Swollen Fire Bellied Toad

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Brownsound

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Jul 4, 2008
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Hey,

So I have a bit of a problem, I have two FBTs in a ten gallon together, they have a forest floor substrate thing (the bag of soil from repzilla) with live plants (which are all thriving, nothing dead or decaying in there) with a constantly full water dish (Bottled water ALWAYS). Recently one of the little guys has swollen around his midsection a bit (Nothing as bad as dropsy) and has become lethargic, and has started to hide/nap in the Spahgum Moss bedding a lot more, and recently he's slowed down in his eating. I've given him a warm water bath just in case he's impacted a little bit but it didn't stimulate a movement. It's just around the sides of his belly that's swelling. Have any of you Fire Belly Toad guys noticed this before? I realize the lethargy might be due to the onset of winter and could possibly be brumation but considering with the swelling I'm not too sure.
 

Vicious_Fish

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Mar 6, 2007
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Seth
What's the air temperature in the tank? The water temperature? It could be a bacterial infection or impaction but since you use soil that shouldn't cause an impaction (usually). Most likely it's a bacterial infection. How do you filter your water? For the mean time do 2-3 water changes a week. You might want to contact a vet as well. They can sometimes prescribe antibiotics to treat bacterial infections.
 

Brownsound

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Jul 4, 2008
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I'm not at home right now but I'll get back to you on the temps tonight, the water is kept in a bowl which they hop in and out of. The water is changed a 2-3 times a week, the bowl is washed once a week, and they only get bottled water. Would you think dosing the water with tetracycline and tea tree oil would be beneficial? It couldn't hurt and many people use this solution to treat for dropsy so I know it's safe. Also if it is bacterial then it would prevent the other little guy from catching anything.
 

Vicious_Fish

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Mar 6, 2007
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Yeah definitely let me know what the temps are. Do you have a temperature probe? I'm not sure about using tetracycline. Amphibians are very sensitive to chemicals and water quality so I'd talk to a vet first before adding that. It almost sounds like your frog has dropsy.
 

Brownsound

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Jul 4, 2008
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They only get the smallest crickets I can buy, gut loaded and dusted. Alright vicious, let me get back to you with the temps.
 
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