Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just bought a large bullfrog at the petstore. The frogs were being kept in really bad conditions. They were crammed together in a small tank with gravel which is really bad for frogs from what I've read. A lot of the frogs had wounds on them, some on the whole top of their head. I didn't think the pet store should be selling them in this condition and I felt really bad for them. I've had my eye on this guy for a week so I decided to buy him, hoping he might be able to recover.
This is my first time keeping a frog and I wanted to ask some knowlegeable people if he'll be ok. The people at the pet store just sort of shrugged when I asked what was wrong with the frogs. I'm really hoping it's not the red leg disease I've read about and that the wounds are just from being shipped to the petstore or living in cramped conditions. Here's a pic of froggys face. Do you think it's a bad infection or just scars? I couldn't find too much info online. Also, can you tell if this frog is male or female? I've read you can tell by comparing the eye to the ear but I couldn't find pics.

Thanks!!

P.S. Is there any specific care I can give the frog for his wounds or should I just let him recover on his own?

for now you should keep the frog in a very clean environment. Keep him or her in a 20 gallon long at 75 to 85 degrees(try to keep at 78-80 but its ok if it drops or rises a little bit).you can do this by using an undertank heat pad placed on one side of the tank. for substrate you are going to want to use clean paper towels. Add a large dish for the frog to soak in, the water level should cover half of the frogs body leaving the top portion of the frog exposed to air. Next add a place for the frog to hide and thats that! after the frogs wounds heal you can set up a more attractive terrarium with plants and rocks and soil and whatever else you want. bullfrogs will pretty much eat anything that will fit into their mouths.Large bugs,feeder fish,and even baby mice. a varied diet is important and make sure to dust the insects with calcium and vitamins atleast once a week. Since this is your first frog you may either love it or realize herps arent for you. if this is the case please dont release the frog into the wild like most people do. you can always drop off the frog at petco. they accept unwanted animals and put them up for adoption. the best thing to do is surf the web on care sheets for bullfrogs and ask questions on forums like this =]. good luck.

Man those are some AWFUL wounds!!! Looks like her face has been rubbed in gravel. Definitely looks like abrasions from being scraped on something, not a disease. I don't have any experience though on frog first aid, but it probably should be treated to prevent infection. The pet store should also be turned in to the SPCA and/or a local vet. Whether it's their fault or their shippers it should be investigated!!!
Best of luck.
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**Kenn**

yea i would say those wounds came from being kept in a small cramped enclosure. bullfrogs will hop face first into the glass walls and rub their noses on the glass if not given enough room.

keeping the frog in a tank with paper towels and water is the best way to keep it until it heals. just make sure the water bowl is cleaned every day, whether the frog uses it or not. the paper towels will also need to be cleaned every day to every other day. you can feed the frog 4-6 six large crickets every two-three days. you should dust the crickets with a calcium and multivitamin powder at least once a week but no more than three times a week. you can apply neosporan without numbing agents or silvadine directly to the wound site two to three times per day. use your finger or a cuetip to apply the cream. if the wounds don't get better you will need to see a vet and probaly get gentamicin (not exact spelling i don't think)to be diluted with water for the frog to soak in. most likly the soares are from poor water quality and/or rubbing on the tank. though wounds that look like that could also be from a bacteria infection, which the gentamicin would treat. good luck

it's not redleg, just cuts and scrapes, you should take it to the vet to get some antibiotics so that the cuts don't get infected. don't try the meds at the petstore cause they consist mostly of water plus some vitimans, which don't help heal the cuts. cuts can heal, just make sure you have UVB for the little guy. i beleive it's a female, females ears are smaller or of similar size to their eye, and males ears are a lot larger, but it's kinda hard to tell with yours. contact me at otis07_@hotmail.com if you have any more questions!

Don't have much to add as far as treatment goes. I wish more people were like you and less were like those bastards at the pet store. Good luck and thank you.