Reptile & Amphibian Forums

About a month ago I posted a message about my green tree frog and trying to make sure he gets the food that he needs. I pulled him out of the tank twice and feed him seperatly, the first time he ate the second time he didn't and I haven't seen him eat anything since and he's grown very very skinny. I'm not sure what else to do except trying to feed him. I didn't want to take him out of the tank because I don't want to stress him out anymore and I think it made it worse.
If this continues it looks like he will pass away if he dosn't eat. He dosn't seem to be ill. Everything else seems to be fine. The only thing I've noticed that's different lately is that he has been lying directly under the light only a few inches away. It would burn my skin to be that close to the light. He never wants to move.
Any help would be appreciated.
josh and lisa

Keep on trying, and be patient.
Some times you end up with rotten luck and recieve a herp who is a fussy eater.

Try a varuety of different insects; Crickets, freshly molted mealworms, silkworms, waxworms, butterworms, roaches, earthworms, etc!

Try putting him in a seperate tank, or try putting the food item up to his or her mouth.

Gooodluck!
Steven
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Steven ,

and flock;
-1.1 Cockatiels(Buddy and Jake)
-1.1 Budgies(Chipy and Peaches)
-1.0 Orange cheeked waxbill

And slime/scales;
-1.0 Firebellied toad
-1.0 Japanese firebellied newt
-1.0 Leopard gecko
-4 leopard frog tadpoles

Fish, feeders and other wriggly things!

You said you pulled him out of the tank to feed him seperately...does this mean that there are other frogs in the tank? If so, take the nonfeeding/sick one out and put it in its own enclosure. If there are other frogs or animals in the tank, stress resulting from competition for food/space/etc. could be the cause.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

"Some things will never change. They just stand there looking backwards. Half-unconsious from the pain. They may seem rearranged. In the backwater swirling. There is something that'll never change-The Meat Puppets"

Hello All -
Thank you all for responding. I have tried to get the little guy to eat, but to no avail. Nothing has worked. He is laying on the ground now and letting the toads walk all over him. Doesn't look like he's going to make it through the night. He was the first one we got, and he used to make all kinds of noises. We have decided that we are just going to release him outside to die happy tonight.
Boo hoo.
Thanks though,
J & L

"He is laying on the ground now and letting the toads walk all over him. "

Err... Toads? They wouldn't happen to be Fire Bellied Toads, would they? If so, that you could be your problem... they are highly toxic and have a tendancy to kill other things that live in enclosure with them.

Releasing the frog outside isn't the best idea in the world, it's not healthy for the environment, and how would it be happier outside freezing to death then dieing inside?

If you did decide against putting him outside and still have him, you could try taking a cricket with tweezers and wiggling it around in front of it for a minute.

DO NOT KEEP MIXED TANKS! Doesn't matter what kind of toads they are. All toads have toxins. And in fact, some frog species can be cross toxic to each other. No wonder the little guy went down hill....
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

"Some things will never change. They just stand there looking backwards. Half-unconsious from the pain. They may seem rearranged. In the backwater swirling. There is something that'll never change-The Meat Puppets"

Well we hadn't thought about it until the person at the Pet Store told us that they work well together. She seemed to know a lot about the toads and frogs. I learned more from her about Green tree frogs than any of the books i bought.
The other two tree frogs are really healthy and active. They have all been together for a while now and there haven't been any other problems??? I read all the disease pages and signs, but only one was that he just wouldn't eat anymore??

So there are other frogs in the tank? Move them out ASAP. There might not be problems yet, but just give it some time.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

"Some things will never change. They just stand there looking backwards. Half-unconsious from the pain. They may seem rearranged. In the backwater swirling. There is something that'll never change-The Meat Puppets"

Yes, i have three western toads and now just two green tree frogs. We had plans to get another tank for the tree frogs, a nice tall one. Then we could have them all separated out. But didn't really have money and it was going to have to be a christmas for me, but if it really is a problem than maybe we will just have to credit card it.

Just buy a large rubbermaid. They are like 5 bucks.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

"Some things will never change. They just stand there looking backwards. Half-unconsious from the pain. They may seem rearranged. In the backwater swirling. There is something that'll never change-The Meat Puppets"

Hello,
No, not fire bellied toads, western toads and they have been in the tank for 6 months or so together now. The pet store said they would do well together and they have. The tree frog was just lying on the ground outside the toad's cocunut home and the toads just walked over him.
I tried flooding the tank with crickets, i tried feeding the tree frog (Granola) separately in a cage with only crickets and tried putting them up to his mouth. He wouldn't eat for weeks and grew really skinny.
We put him outside and felt okay about it, because literally three day's before we saw a green tree frog on our porch just like him, catching bugs, and then another one last night while getting some wood outside.
The only thing i could come up with from what everyone said was that maybe he got too stressed because of competition in the tank. Though he was okay at first, eventually the other male tree frog became more dominant. Granola used to be very vocal and compete with Croaker, but eventually Croaker made all the noises and became the big guy.

Anyone else's thoughts on that??

