| SYMPTOMS | POSSIBLE ILLNESS | POSSIBLE CAUSE | TREATMENT | PREVENTION |
| Sores on nose | "nose rub" | Some frogs tend to press their noses on the screen lid, or possibly injure themselves when feeding. | You can apply a dab of Neosporin to the area 2-3 times a week being sure not to cover nostrils. Avoid pain relief creams and those with Lidocaine. Also keep cage area super clean as to avoid infection. | Use a fine mesh lid for your cage. You may want to consider hand feeding your herp, to avoid reinjury, for a few weeks. |
| Runny and/or bloody stools | Internal parasites (protozoans) | Poor Husbandry. Reabsorbtion of own toxins from fecal matter. New cage mate may have infected others. Infected insects may have been eaten. | Seek out a Vet. They can perform a fecal exam and can give you Flagyl (metronidazole) for treatment. | Keep water supply clean. Change every day.
Also keep cage clean. Do a spot cleaning
if you notice any feces in the cage.
If you
want to introduce another frog to your
vivarium,
keep it separated from the others for
about
a month, that way if he's infected
you can
treat him and prevent infection to
other
animals. Raise your own feeders. That way you can control the cleanliness of their environment and help prevent them from becoming infected. |
| Weight loss, normal feces, eating normally | Internal Parasites (nematodes) | Poor Husbandry. Reabsorbtion of own toxins from fecal matter. New cage mate may have infected others. Infected insects may have been eaten. | Typically you'd need to see a Vet. They can perform a fecal test and provide you with Panacur (fenbendazole) | Again you need to keep the vivarium clean. Any wastes that are in the water supply can be reabsorbed by your frog. The water needs to be changed every day. Keep all frogs separated until cured to prevent re-infection. |
| Reddish color on underside of belly and thighs, bloating, lack of appetite, listlessness | Red leg | General term for Aeromonas. Caused by exposure to cold, uncleanliness, overcrowding, stressful situations. The redness is actually broken capillaries that result in subcutaneous bleeding. | Seek out a Vet and most likely he will treat with Tetracycline, and possibly additional antibiotics. | Keep frog in correct climate conditions, and cage must be sanitary. Do not put more than 2 frogs in a 20 gallon tank. They need space. Keep stress factors to a minimum. Avoid handling. |
| Bloated limbs and body (water edema) | Kidney disease | Poor conditions, rich diets (pinkie mice), too much calcium and/or D3, other diseases. | Non-reversible | Keep water clean. Do not feed pinkie mice exclusively, an occasional mouse is OK. Do not over supplement with the vitamins, keep water clean to avoid Reabsorbtion of urine toxins. |
| Clouded eyes | Eye trauma, or immune system failure | Any eye trauma, absorption of toxins, poor sanitation, fatty diet, dirty water...high ammonia or urate content. | Baytrill...an antibiotic. | Keep cage/water clean. Feed a lean diet consisting of insects. Avoid over feeding of pinkie mice. |
| Bloating, eye clouding, convulsions, hind leg extensions | "Toxing Out" | Absorption of dirty water containing ammonia, urates, toxins. | Soak in low levels of clean water for several hours. | Water changes every day, clean environment. |
| Inability to feed, backbone deformities, sprawled hind legs, soft bones, drooping lower jaw | Metabolic Bone Disease | Not enough calcium and vitamins in their diet | Can be reversed if treated soon enough. Hand feeding liquid calcium and vitamins with syringe, hand feed prekilled crickets. | Supplement diet by sprinkling a calcium/vitamin powder for herps onto feeder insects before feeding. Froglets at every feeding, juveniles every other feeding, and adults once a week. |
Giardia
A Protozoan that affects frogs
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