# Leuc wasting away--help!



## Caitlin (Mar 20, 2006)

Hello, this is my first post. I've been lurking here a while, but have now decided to join the forum.
Ok, so I have three leucomelas in a 10 gallon tank (gravel, soil, moss, and plants). I've had them for more than a year now with no problems (they are my first dart frogs). My problem is that recently, the smallest one has been getting skinnier and skinnier. When I watched him closely, it seemed as if he has trouble grabbing the fruit flies I feed him, and the other two outcompete him. A couple of weeks ago I moved him into a separate tank (my extra two-gallon hex tank, with gravel, soil, moss, a pothos cutting, and a heat lamp--everything is well sealed off). I figured that if I put him in a separate small enclosure and fed him a ton of flies, he might be able to fatten himself up. However, he is now looking skinnier than ever.
What could the problem be?
Parasites? But the other two are fine. 
A defect that renders him unable to hunt effectively? That's what it looks like to me, but I'm no expert in frog diseases. But if so, why was he fine until now?
How can I save him?
Sorry for the long post, but he's so skinny by now that I'm really worried. I wish I could have done something earlier, but I was out of town all week and my mom's been taking care of my frogs. I found out that the frog was so emaciated only when I got back, but I trust my mom to have been feeding him a lot.
Any help would be vastly appreciated!


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

What supplements are you using? 
I would also suggest getting a fecal check, some parasites like coccidia can cause this reaction in the frog. 


Ed


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## Caitlin (Mar 20, 2006)

I dust the flies with Rep-Cal and Herp Care cricket dust. I know I should get a fecal check done, if I can find a vet in my area that deals with frogs, but is there any immediate thing I can do to save the frog? I thought about maybe force-feeding...but the frog is so tiny, I'd be worried about injuring or killing it by trying to help feed it. Is there any safe method for force-feeding?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

When you say Rep Cal and Herp Cal do you mean Rep-Cal and Herptevite? How old are your supplements? 

If you search the forums for Dr. Frye, you can collect fecals and mail them to him for testing so you don't need a local vet for fecal checks and wormings. 

As for force feeding you may want to review the following thread 
http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... =clinicare

I would suggest placing a small piece of fruit in a small dish on the bottom of the enclosure to keep the flies down where the frog can access them. This will also help keep the flies from crawling all over the place and stressing the frog. 

Ed


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## Caitlin (Mar 20, 2006)

By Rep-Cal I mean Rep-Cal Calcium with D3 and by Herp Care I mean HerpCare Cricket Dust by Mardel. I got these when I got the frogs.
While I would like to have a fecal done, it would not provide an immediate solution. I need a way to keep this frog from starving now! I am going to try putting some _D. hydei_ larvae down on a pothos leaf on the substrate and sprinkling them with a little Rep-Cal to see if they are easier for him to eat. The problem, as far as I can tell, is that he can't use his tongue properly: I've see him lunge at the fly and miss over and over again, and I never see his tongue flick out. If I could only get some food in him, I think he would be OK, though in the long run I don't know what he'd do without a functional tongue. He's way too small and fragile-looking to attempt force-feeding, in my opinion. I just want to do whatever I can.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

What are the ratios of A3:E in the Herp Care cricket dust? What is the expiration date of the supplement? 

If the frog is having problems with a hypovitaminosis you will need to detemine what it is to correct the problem or the frog will die. If it has a problem with a parasite like a pathnogenic strain of coccidia, you will need to get it identified and treated or the frog will die regardless of how much food you try and pump in the frog. 

Ed


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## back2eight (Dec 19, 2005)

I am sorry you are having this trouble. Three frogs in a ten gallon is okay when they are young, but since this problem is just happening, my guess (and this is just a guess) is that they are overcrowded and probably fighting. Since the other two don't seem sick, it may be that this one has been picked on and denied food and now has gotten so down from lack of food that it is having ah ard time even though it is seperated now. But there is no way to know for sure unless you get it vet checked and get fecals like the others have said. This is just one possibility. While I know this doesnt' help you know what to do with the little guy now, maybe when you get him better you can look for a larger cage for the three frogs now that they are older, and make sure there are a lot of hiding spaces so aggression won't be an issue. I haven't had to deal with a sick frog yet so I don't have any advice on what to do with him.


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