Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Please help! I need to take my Male Tinc. to see a vet. Can you recommend one near Pasadena, CA. For the last 48 hours, he has displayed lethargy/inactivity, hunched over posture with belly often pressed to the floor and back legs lazy at the side(he can use them and will to hop away from a spray or even chase a little bit of food)but does not seem to use them unless he has to. He is not sleeping in his usual spots and is pressed up against the tank glass and some moss that formed a little pocket with the glass just out in the open. I see no skin legions, there have been no changes in tank set up, no extremes or stresses that I know of. He is very full looking(very plump in the belly like his female companion)but he has always been like this since he started to grow in the tank. I don't think he is just too full this time. Oh, and when there is food present..his little 4th toe does not tap too much anymore even though he is seemingly looking at them and getting ready to eat some. Please help me.

He is also a little wobbly when trying to hop. He has trouble getting food if its not right in front of him. He'll miss if its not almost point blank and does not try for food that he has to move towards. He will try for it if he can reach it from where he is or merely turning. What is the matter with him????

I can't help w/a vet in your area, but try a bath of Pedialite (the child's suppliment available at any store) to help with vitamins and minerals. Do you give him (them) calcium supplements. Just asking. Hope this helps. Wishing nothing but the best for him.

Maggie,

Try this link for a list of amphibian and herp vets in you area.
HERP VETS

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Patty
Lost River, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
3 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
4 D. leukomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos

I just tested this to see if I got it right. Go to the right click on "more information." Then click the tab on top that says "members" Click the tab "United States" and you will get a listing by state. There are dozens in the LA area, so you shouldn't have trouble finding someone.
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Patty
Lost River, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
3 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
4 D. leukomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos

Thank you so much everyone for the quick help. Through Patty's post I found a vet eventually and he was quite uncertain as to what it might be. He thought that air in the Viv might be too stagnant. I scratched my head because I have a computer fan hooked up top and a waterfall to provide more circulation. Plus the tank has been in operation for 4 months and the frogs have always been great. My Big Apple gauges say 70-85% humidity and 72-82 F. most of the time.

He did not feel he had enough to go on to put him on Antibiotics or state w/ great certainty that a parasite was the cause. Though, he did find protozoan parasitic eggs in the stool sample. He took a closer look after I alerted him that I saw a couple of drops of blood on the paper towel inside the deli cup I had him in while transporting him to the vet. Even still, he only wanted me to bring yet another sample before he would say for sure. He saw no skin legions to give him more clues. 'Course he asked the basic questions about the variety of food, dusting and such and of course I have that covered(FF, springtails, whiteflies, flour moth larve dusted with the calcium and vitamins and paprika). All he could do was to give both him and the female tank companion a drop of "better" calcium and B vitamin. Oh, and he checked the oral cavity and it was normal.

One strange thing is this, with the male out of the Viv all day and in the deli cup on the wet paper towel, strangely enough, he does look better. He is sitting up more normally postured, supporting his own weight, not hutched over. His legs look less "lazy". I have set up a shoebox nursury with the wet paper towels to see how he does. I'll feed him next to see if he gains control of his tongue back. John gibeau of Tincs.com gave me some excellent insights that humidity should be looked at first. He said that the Tinc. seemed to be choosing areas of high humidity(the moss and glass pocket), and suggested putting him into a shoebox with REALLY WET paper towels. Well, I had him in the deli with wet paper towels all day for the transport to the vet and he does look somewhat better.

Could it be the tank? But why is it too low in humidity all of a sudden after 4 months and no problems. The female shows no signs of stress AT ALL! I checked my probes and they are working fine. Should I hook up a mister? The waterfall and 3 or 4 inch water pond may not be enough during the summer?

I will contact Dr. Frye as suggested. Thanks everyone again for responding so quickly. I'll keep you posted. The symptoms are confusing, but I think John Gibeau might have gotten it at least the main part.

I'm glad he's better. Maybe he just wanted to go bye-bye.

There is a website with a section "Ask Dr. Frye." I found this some time ago and can't remember which one this was on, but I'll look around again for this. He also has written a couple of books that might be worth having. I think I found them on Amazon.
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Patty
Lost River, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
3 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
4 D. leukomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos

Thanks Patty! If you do come across Dr. Frye would you post the info? According to many and to John Gibeau, Frye is an expert worth consulting when it comes to vet care of Darts.

My humidity gauges are always at 95-99%. I would be concerned if the humidity read 70%, that is to low. Also, I found with fans exhausting a tank, it drops the humidity to room level witin a couple minutes. I would try keeping the fan off for a little while and try to raise the humidity in the tank to at least 90% and see how you make out.

Yes, I think I like it higher too. However, I'm am uncertain why my tank is this low recently. The first month the tank was in operation, humidity would not fall below 89% and often stayed in the upper 90%. What are some suggestions besides turning off the fan to raise humidity? Should a mister be the correcting addition? By the way, he looks tons better today. Thank you!

You either need to keep it wet by misting or cut down on he ventilation. How much of the tank top is covered with screen ? How often do you mist? With a waterfall running, I would think the humidity would be fine unless there is to much ventilation. My tanks only have about 2" strip of screening and are fine. I had a fan and it dried the tank out to much. You may want to try cutting the speed of your fan down. If it is a 12 volt fan, you can get a variable voltage transformer at Radio Shack for about $10, this adjusts the voltage from 3-12 volts in 1.5 volt steps. Also, where is the sensor for you humidity gauge located ? If it's at the bottom of the tank, in a larger tank the humidity at the top may be 10 to 20 % lower.

Thank you for taking the time to trouble shoot with me. Well, The tank has no screening at all. It has an plastic/acrylic cover. The fan is the only ventilation. I will hook a mister now that humidity problems are on my radar. And I will turn the fan on only once a day for air excange.

Thanks!

Is the fan blowing in or drawing air out ? Also, with no other opening, is the fan really doing anything ? It usually needs an additional vent to bring air in or exhaust it out depending on how your fan is setup. I also read your other posts, you may want to try adding some plant cuttings to your quarantine setup.This may make him feel a little more secure and help him settle down and start eating. Sometimes removing them from their enclosures really stresses them out causes them to stop eating until they settle down. Good luck and keep us posted on his progress.

Yes, that is a great suggestion that I wondered earlier if I should do. Thank you! See above post for the latest update, there is some very good info from a vet that replied to me at Frognet(address above)that I think everyone would find interesting.

Maggie