# Preventative Treatment for Ranitomeya



## beansss (Mar 24, 2021)

Hello! 
I have noticed that recently, some of my _Ranitomeya imitator _males have been getting skinny. They are males kept with females, are paired, and have successfully reared tadpoles into metamorphosis (metamorphs removed by then, of course!) They have an appetite. They eat _Drosophila melanogaster _3x a week (MWF) dusted with 1/2 herptivite and 1/2 calc w vitamin D3 (both from Rep-Cal). They also are fed springtails weekly. So we think it could either be a vitamin A deficiency or worms. Our other frogs are just fine (their girlfriends are happy and fat), as are many of our other pairs in other tanks. My suspicion is that a preventative dewormer could help. Does anyone have a treatment protocol they like? Thanks!


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

I would instead switch to a dart frog appropriate supplement powder such as Repashy calcium plus. 

The supplements you are using do not provide usable vitamin A for the frogs.


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## bulbophyllum (Feb 6, 2012)

fishingguy12345 said:


> I would instead switch to a dart frog appropriate supplement powder such as Repashy calcium plus.
> 
> The supplements you are using do not provide usable vitamin A for the frogs.


This is good advice. The supplement routine you are using is outdated. It was the best idea we had years ago but kinda sucked. Repashy calcium plus is good stuff.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Have you tried feeding them more often? Might be as simple as that, and it is pretty unlikely that only the males would have parasites.


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## Chris S (Apr 12, 2016)

I would suggest that parasites really only play a huge role when frogs are otherwise compromised through stress or lack of nutrition. 

In this scenario, it looks pretty clear that there is a lack of vitamin A here. I would switch to a more complete supplement, such as Repashy Cal + as mentioned, but also get a small bottle of Repashy Vit A and use that to clear up any deficiencies. From there you can use it optionally once a month on your breeding adults to help supplement Vit A, but generally Repashy Cal + is good enough for everyday use.


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

Are there just 1 pair (male and female) per tank? This sounds like the result of aggression to me. Unlikely if they are just a pair per tank, but no surprise at all if they are in a group setting. You should definitely switch to Repashy, regardless, but make sure there is no problem with aggression, too.

Mark


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