Well ill put my opinion in. Some frogs are safe to mix some are not. An example of a somewhat safe mix would be a barking tree frog and a green tree frog. Both live in the same habitats both get around same size with barking tree frogs getting a little bigger. Now mixing toads with frogs is never a good idea. Mixing a toad with a tree frog is normally deadly. Western toads like many other toads can release toxins from there skin. If the tree frog comes in contact with these toxins it will absorb them in its skin and will eventually die.(which in your case may of happened). The best bet for you would of been to seperate them.Now on too you releasing it. Releasing a frog that may of been captive bred is never a good idea. Captive bred frogs are not used to having to hunt down there prey like in the wild. In captivity you usually keep them in conditions where all they have to do is watch you throw a few crickets in and pounce on them. Also in captivity they are usually kept in perfect temperatures, where in the wild temperatures can go way above or way below what they need to survive. I also read one of your messages where you say you flooded the tank full of crickets. This is another very bad idea. Putting too much prey in one cage can stress a animal out alot. Sometimes the prey can eat the predator. Instead of just using crickets as a prey you should always change it up. How would you like eating one type of food every day with no change. Mealworms, waxworms, silkworks, grasshoppers, and pieces of nightcrawlers fed with tongs are just a few different food items. Mealworms should be fed on occasion because they are not very healthy and can be hard for some frogs to digest. I hope this helps you some so if you decide to keep more tree frogs you will know a little more on their care. Remember we all learn from our mistakes.
Chris
Link

To add onto this, you NEVER EVER release a sick animal into the wild whether it was captive bred or wild caught. NEVER! It was probably even illegal for you have to released it, not to mention the fact it was sick/dying. Bad idea.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

"Some things will never change. They just stand there looking backwards. Half-unconsious from the pain. They may seem rearranged. In the backwater swirling. There is something that'll never change-The Meat Puppets"

Geez, some of you guy's are a little rough when you respond to people. I feel like i'm getting a lecture when i read some of these posts. I am learning with not a lot of information to work with, i am trying to find answers and become more aware. Cats, dogs, rabbits, turtles...these are all MUCH easier animals to care for. I was not aware that there were so many aspects of taking care of frogs...so i'm trying to learn. Please help to educate me...tell me what should be done, not focus on what i'm doing wrong.
Thanks.

I barely have time to post anymore. When I do post, I am not going to sugar coat them to appease people. I am going to say what I am going to say. If you find it harsh, then sorry. That is the way it is. And besides how do I tell you what is right without telling you what is wrong? People posted telling you not to let the frog go if I remember right, yet you let it go anyway. It could infect a whole population and the frog probably has zero chance of living now. And you never listen to pet store people. Never listen to anything. They will tell you what they want, which usually involves them getting more money, though not always. Some of the personnel mean well but are just clueless.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

"Some things will never change. They just stand there looking backwards. Half-unconsious from the pain. They may seem rearranged. In the backwater swirling. There is something that'll never change-The Meat Puppets"

I wasn't asking for sugar coating, just not to be so harsh. I talked with my boyfriend and we decided together to let the frog outside. It wasn't that i didn't listen to anyone, it was that we had put him outside and then i posted the message, it's not as if i could have gone, whoopps, shouldn't have done that, than gone and grabbed him back. He was gone, he was dying, we were trying to do what we thought was best, we were wrong. Damage done, lesson learned, end of story...let's move on.

We did our research online, i've read some books, i've talked to the pet store...and you are saying that half of what i've been told is wrong and can't seem to get one legitamate answer. How about some good references??, nope. I appreciate all the input from everyone, but i really feel like this has gotten me no further than where i was before. Not posting anymore.

I don't mean to drive you off the board and from my point of view I was not harsh. I was just trying to get the point across. I don't have any specific books about mixing amphibians, but there are plenty of websites and plenty of posts on this forum about mixing species. Besides, why do you need references when you have people with real experience? Real experience with the animals is 10 times more valuable than what you read in a book, especially considering that many books that I have read even on common species are horrible as far as care information. I believe if you even look in Conant's field guide it explains in the beginning that in the field, you never put two amphibians together, etc. Someone correct me if they have it at hand and I am wrong.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

"Some things will never change. They just stand there looking backwards. Half-unconsious from the pain. They may seem rearranged. In the backwater swirling. There is something that'll never change-The Meat Puppets"

Thanks for putting up that reply. I try and find info and i've read some books and searched the internet through pages, but haven't found a lot of great info. This is my first time having frogs and toads and such and i'm trying to learn.

The only reason we keep getting crickets, is because that's what they have at the pet store and thought that's all they needed. It's become quite expensive too. We've read about the other meal and food items they should eat but aren't really sure where to get those, etc? We recently came upon some websites that sell crickets in bulk, which would help. But could use some more guidance. How many should i be putting in, i shouldn't be putting in a lot?

Anyways, thanks for the input.

What size tank are you keeping them in? The smaller the tank the more conact they have to come in with the other animals, the more stressed they are. And how many toads exactly?
I'd say excessive crickets would be stressful too, if they started climbing all over him like the toads.

Crickets are probably the best staple diet for the frogs. Mealworms are an alternative food source, they can be good for some varied diet, but should not be fed excessively since they are not as helthy as crickets. Earthworms, I would say, should also also work.
About canned crickets , I don't know, I would guess they aren't as nutritious as the live ones (if gut-loaded). I'm not even sure if the frogs would eat dead prey?
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CokeOfMan

Actually i tried feeding the tree frogs the meal worms i guess they are called. One of them ate it and then spit it back out. They had no interest in it, and it seemed awfully big for them to be eatting, even though they were pretty small. Only one of the toads ate one and he looked like he struggled with it!

The three toads and two tree frogs are in a 29 gallon, and that is high...tank. So, it's decent sized. We have plenty of tropical plants, but fitting for each kind. The tree frogs hang out up top with the larger plants on the right side of the tank and the toads obviously on the bottom to the left side of the tank.