Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My frog woke up yesterday and he was having seizures, couldn't swim, and had a very bloated stomach. To make a long story short, I think he was poisoned.

I gave him a slug, or something like a slug, to eat the night before. I also gave him a couple of dragonflies, a worm, and a fly, all in the same day! Well, one of them poisoned him, and now I fear he may not make it.

I took him to the vet and she confirmed he was poisoned.Now he's back home, still alive, and kind of just "hiding" next to the heater. What should I do now? Furthermore, are slugs poisonous to frogs?

BTW It's an American Bullfrog.

P.S. How often should you feed frogs, and what's the best kind of food? My diet includes: earthworms, pill bugs, dragonflies, flies, crickets, caterpillars, and fish. Plus these dubiously dangerous slugs, I gather.

Don't feed any creature slugs. They are usually covered with some type of toxin. I don't have any idea or remedy for you frog but keep and eye on him. He probaly won't eat for the next 2-3 days, or even a week. Try putting him in a tank with fresh water. Make sure the water is clean every day, this may get the poison out of his system.
Also, the frog should be able to stick his head out of the water.
As for what types of food to feed him from outside, I would stay away from catipillars, It is hard to tell if it is poisonous or not.
Also moths are good for frogs, they love them.

1.1.1 Leos
1.0 White's Treefrog
2.1 Fire bellied toads
0.0.2 Red eared sliders
to many fish

Thank you adelbron. I think he's doing okay now and I WILL BANISH THOSE SLUGS TO THE LOWEST FORM OF LIFE FROM WHENCE THEY CAME AND SQUASH THEM ALL NEXT TIME!!!!

Your welcome. Those bullfrogs will eat anything. I had one in my garden pond that goldfish, and ate any other small frog that enters its domain.

Alebron,

How long should I wait until he's supposed to eat again? It's been three days. Or how long is it okay for a frog to go without food?

I might have to force feed him.

Oh yeah, I read your other message in the frog forum, use bottled spring water, or decloranate the tap water.
As for feeding him, but one or two crickets in, or even a moth or two.
Hide in a place were he can't see you. Watch him for 15 minutes. If he shows no sign of interest of food, leave it in there. Then check later in the day if the food is gone. If he still not eating lave the food there. Check the next morning. If he still not feeding, then hand feed him after the fifth day.

Okay Alebron, thanks again.

It's going on four days now since he hasn't eaten and I may just slip a minnow or two in his gullet. I hope it doesn't hurt him, though.

I'll see if I can get some spring water but this will be tough. I know I've had him in tap water for over three months now so it shouldn't be that bad, although I agree with you and others that frogs are a big sponge.

Yes, I'm trying to make him less conspicuous to my eyes and see him hiding in some plants and what not. Left some pill bugs in there last night, saw one this morning, but the others might've gotten out or drowned. He did this once before to me after feeding him a slug(took a few days before he ate, and that after having to force feed him,) so I think it might've just been that darn slug.

This is my third year raising bullfrogs and the past two have been successful. I usually let them go in Spring. I catch the tadpoles in odd places, this one being in a polluted river next to a dam. It's proving the toughest I've had to raise yet. One bullfrog had a withered back leg.

Good talking to you. Any more advice about bullfrogs would be appreciated.

Have you had him in the same tap water, or just tap water in general? Sorry, that wasn't really clear.

Anyhow, the frog is doing better, right? Keep us posted.
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Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame

It's been awhile since this thread was updated, but I thought I would offer my 2 cents. With sick frogs, I always place them in spring water with 2.75 tsp salt / gallon. Back when I was herping all the time, I had a rubbermaid sweaterbox that had a undertank heater for this purpose. I would put the sick frog into the water for about 45 minutes at a time. I bought a sick White's Tree Frog who had mites and open sores and this treatment fixed him up in a week or so.

I've never raised bull frogs, but most frogs can go a long time between feedings, so don't worry too much about that...you have bigger fish to fry. Slugs carry parasites. If you froggy isn't eatting yet, de-worm him. For long term feeding needs, if he's big enough, go with super worms. That was the staple food for my Cuban Treefrog and White's Treefrog and they were big, fat and happy. Also, pinky mice are very good for fattening a large frog that hasn't eaten in awhile.

Sorry for the long post.

Feel free to email me with questions @ SpiderCMB@yahoo.com