# Weird tadpole



## Toxic (Jul 9, 2012)

Recently i've been noticing that one of my tadpoles has gotten HUGE and bloated. Not only around his head, but his legs too. Is this normal?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Something is interfering with it's ability to osmoregulate.. this could be due to an infection (viral, bacterial) or improper development due to some factor such as vitamin A deficiency, or other nutritional cause, or even genetic or something I missed.... 

Does not bode well for surviving the metamorphic process. 

Some comments 

Ed


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## DarkAGEdefect (Dec 18, 2013)

Never seen that before. How it works out for you. Post pics when it's morphing out


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## Toxic (Jul 9, 2012)

I don't think its vitamin A deficiency since i dust the flies once a month with vitamin A. 

The weird thing is that the parents only had one egg. I wanted them to transport the tad themselves, but they didn't. I thought it was because it had been almost a year since their last clutch and they might have gotten a little rusty, but i kinda see why they decided not to transport him now. 

We'll see if he makes it, but I fear he wont be able to pop out his front legs due to his bloated body. If you look carefully at the first pic, you can see his front legs through his skin.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Dusting with it once a month doesn't mean that the frogs are getting sufficient amounts of it.... 

Some comments 

Ed


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## John1451 (Jun 6, 2011)

I dust Vitamin every 3rd feeding.


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## ngeno626 (Nov 14, 2013)

Ed has a point. Try dusting once a week when they are breeding then go back to once a month a mist a little less frequently for your dry seasons


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

It's also a better reason than some of the other possible causes like ranavirus. 


Some comments 

Ed


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## Toxic (Jul 9, 2012)

I dust flies with rapashy calcium plus on every feeding, which already contains vitamin A. I also dust with vitamin A once a month. This is a regimen i've been keeping all of my frogs on for years and have had great success rearing their tadpoles. This particular tadpole comes from my cobalt pair. I have gotten over 40 tadpoles in the past few months from my Azureus pair which have been receiving the same feeding and dusting as the Cobalts. The Azureus tadpoles have come out of the water and have become nice and healthy froglets. This is why i highly doubt its a vitamin A deficiency because if it was, my other frogs would be showing signs of it as well. I think the problem with the tadpole has more to do with something in water or from a viral or bacterial infection like Ed said.


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## Haryeti (Feb 4, 2014)

In university I read about some tadpoles becoming bloated like that when they develop in the presence of predators. I don't know if that's what's happening here but it's just something that happens in the wild.


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## Reef_Haven (Jan 19, 2011)

Toxic, are you doing anything to treat this tad. Many people report good luck with 100% water change and no feeding until it resolves itself. This appears to be what you have done. 
Here is how I have treated tads with success.
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/breeding-eggs-tadpoles/168121-tadpole-bubble.html#post1917810
If it is developmental, as Ed has suggested, this will not work. But, it seems very late in development to just now be having problems.


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## John1451 (Jun 6, 2011)

Any changes in water source? Do you make RO? Different Java Moss source? Change a filter in your RO unit if you have one? I think it's may be an environmental variable but Ed forgot more than I know about frogs... I had 1 like this once and it came from a pair that had laid their first or second clutch at about 15 months old.


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## Toxic (Jul 9, 2012)

Reef_Haven said:


> Toxic, are you doing anything to treat this tad. Many people report good luck with 100% water change and no feeding until it resolves itself. This appears to be what you have done.
> Here is how I have treated tads with success.
> http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/breeding-eggs-tadpoles/168121-tadpole-bubble.html#post1917810
> If it is developmental, as Ed has suggested, this will not work. But, it seems very late in development to just now be having problems.


Thank you. I will look into it. 



John1451 said:


> Any changes in water source? Do you make RO? Different Java Moss source? Change a filter in your RO unit if you have one? I think it's may be an environmental variable but Ed forgot more than I know about frogs... I had 1 like this once and it came from a pair that had laid their first or second clutch at about 15 months old.


I use Poland Spring bottled water, tadpole moss from NE Herp and Indian almond leaf, but i recently ran out so i used live oak... What ended up happening to your tadpole?


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## John1451 (Jun 6, 2011)

I wonder if the Live Oak is the variable did you cook it or boil it or anything? Mine died very shortly after I began inquiring about the size


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