Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi All,
Im new to the forum but a long term observer/voyer in search of some help. I purchased three juvi Yellow Backs a few months ago, all appeared to be doing fine upon arrival and for the first 1 months after that. One has been growing larger then the other two but all were eating well. Lately, I noticed the smaller of the trio sitting in the stream, hunting(all day long) and picking at the FF's and termites but not really eating while the others eat like little pigs. At present I have three different size frogs, the largest is 4 cm the second is 3-3.5cm and the third is 2.5-3cm but is extremely skinny. Today I noticed a wet area behind the largest one which appeared to have a trace of blood in it.Is this possible? I havn't noticed this from the others but Im wondering if a paracite has been affecting my little guy and has spread to the other two.
Do Darts pee?
Anyone know of a good vet in Charleston SC?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.
Tim

Hello:

Don't delay-send a stool sample from the tank in a airtight container such as a film canister to Dr. David Frye. He can be reached at Dr.Frye@comcast.net He will photograph all parasites, explain them in detail and prescribe and send you correct medication. Local vets(even exotics),unless their experience is frog based, don't really know what to do and might even hurt the frog. He can over night the meds and provide email or phone consult at a very reasonable price. He's one of the leading vets in Frogs. If one has the parasites, the others will probably have it, and they will all need treatment. Or he could have a bacterial infection, nonetheless, the Dr. can advise you as to how to proceed, but it must be timely to prevent a sudden decline.

Good luck,

Maggie

Obviously the frog is sick but your post brings up a point not often discussed. Dendrobates that spend extended periods of time in the water are almost always sick.
According to Rainer Schulte "Healthy frogs don't sit a long time in the water, they shoot perfectly their insects, they show no repeated body scratching with arms and hind legs, the dorsal skin should shine, fecals should be hard and black, not slimy- white or slimy reddish."
Schulte emphasises time and time again in his writings of dendrobatid diseases that "If you see a dendrobatid frog (which is not a semiaquatic Colostethus!) sitting longer times in shallow water- there is a disease coming up and one has to observe well the terraria during the next hours and days!"
You can find some good information on dendrobatid diseases in Schultes INIBICO updates at the link below. At the very bottom of the page you will also find a list of dendrobatid diseases and suggested treatments. Good Stuff!

Donn
INIBICO