Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had two of my mantella betsileo die recently. They both looked healthy until the day they died. I think it might be parasites or other small bad organisms. Someone said that I should try and use Hexamite or Panicure. Does anyone know about dosage, how many days you can use them, side affects, ect. and where I could get them? Thanks for any help.
-The Green Man

I'd suggest contacting a herp vet for advice, and submitting stool samples for examination before assuming parasites as a problem and doing prophylactic shot-gun treatment. If it is a parasitic problem, you still need to diagnose before you treat, because the single cell protozoan parasites require an entirely different treatment from the multicellular Helminths, or "worms." Treating empirically is always dubious. None of the drugs one uses is free from side-effects and complications. If you have lost frogs, you need to find out why, from a combination of observation, necropsy and examination of fecal samples, doing a kind of flow sheet that includes the checking the environment, considering possible bacterial infections, as well. Mostly it is about the habitat and conditions you are keeping them in. Check that out first.

With unstressed captive bred frogs, most parasites you can find in the gut are usually commensual and only become pathogenic if the frog has other stress problems or disease that alters its immune system. Before instituting any "cure," find out just what you are "curing." This goes for the rest of medical treatments, especially on humans, where the habit of shot-gunning antibiotics has made a real mess from antibiotic resistant organisms, and has made non-pathogenic oppotunists into problems. NEVER SHOT-GUN A CURE.

Patty

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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

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