounding like a possibility and if so, how should I proceed?

Thank you all so much for your help!!!

Luke.

"Wasting disease" is actually a set of symptoms or a syndrome, not a recognized disease with a specific cause for all cases. There are so many possibilities that if you can get your frog to a herp vet, this would be the best solution. He or she might check for parasites, other infections, internal problems, subtle injuries, eye sight, etc. You can also collect fresh feces and have a vet check this out for internal parasites, possibly without taking the frog itself in.

I had such a "wasting" problem in one tank of P. terribilis that overheated. The over-heating was most likely the triggering factor, I suspect, but the exact cause was never elucidated, (except it wasn't internal parasites in this case) as the nearest herp vet to me is 250 miles away.

I'll post the veterinarian link once more. To find a vet in your area, click on members, then select your area to get a list of members.
ARAV

-----
Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
6 P. terribilis mint and organe
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus
2 P. lugubris

It's so weird!!! She has picked up yesterday and today to the point that she genuinally looks normal. If things go as they have though, she'll drop off again in the next couple days so I will have a fecal exam run. Fortunately for me, I work at a zoo so I can have my vet tech friend run a fecal for me. I'll see what comes up and update you all. Thank you so much.

Luke.

Yes, do let us know what you find. Most amphibians will carry a low level of some sort of coccidians and other possible intestinal parasites that are rather difficult to identify as to whether they are pathogenic or not, and also whether the level is being controlled by the immune system or if it has gotten out of hand, which may happen when a frog is stressed for some other reason. Your vet tech friend should be able to give you more skinny on this, as he's probably had a lot of experience and access to some articles and literature on them. There isn't yet a true monograph on internal amphibian parasites, and there's still a lot of differing opinions on how and when to treat, and whether to do this prophylactically or not. I've always been on the side of caution about treating anything non-specifically, so have gotten into some arguments about it.
-----
Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
6 P. terribilis mint and organe
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus
2 P. lugubris