# How to tell the difference btwn bloated and just fat



## pocketgnome (Feb 8, 2007)

I tried doing a search but couldn't find the answer I'm looking for and I'm not sure where to post this.

I just got two imitators and they are both active and eating, but one of them is looks like a skittle with a head and legs. She (or he) is always out hunting and not sitting in the water or anything. Should I be worried? I don't want to lose one of my first frogs within a week. They other one seems fine, except a little shy.

I think they are 5 or 6 months old. They are in a heavily planted ten gallon vert that stays around 76 degrees and 97% humidity. I am feeding them small wingless fruitflies but am working on getting some springtails as well. I think I've seen a few in the tank though.

Are there any vets that can treat thumbnails or other darts in Los Angeles? My vet doesn't.

I also have two Leucs in a 29 gallon that are doing very well. I wanted just one type of frog, but ended up with two at the same time. This hobby is extremely addicting. LOL


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## pocketgnome (Feb 8, 2007)

*some pictures if that helps at all*

Sorry the photo quality sucks. I tried to get some different angles of the frog but she/he kept moving every time I stuck the camera in the tank.


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## black_envy (Aug 12, 2006)

About how often/how many flies do you feed them? I kinda have the same problem with my tinc, but I reduced the number of flies I was giving her, so now she is only mildly obese. Try making them go on a diet (or seperate the fat frog till he slims down) and see what happens.


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## pocketgnome (Feb 8, 2007)

Hey, thanks for responding!

I'm not sure exactly how many flies I feed but probably around 30 a day, maybe more? I tap them into a plastic party cup, dust them and then dump them in the tank. There are usually always flies in the tank. About how many flies should I feed an imitator? My other Imi is a good size (I think).


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## black_envy (Aug 12, 2006)

Well that sounds about right...you could even feed them more...I think you have a bloated frog then, because you are not overfeeding them...I dunno about a vet in your area though...sorry


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## ian (Dec 25, 2006)

Keep an eye on that one a while and decrease feedings. It may be eating too much. My second thought is that you might be looking at the female of your two imis. Could be wrong though. My Azereus looked like she ate a big marble and I decreased her FF intake and the roundness went away.

Hoe is the coordination of your frog? Smooth leaps and bounds? Is it sluggish at all or disoriented? How about posting pics with some other angles and a reference with the other frog?

Good luck and I hope all is well.

Ian


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## pocketgnome (Feb 8, 2007)

I don't think she/he is sluggish, but then again, I am new to pdf's. She likes to hang out on the glass a lot. She'll start out at the very top and slide down to the bottom. She's fallen off a leaf trying to get away from me, but other than that, I'd say she's pretty graceful. How active should they be? They mostly just hunt and hang out. My other imi hangs out at the very top of the tank on a leaf and the fat one hangs out on the large Brom near the middle/bottom a lot where she sleeps. They both go to the ground to hunt. The minute I put flies in they are both ready to go. There are still some flies in there, so I won't put anymore in today and see how it goes.


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

She looks like one of those stuffed animals you see in car windows with suction cups on their feet!

That being said, do you have any idea on the age or sex of the frogs? With my pair of imis, the female is noticably rounder than the male. I feed the two of them 30-40 FFs every other day.


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## pocketgnome (Feb 8, 2007)

I have no idea on sex, but I think they are five or six months old. He said they were "sub adult." He did say he would do his best at giving me a pair. I'll try the every other day feeding instead of everyday.


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## NCSUdart (Oct 1, 2004)

30 flies a day for thumbs is overfeeding to me


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## slaytonp (Nov 14, 2004)

There are certainly herp vets in your area. Look on the following link to find one: http://www.arav.com click on "members" and go from there for your area. From the squashed against the glass perspective, she certainly seems to be a bit obese, at least. I say "she" because of her general body habitus from that view, perhaps ready to lay some eggs? Imitators are breeding by 5 to 6 months. If she were "bloated," which would be a serious problem, she certainly wouldn't be climbing the glass--she'd be sulking and not moving much. 

In my experience with imitators, they don't tend to over-eat, as some of the less athletic terrestrial frogs do. But if there are still flies in there the following day, it's wise to make them work a bit to clean them up before you add more.


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## pocketgnome (Feb 8, 2007)

Awesome! Thanks guys for the help and thanks for the list of vets! I didn't feed them much these last couple of days and she definitely seems a tiny bit little less round. 

That would be really exciting to get eggs this fast, but I really hope it's not eggs because I'm still just learning the basics. LOL

Thanks again for the help!


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

snip "If she were "bloated," which would be a serious problem, she certainly wouldn't be climbing the glass--she'd be sulking and not moving much. "endsnip

I have seen bloated frogs acting normally.. As an example, at work about 10 years ago we had a tinct that the vets would come down twice a week to remove 3 cc of accumulated fluid from the abdomen of the frog to improve its life (enable it to move more freely) and it did well and fed for months afterwards. (If I remember correctly, it had liver issues which eventually caused its death). 

It all depends on the cause of the bloat


Ed


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## pocketgnome (Feb 8, 2007)

I just called the LA area vets on that list and they are gonna charge me 80 bucks for each frog just for a check up. That's about twice what it costs to have my dog seen. I have four frogs so that would be $320 just for a check up. wow! Is this the norm vet price?


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## black_envy (Aug 12, 2006)

I know what you mean :roll:
Vets always charge me $75 or more just to trim my birds beak (she won't use her wooden perch, her cuttlebone, or her two mineral blocks to keep her beak trim!!!!! :evil and to tell me shes healthy!

Its hard too because my parents don't help at all with my pet's vet bills...


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## slaytonp (Nov 14, 2004)

pocketgnome said:


> I just called the LA area vets on that list and they are gonna charge me 80 bucks for each frog just for a check up. That's about twice what it costs to have my dog seen. I have four frogs so that would be $320 just for a check up. wow! Is this the norm vet price?


Sorry, I had no idea LA herp vets charged that much for a "check-up." It's probably more than the cost of the frog. It's also twice as much as my local vet charges for wrestling with, and treating a horse, or wallowing in cow manure, scraping penile sheathes to test bulls for trichomonas, at $10.00 a bull. I told him that since he is so beat up, and getting old, he ought to study up on frogs and move to LA. 

Ed, you first said you'd seen a frog acting normally with bloat, then stated that it had vets removing 3cc of fluid from its abdomen twice a week to improve its life and "allow it to move more freely." If that weren't being done, would it have been climbing glass and acting normally?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

snip "Ed, you first said you'd seen a frog acting normally with bloat, then stated that it had vets removing 3cc of fluid from its abdomen twice a week to improve its life and "allow it to move more freely." If that weren't being done, would it have been climbing glass and acting normally?"endsnip 

The tinct group I had at that time didn't bother with climbing the glass or the sides of the enclosures... so I can't use that yardstick (In fact the ones I have now don't do it either). 

Before the vets came to withdraw the fluid the frog would have a difficult time moving in a complex enviroment (but if you removed it and placed it on moist paper towels it could move albeit slowly) due to getting over objects (It could not climb over objects before the removal of the fluids) but it would slowly move around and chase insects. It would respond to the calling of the males (but slowly) (and often couldn't get over the obstacles to the ovipostion sites). It would attempt to flee if you reached for it.. So it was acting as normally as the excess fluid would permit it... 

Once the fluid was withdrawn the frog would hop and move normally. It could navigate obstacles in the enviroment and would respond to the males calling and readily chased insects around the enclosure. 

Ed


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