My ADF appears to have something lodged in his mouth. I thought it might be a piece of gravel - I used my nail to try and get it out but then his mouth started bleeding - it's like he can't close his mouth and he has not eaten for two days - any advice would be appreciated!
Need ADF help ASAP!
- Thread starter froggyfun
- Start date
Is it gravel? If it is they normally can spit things out on their own. If its really lodged in there as a last resort i guess you could use a pair of fine tweezers to pull it out, but your finger is too bulky to fit in an ADFs mouth.
If it got cut it may get an infection and swell up. Good news is it will be ok not eating for a few days. I only feed my ADFs every 2-3 days anyways.
Keep an eye on it.
If it got cut it may get an infection and swell up. Good news is it will be ok not eating for a few days. I only feed my ADFs every 2-3 days anyways.
Keep an eye on it.
ADF Help
I contacted someone at Atlantis (where I purchased my frog) and he advised me not to handle the ADF because I could cause him more damage. This is the 4th day & still he doesn't eat - he can open his mouth a little bit because he comes up for air and I see him open his mouth (just a little) - I feel bad that there is nothing I can do for him
I contacted someone at Atlantis (where I purchased my frog) and he advised me not to handle the ADF because I could cause him more damage. This is the 4th day & still he doesn't eat - he can open his mouth a little bit because he comes up for air and I see him open his mouth (just a little) - I feel bad that there is nothing I can do for him
The risk of touching him briefly is offset by the benefit of removing whatever it is from his mouth. (Yes, on a regular basis, don't touch them - they can absorb toxins through their skin.) Wash your hands with tap water for a long while and scrub super well. Get them completely clean. I might let your hand sit in the tank water for 15 seconds or so before you touch him.
I may try holding him (VERY VERY gently!!!!!!!!) under water and getting a pair of smail, BLUNT tipped tweezers and perhaps trying to do things that way. Dont force anything too much, but see if you can dislodge whatever it is. Do you have any clue as to what it is yet? Have you been able to see it? What color is it?
Could it be a tumor that has rapidly grown?
Again, don't worry about him not eating just yet. Getting the thing out is much more important - frogs can go two weeks or more if necessary without food (presuming he was well fed before).
Short of going to the vet to have it removed, or using tweezers, I don't know what to tell you... Good luck
I may try holding him (VERY VERY gently!!!!!!!!) under water and getting a pair of smail, BLUNT tipped tweezers and perhaps trying to do things that way. Dont force anything too much, but see if you can dislodge whatever it is. Do you have any clue as to what it is yet? Have you been able to see it? What color is it?
Could it be a tumor that has rapidly grown?
Again, don't worry about him not eating just yet. Getting the thing out is much more important - frogs can go two weeks or more if necessary without food (presuming he was well fed before).
Short of going to the vet to have it removed, or using tweezers, I don't know what to tell you
... Good luck
Take my advice with a grain of salt!
I used to work in a reptile store and I have kept reptiles forever. I've done some amateur herpetological "vet" work for folks that have had sick animals. Now, having said that, Amphibians are different from reptiles, but I've worked with them as well, just much more limited than my normal reptile (mostly snake) work. My first question is:
Are you sure this is gravel? See, sometimes animals can get a cut in their mouth and get an infection. Or, sometimes they get a fungus. Snakes and lizards can get mouth rot. It's a symptom most times and not the main problem itself. It is usually indicative of systemic infection, not just a mouth infection. It can cause lack of eating. I am not certain an aquatic frog can get it, but seeing as how herps in general can sometimes have similar ailments, it may be worth asking a qualified vet.
My Second question is: Did this appear overnight? Was there a small cut before this developed? Was there ANYTHING present before this happened? Lethargy, change in diet... anything new? Treatment for fungus and bacterial infection would differ. Sad thing is, most vets are mammal specialists. You might search the internet for a Herpetological society in your area and see if they have message boards or could recommend a local vet. I would be hesitant to tweeze anything I wasn't 100% sure was a foreign object. It would suck to rupture an infections boil.
Good luck.
I used to work in a reptile store and I have kept reptiles forever. I've done some amateur herpetological "vet" work for folks that have had sick animals. Now, having said that, Amphibians are different from reptiles, but I've worked with them as well, just much more limited than my normal reptile (mostly snake) work. My first question is:
Are you sure this is gravel? See, sometimes animals can get a cut in their mouth and get an infection. Or, sometimes they get a fungus. Snakes and lizards can get mouth rot. It's a symptom most times and not the main problem itself. It is usually indicative of systemic infection, not just a mouth infection. It can cause lack of eating. I am not certain an aquatic frog can get it, but seeing as how herps in general can sometimes have similar ailments, it may be worth asking a qualified vet.
My Second question is: Did this appear overnight? Was there a small cut before this developed? Was there ANYTHING present before this happened? Lethargy, change in diet... anything new? Treatment for fungus and bacterial infection would differ. Sad thing is, most vets are mammal specialists. You might search the internet for a Herpetological society in your area and see if they have message boards or could recommend a local vet. I would be hesitant to tweeze anything I wasn't 100% sure was a foreign object. It would suck to rupture an infections boil.
Good luck.
Update on ADF
Thanks for all the advise
I did not notice anyting out of the ordinary before seeing something lodged in his mouth; he was eating fine and seemed normal. It has been approximately 5 days since I've seen him eat anyting. Last night I got rid of all the small gravel and bought large pebbles/stone for the tank did a 25% water change and added 1/4 teaspoon aquarium salt.
I can't be sure it is gravel (it's a pinkish color like the old gravel, unless it's his tough that's swollen?) but his mouth is swollen now; - when used my nail to see if I could dislogde whatever it was before but his mouth started to bleed so I left him alone - they're soo slippery it's hard to hold on to them - but I guess I'll give it another try this weekend - wish me luck!
Thanks for all the advise
I did not notice anyting out of the ordinary before seeing something lodged in his mouth; he was eating fine and seemed normal. It has been approximately 5 days since I've seen him eat anyting. Last night I got rid of all the small gravel and bought large pebbles/stone for the tank did a 25% water change and added 1/4 teaspoon aquarium salt.
I can't be sure it is gravel (it's a pinkish color like the old gravel, unless it's his tough that's swollen?) but his mouth is swollen now; - when used my nail to see if I could dislogde whatever it was before but his mouth started to bleed so I left him alone - they're soo slippery it's hard to hold on to them - but I guess I'll give it another try this weekend - wish me luck!