Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Both of the frogs dropped a little weight and don't seem to be eating
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Steve Irwin you changed the way people look at reptiles forever. Crocodile Hunter you will be missed.

They are both lethargic and not even trying to ea. Im worried help please
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Steve Irwin you changed the way people look at reptiles forever. Crocodile Hunter you will be missed.

what kind?

Tincs
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Steve Irwin you changed the way people look at reptiles forever. Crocodile Hunter you will be missed.

How long have you had the frogs? How many are there and what size enclosure do you have? Are they froglets or adult frogs? I don't have any frogs yet but I know that the answer to those questions will be helpful to someone who will try to help you. I know Patty is a great big help when it comes to setup, feeding, ext. I am sure she will try to help you out. I have some suggestions but patty really knows from experience. Good Luck!

What are you feeding them? Before this, it was mostly about your tank and the set-up, which sounded good. It was my fault for not asking more specific questions before giving advice. Dart frogs will eat only live food such as active fruit flies, which we usually culture, then dust with vitamins and calcium/D3 supplements. The food has to be alive and moving, or they won't eat it. There are other options, but fruit flies are usually the basic supplement because they are easy to culture. I just never thought about this when you posted your first questions. I assumed a basic knowledge about the temperatures, humidity and general feeding/nutrition. And you probably have all of this right, but we still need to get more details about exactly what you are feeding them before giving any clues about how to solve it. Usually, tinctorius are pigs, and not shy, or at least, not for long. You have mixed two unsexed color varieties of a territorial species of them in a relatively small tank, but at this point, this is probably not the problem with them not eating. It may be a problem later, depending upon whether you have two females, but that's another issue that may evolve later. I think we need some more exacting detail about what you are doing now, and perhaps more information about the set-up, such as what temperatures and humidity are being maintained--just generally. I know how you set it up in the first place sounded good, so you are probably O.K. there. No one can give advice without a lot more detail about how and what you are feeding them.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)

I was feeding them pin head crickets and fruit flys. I talked to the store I got them from and brought them in, they said it must have been from the town water. I had been letting it sit out for 24 hours but I guess that was not enough they gave me some of my money back and said I can get 2 more at a discounted price. From now on I will just use bottled water from the store, it was my mistake.
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Steve Irwin you changed the way people look at reptiles forever. Crocodile Hunter you will be missed.

I didn't think to ask about the water. Most city sources now contain chloramines, which are stable and don't dissipate with ageing the water like chlorine does. You can treat it with one of the aquarium water products such as Aqua-fix, which will also remove some of the heavy metals if these are present. I use my well water for everything but misting, but although it is rather hard because it comes from a deep limestone aquifer, it is free from heavy metals and other contaminants. The State uses my well for bi-annual testing of the aquifer, so I'm very fortunate to get a complete report from them in return. (They test for about 120 different elements and organic contaminants, so it's really thorough.)

It's also safe to use distilled or RO water, as these pick up electrolytes from the environment quickly, so don't remain free from electrolytes for long, although frogs have permeable skins and soaking them deliberately in pure distilled water would cause them to lose electrolytes to the water. It works well however if there are plants, mosses, leaf litter in contact with it. It's especially nice for misting, because it doesn't leave any deposits on the glass. Some of the bottled drinking water and "spring" waters are just treated tap water, often by reverse osmosis with salts added back for "taste," as humans seem to like water to taste like something.

Keep us posted on the results.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)