Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi --
i just found this site, and am hoping some of you might have advice for me.

i have a community tank, with a few fish and 2 african dwarf frogs. i set up a new, bigger tank this weekend (went to a 10 gal) which came with a new filter. I watched them for several hours and all seemed well. This a.m. I noticed one of my frogs was missing, and the aquarium is covered, so escaping wasn't a possibility. To make a long (gruesome) story short, it had gotten sucked up into the intake valve (even though there was a filter -- all it did was keep it from getting up into the actual filter itself, it lodged in the intake valve. (I have since placed panyhose over the end to keep it from happening again).

That was about 6 or 7 hours ago, and the little fella is still alive, but obviously hurt. Its stomach looks folded, and there are some other injuries (although it is still kicking its arms and legs, so I'm hoping they aren't broken.) It's still trying to get around and be normal.

I don't know what to do. Should I leave it in the tank? Should I put it in a small tank by itself with anything added to the water to help it heal? I thought I read somewhere that a little salt in the water could help. I am worried that swimming all the way to the top of the
new tank is hard for it to do, it seems to struggle (its small in
size). So, does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to save this little frog?

Thanks in advance!!!

Lulu :*(

It doesn't sound too hopeful, separate the frog into a shallower container by itself. Adding a little aquarium salt (1/4 teaspoon per gallon)will help any injuries to heal but internal bleeding and bruising may be present. Give it some food and change the water often.

Good Luck - let us know what happens.

Chris.

Thanks for the advice. I'll let you know. So far, so good -- it's been a little over 24 hours. He's bruised on the chest though, so I'm worried about internal damage. I'll let ya know how it turns out.

Well, just wanted to update ya'll. The "accident" was Sunday morning and as of now, Thursday afternoon, the little fella is doing well! He started eating again a little Tuesday and by Wednesday night, he was eating like normal and exploring the tank like the good ol' days. Another thing I noticed is that Wed. night he finally got "social" with the other ADF; he'd just hung out in a corner at the top of the aquarium away from everyone for the first several days. I know there has to be some internal damage, though -- he came out of the intake valve looking like an accordian! -- so I'm keeping a careful watch on him and making sure he gets food (with the help of a turkey baster!) without too much effort. So thanks for the advice -- hopefully it's going to turn out OK! (Amazingly enough!)