Reptile & Amphibian Forums

this was posted on Dendroboard but I need help on this...

I gave two cobalt tinc tadpoles to my daughters 3rd grade class to raise to froglets for their class pet. One of the tadpoles has developed a cyst like growth on its body between it's rear leg joint and it's body. It's rather large (about 60-70% of the tadpoles body size) and clear with fluid inside of it. It has what looks like a blood vessel running through it. Both it's back legs have developed normally and it has just popped it's front legs. It's had this growth for about a month now and the tadpole has continued to develop and eat normally otherwise it just seems to have this growth get in it's way. I wish I had a camera that worked to get a picture of this because I've never seen anything like it. None of the other tadpoles I've raised have developed this either. The teacher tried to pop it once with a needle and it seemed to shrivel up for a while and look like it was going to fall off, then it filled back up with fluid and got even bigger. Now that it's going to morph into a froglet and I was going to be caring for them over their Christmas break the teacher wants me to see if I can remove it since she thinks I'm the resident expert on the frogs (yeah right I've never dealt with this before either). What I was thinking of doing is waiting till it was a froglet and putting it in sterile pedilite with some antifungal medication in it and trying to detach this cyst. My biggest concern is this blood vessel and getting a closer look to see if it's running on the inside of the cyst or the outside because if this bleeds the frog could very well bleed to death.

Has ANYONE ever heard of this? Does anyone have a suggestion as to what to do for the frog? The kids have become attached but yet they understand that they may lose this frog because of this growth and are surprised it's lasted this long (They've named it Mr.Bubble ). I planned on replacing the frog if it died but I don't want to kill it to begin with. Suggestions??
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Chantel a.k.a. sillygirl
"I came, I saw, I adopted"

1.3 green anoles (Stumpy (M)), and the rest remain nameless.
1.1 green tree frogs (Romeo & Juliet)
1.2 Firebelly toads
3.2.0 D. Tinctorius (Surinam Cobalt)
1.1.6 D. Azureus
0.0.2 D. Leucomelas
0.0.1 Clown Tree Frog
0.1 Anerythristic 'B' (Charcoal)corn snake (Popcorn)
0.1 Snow Corn (KandyKorn)
0.2 Amel Corns (KornSilk & KornMuffin)
0.1 Normal Corn (PepperKorn)
1.0 Creamsicle Corn (Kream)
0.0.1 Giant African Millipede
1.0 Betta (Sushi, Charlie)
2.4 Domestic house cats (Bad Boy (m), Bart(m),Sasha(F),Little Bit(F),Spirit(F)
1.0 Rottweiler (Jake)
2.7 Rats (Mouse, Socks, Flower, Squishy, Fox, Lucky, Snow & Tinker)
1.3 Mice (My step-daughter seems to think they are pets)
2.0 Betta (Sushi, Blue)
1.0 Husband (David, who loves all my critters too)

Hi Chantel,
DO NOT (I repeat) do not attempt to pop the "cyst"! It is most likely gas/air bubble that's developed underneath the tad's skin. This happens from time to time (especially with tinctorius species) and usually has little to no effect on the well-being of the frog once it has morphed. When the skin of tads (and other amphibians) are damaged, this cut leaves them open to a plethora of infections. Hope this helps and good luck!
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Randy
www.fruitflyspecialties.com

Ok so it sounds like you've heard of this before. What DO I do with it then. Will it go away on it's own? What about antibiotics? Is there any way this frog will survive? Can it live with this cyst? This is the first I've heard of this happening with tincs. I need to know how to proceed to try to save this frog which is going to end up a class room pet and not a breeder.
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Chantel a.k.a. sillygirl
"I came, I saw, I adopted"

1.3 green anoles (Stumpy (M)), and the rest remain nameless.
1.1 green tree frogs (Romeo & Juliet)
1.2 Firebelly toads
3.2.0 D. Tinctorius (Surinam Cobalt)
1.1.6 D. Azureus
0.0.2 D. Leucomelas
0.0.1 Clown Tree Frog
0.1 Anerythristic 'B' (Charcoal)corn snake (Popcorn)
0.1 Snow Corn (KandyKorn)
0.2 Amel Corns (KornSilk & KornMuffin)
0.1 Normal Corn (PepperKorn)
1.0 Creamsicle Corn (Kream)
0.0.1 Giant African Millipede
1.0 Betta (Sushi, Charlie)
2.4 Domestic house cats (Bad Boy (m), Bart(m),Sasha(F),Little Bit(F),Spirit(F)
1.0 Rottweiler (Jake)
2.7 Rats (Mouse, Socks, Flower, Squishy, Fox, Lucky, Snow & Tinker)
1.3 Mice (My step-daughter seems to think they are pets)
2.0 Betta (Sushi, Blue)
1.0 Husband (David, who loves all my critters too)

Don't do anything to/for it. It should go away naturally as the tadpole develops.
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Randy
www.fruitflyspecialties.com

I agree with Randy that popping a blister or cyst is likely to introduce bacteria or other pathogens. Most blisters are essentially "sterile," and messing with them will exacerbate the problem.

There are a lot of reports of cystic neoplasms occurring in adult anureans, but I can't find any on "blisters" that occur in Dendrobates tadpoles. Would you elaborate a little more on this Randy, and perhaps give us some sources or your own experiences with this?
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus

I've experienced a handful of incidences in which tadpoles develop gas-filled sacs underneath the skin. These bubbles, if large enough, can cause buoyancy and the tadpole tends to rise to the surface of the water. Other than being a nuissance to the tad, the phenomenon doesn't seem to affect the tadpoles overall health, being that all the cases I've witnessed have resulted in perfectly healthy froglets. I believe that I've read in a few other posts either on Frognet, Kingsnake, or Dendroboard that other breeders have seen these same bubbles pop up in their collections from time to time, but never seeming to cause any harm to the frogs in question. One thing that I have noticed is that these gas-bubbles seem to become apparent within two weeks of hatching, and usually occur in the Tinctorius group. I'd be interested in knowing exactly what this phenomenon is as well!
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Randy
www.fruitflyspecialties.com