# What's This? (Concave Back)



## Brock (Jun 29, 2007)

Just picked up 5 P. vitattus. They are all 3-5 months out of the water,
this one specifically is 5 months out of the water (I think), and the smallest of them all.

I didn't even notice when I got them, but it has a very concave back, what is this?



















-Brock


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

It`s a bone deformity that sometimes appears in frogs, more phyllos than anything else from what I`ve seen. It seems to be a birth defect as I`ve seen it appear in a runted individual every so often, never a whole clutch or even approaching 20%(never more than 2 of 10 or more in a clutch).


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## Brock (Jun 29, 2007)

Thanks Aaron, that's what I figured, it's not correctable with more calcium supplementing is it, or with age?

Now I must ask; what does the future look like for this frog? Will it just live out its life with this deformity, or what?


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

Not usually if it is one of a group.
Usually if the others are fine it`s something that showed during transformation and isn`t correctable. It`s possible though from being last on the feeding list. I`d have to see more interaction to deduce anything and be pretty certain on a cause. You may want to seperate and nurse it w/ calcium and less vits to see if you have a quarentine box.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I have a female E. anthonyi that looks exactly like that.

She is runty compared to her sibling, and doesn't breed well. But she is the most aggressive tricolor I have. She will chase away both males and the other females away when there's food. She's also the most outgoing.


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## Rich Frye (Nov 25, 2007)

Is this a husbanry issue or genetic? I don't know. But if it is genetic and not a husbandry issue we really don't want to be passing this along by breeding .

Rich


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## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

I don't know anything about your frog's deformity, but in doing a search on deformities I found an interesting article that offers a perspective on deleterious traits in breeding programs;
http://www.vortex9.org/reprints/should% ... lleles.pdf


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