# Can frogs have frost bite?



## Jewelvivariums (May 28, 2013)

Can dart frogs have frostbite? I was renovating my a viv and had my auratus in a small container with the lid popped. I went out of the room for a minute and came back to find somehow he had pushed the lid up got out and jumped onto the air vent in the floor. Which was blowing out cold air. He was lying on top lope sided and not breathing. He was ice cold so assuming he was dead I placed him in a paper towel and covered him up. I opened up the paper towel and looked at him again after about a minute. He was in normal sitting position but not breathing. I thought this was odd. I looked at him for a few seconds and realized he took a breath. He then procided to almost hyperventilate off and on for a minute or two until he was breathing fine but not moving his limbs. By this point I had placed him derectly under the light hoping to warm him. I checked his temp and appeared to be normal. He started to flinch and then soon crawled off the paper towl into the viv which ironically I had just finished before the whole incident. He then slowly started to hop around and appears fine. He's moving his legs fine and breathing fine but I noticed these light blotches were his skin had made contact with the metal grade part of the vent. It's almost like frostbite.


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## frog dude (Nov 11, 2011)

Darts probably can, yes, but I doubt your frog got frostbite. I believe frostbite is caused when water, when in contact with flesh, freezes. I don't think your frog has frostbite, more like he went numb and lost feeling and movement abilities temporarily due to prolonged exposure to cold darts can't handle.


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## Jewelvivariums (May 28, 2013)

Thanks, the blotches appear to be already fading. Hopefully it wont be permanent.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

If he was on an air vent is it also possible that he was getting too dry?


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## easternversant (Sep 4, 2012)

frogface said:


> If he was on an air vent is it also possible that he was getting too dry?


I'd suspect this is the case. I doubt the majority of darts would get frostbite since they would die well before the temperature got low enough to give them frostbite.


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## Jewelvivariums (May 28, 2013)

Thanks for all the replies. He appears to be fine and the blotches are almost gone. It may be that he just got to dry. When I picked him up he was very dry so this may be the case.


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## Golden State Mantellas (Mar 12, 2011)

frog dude said:


> Darts probably can, yes, but I doubt your frog got frostbite. I believe frostbite is caused when water, when in contact with flesh, freezes. I don't think your frog has frostbite, more like he went numb and lost feeling and movement abilities temporarily due to prolonged exposure to cold darts can't handle.


Frostbite does not require water. Frostbite is usually caused by air, it is actually a heat conservation technique the body uses. Blood flows away from an area to conserve heat. This causes a catastrophic loss of oxygen, and heat to the localized area, thus allowing said area to freeze.

Your frog would likely be long dead due to exposure and/or dehydration, before frostbite set in though.


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## frog dude (Nov 11, 2011)

Golden State Mantellas said:


> Frostbite does not require water. Frostbite is usually caused by air, it is actually a heat conservation technique the body uses. Blood flows away from an area to conserve heat. This causes a catastrophic loss of oxygen, and heat to the localized area, thus allowing said area to freeze.
> 
> Your frog would likely be long dead due to exposure and/or dehydration, before frostbite set in though.


Okay then. I guess I need to pay more attention when I read


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