Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had an Azuereus and a Leuco together in the same tank for about 6 months. I provide a generous amount of vitamin dusted flightless fruit flies every other day. Both were feeding steadily and doing well for the longest time, but recently I've noticed that the Azureus seems a underweight and appears to have trouble catching prey. When I observe him, he acts very hungry and eager to eat the flies, but his strike is almost always off and he misses the fly entirely. Since the Leuco nails it every time, I try to dump in extra flies for the Azureus to get after Leuco is full, but his weight suggests that's not working. He used to be the more aggressive feeder, so this issue has developed within the last month or so I would say.
Any ideas what his problem might be? Is it possible that he has vision trouble? Is there anything I can do to make it easier for him to catch prey or any way to hand feed him just to get his weight back up (I know..probably a silly idea but I really want to help him)?
Environment conditions seem to be in order: great humidity level and temp.
Thanks for your help!

Check out a condition known as Short Tongue Syndrome (STS). It is related to a low Vitamin A retinol level in anurans. It's more prevalent in toads, but the symptoms you described sound like this, ie, following the food item, trying to apprehend it and missing. Double check your vitamin supplement. With dart frogs, I tend to use a multivitamin once a week and use calcium every other feeding.

Good luck with the little guy.

Thanks man. That seems to match the description of his behavior so I'm trying my best to get some extra vitamins in him. Aside from dusting the flies more often, any suggestions on other ways I can get supplements in his system quickly? Would it to any good to put some in the pool he likes to sit in? I'm wondering if that may help him absorb some good stuff through his skin.

go to a vet! I have had a similar experience with a pdf and it was a scratched eye resulting in incorrect depth perception. Antibiotics cleared it up. Also separate the frogs for now since you dont know what it is. This also relieves stress at feeding and gives the frog a chance to get flies.

I would agree that if you can get to a vet you should. A scratched cornea will very likely lead to a cloudy eye as well, which you should see.

As far as more vitamins, the best thing you can do is offer a variety. I have three different brands of vitamins I use. Dendrocare from black jungle is nice, the multivitamin from sticky tongue farms is good and the reptivite calcium supplement is another good one. Make sure you store them in the fridge and they'll last longer. Also, when they pass the expiration date, go ahead and buy some new powder. They lose a lot of effectiveness.

Variety in your food source could help as well.

A good way to quickly get extra nutrients and vitamins into your frog is to gut load your fruit flies.

Dump the flies into a clean, glass jar with a fly proof lid and leave them for a few hours , so they are nice and hungry. Soak a paper towel in fruit juice (whatever kind you drink) and place the moist towel in the jar with your flies. They will immediately cover the towel and drink their fill of the yummy juice. After they have fed on the juice, remove the towel and feed them to your frog. Also, try feeding him food that isn't dusted with calcium. It is much easier to eat and more appetizing.

Dan