Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a group of Pipa pipas that i have had for about 2 weeks and since the day after i got them thye have been dying one by one. I had 13 now im down to 9 !! What happens is the start to float and then die and become bloated. I have info i got online about thier care and am following it to the exact. What is happening.?? I use spring water and keep the water at about 68-70 degrees have a duetto filter and artifical plants. . Wondering if its gas bubble disease but i dont understand why?/ Can someone please e-mail me and give me some info maybe i dont know about. thanks.... mpj666@aol.com

If the water quality is good as you stated by giving them fresh water, the frogs are in bad condition when you got them. Just like when you can buy fish that are not healthy due to the new arrivals delivery and later they die, the same with frogs. floating in aquatic frogs are a sign of death or on the verge of death.

Pipa's are nearly all wild caught (if someone's breeding them email me pleeaase) and thus a parasite burden is a given. Look for a reptile vet in your area, if none then call a regular vet and ask to bring in a fecal sample. This will give you results, and subsequent targeted deworming might alleviate the problem. The bloating after death is a normal part of decomposition and most likely not related to the cause of death. As far as I'm aware, the mysterious ballooning disease as seen in xenopus sp. is not apparent in pipa sp.

Just an aside, but I"ve found my pipa floating, sometimes sideways, head down, butt down, almost upside down, all to scoot away when I blow on the water. Funny girl