Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, just got a new auratus yesterday at a reptile show, i have it in a 6 gallon Eclipse, with three plants (not sure what they are, marked as "Tropical Foliage" at the store), some pillow moss. Humidity is constant around 80% and temp is mid 70's to low 80's depending on time of day.
Well now about the Auratus, he occasionally sit on his butt and scratches his sides like a dog, I find this activity quite strange since none of my others do it. Also i noticed his toes twitch alot when he is hopping around the tank, if i remember correctly, someone once told me this was a sign of calcium deficiency, is this true? If anyone has answers or some help, please let me know... Thanks

His toes(probably the fourth back toes?)is most likely a response to hunting. They will do this while hunting ff. Haven't you seen this with your other darts while feeding? The leg brushing could be irritation on the skin. My tinc will do this if some debris is stuck on her or a ff is crawling on her and she's trying to rid it. But if its regular and constant-thats not good. This can be a sign of trouble others have posted on this before. Watch to see if it is regular or only when she has gotten "dirty", and get Dr. Frye's info to get some appropriate meds. pronto. Not to worry you, just better to be prepared in case something is developing. Best wishes-Maggie

Thanks for the help, i haven't really seen that behavior in my other darts, whenever they eat they hunt toward the back of the viv. Dr. Frye? Does he have a website? Never heard of him. thanks for all the info..

Hi: try both these emails for Dr. Frye. He is the leading vet on Herp care(more specifically-amphibians). Observe your frog carefully and write to him all the details. Darts can suddenly just take a turn for the worse and getting Dr. Frye to send you all the possible meds now is just a good idea no matter what because you will most likely need to administer some emergancy care either now or in the future and you don't want to wait for meds if there's something you could do to save the frog. Be sure to observe weather the Dart is eating Ok, and make certain your humidity is high, and temperature doesn't fall(reduce as much stress as possible while you are waiting for Dr. Frye-just some profilactic measures can go a long way). Having some Pedialyte on hand is a good idea; in the case of a stressed frog, this can really revive them.

DrDavidFryeVet@msn.com or Dr.Frye@comcast.net

I'm not sure which one is current but he operates a vet hospital with nomal business hours and as long as he gets the emails he is always great about returning mail. Consults are resonable price and phone consults are available too. Don't go to a regular vet as most vets that state that they are reptile specialist have experience that is lizard based and might actually hurt at times not help(not to mention the stress for the frog of going to the vet and being looked at by someone that isn't sure about how to handle it). Good wishes, let us know how the little one does! Maggie

Another possibility....you mentioned you purchased the plants you have in the tank, did you take all the necessary precautions to remove all the fertilizers, pesticides & fungicides from the soil and foilage? Did you use any of the existing soil from the plants in your tank? If you did clean them off, how long did you wait until you used the plants in the tank.

If you did not, this could be irritating your frog's skin.

Also, you didn't say if this was the only frog in this tank, but mentioned you hadn't noticed this behavior in other frogs. Have you quarenteed your frog and have him in a different enclosure? If you went ahead and housed them together and this is the only frog in the tank with this behavior, you have just contaminated all the other frogs in the tank.

You should contact the person you contacted the frog from immediately and let them know about the strange behavior. Contact them first, if they are not able to help you, contact Dr. Frye.

Melis
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Quality Captives

the plants have been in the tank for about 3 months, and have thrived in it. Originally the tank housed a green tree frog, who i gave to a friend for his very large enclosure in exchange for some supplies. When i put the plants in after rinsing them off, i brushed as much dirt off the roots as possible and planted them into the soil. So i don't think that is a major factor.
I did not put him in with my other darts, i stuck him in this 6 gallon as a quarenteen tank for about 2 months or so until i get my large tank completed, so he is the only guy in this tank.

Melissa, where you at the Midwest Reptiles show on 11/30? If so i believe you actually saw this frog, i bought it off a guy for 30 dollars, and then realized it was missing a toe after you pointed it out. I stood and talked to you and a lady you were with for about 20 minutes, about FF's and darts.

I thought this post might have been from someone at the Indy show.

First, I am relieved to hear you didn't put him in the tank with your other auratus. 2nd, you need to isolate the frog from the other amphibians in your collection. If you have this frog housed in the same room as your others, move him! Make sure you use separate spray bottles, food supplies, etc. for your sick frog. Now, some questions...Did you take the tank down between the time you had the tree frog in the tank and clean everything out or just reuse the tank with the existing substrate and plants for the new frog? Reusing existing tanks can cause issues as well.

I would remove the frog from the existing tank and place him in an isolation tank with just paper towels. This way you can verify the frog is eating properly. If you want to find out if there is anything wrong physically with the frog, doing this will make it easier to get a fecal sample. Dr. Frye charges $15 per fecal exam. Send as many fecals from the tank that you can find and it will still just be $15. The more the better!

Your isolation tank can be as simple as a glad storage container with holes, to a Rubbermaid. You can make a temporary hut for hiding from a plastic flower pot by cutting a hole in the side.

You should contact the vendor you purchased the frog from immediately. This vendor is at this show every month and should be willing to work with you to remedy this situation. If you didn't pick up his business card I think his information is on the bag of moss you purchased. If you still can not find the info, contact Brian Hahn and he will provide the vendor's contact info. I don't remember (I don't think we do) if I have this guy's business card, but I can look.

If we can give you a hand, please send us your phone number off the forum and we will give you a call. Unfortunately, we will not be home until late, so I will not be able to contact you until tomorrow evening. We have free long distance so don't worry about us calling you.

Good Luck,

Sarah & Melissa
info@qualitycaptives.com
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Quality Captives

Melissa,
I came home to the frog face down in the dirt on Friday, i was unable to find another container to put him in, and he was eating so i assumed everything was fine, he was isolated from all the other frogs, and appeared to be healthy, well he died sometime friday, and i haven't had a chance to get online, but if you could please send me either bryan hahns(?) or the gentleman i got the frog from, contacts, they were not on the bag. I would like to contact him and see if he will either replace the frog or refund me, it was less than a week this little guy was around. Thanks for all the help.....