# vertebra sticking out?



## NathalieB (Apr 23, 2007)

I have a frog with (what I think is) the left sacral vertebra sticking out.









sorry for the bad picture, but it is very difficult to capture on photo. you can see the left vertebra sticking out when you compare it to the right. it has nothing to do with the pose as it is very obvious in any way she sits.

I have put her in a seperate tank because I think she is getting skinnier then the other frogs. It is the first time I notice this, but maybe she had it all along but I just didn't notice it and now it becomes more obvious as she is more skinny. Or it could be something new... I really didn't notice it before.

would this be a problem resulting from a deficient of calcium or something like that or rather a dislocated vertebra from falling down from the window?
the frog is about 7-8 months old.

has anybody seen this with their frogs before?

thanks!
Nathalie


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

You may want to try the gallery here as the picture is not coming through.


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## NathalieB (Apr 23, 2007)

sorry, I have posted the picture in the gallery but I'm not sure you see it now, as I could see the previous picture also.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

If the frog is loosing weight then this would cause the protrusion you are seeing. Frogs loose weight for a number of reasons including disease process, competition and stress. 

I would suggest at a minimum of monitoring the frog in a seperate container as well as a fecal check. 

Ed


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## NathalieB (Apr 23, 2007)

the frog is not loosing wait as far as I can tell, but her brothers/sisters are getting fatter faster.
I put her in a seperate container so there is no competition for food and i can check if she moves normally (which she does as far as I can see).

for the moment she is not eating much (looks a little bit pissed about being moved to another tank) but I am going to feed her ff larvae tonight or tomorrow, when she looks more at ease.

I personally don't think it's a problem with parasites or sicknes but a "mechanical" problem. it's really only sticking out on one side.

I will keep a close eye on her and try to do a fecal check


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

In the picture you posted it the amount "pointing" out looks to be very similar on each side. 
A picture from above and behind the frog (if clear) would be more helpful. 

As I noted above these typically become more prominant as the frog looses weight (which you initially cannot tell by visual inspection) as the frog would deplete the abdominal fat pads. The frog would need to have been weighed on a sensitive enough scale to note the loss of weight. Typically weight losses of 10% or more of the total weight should cause the frog and its husbandry to be examined. 

Ed


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## NathalieB (Apr 23, 2007)

OK, I have tried to get good pictures of this problem but it is very difficult to get sharp pictures of these frogs as they are very black, the yellow is very bright and they never sit still for 5 seconds.

6 months later the problem is still very clearly visible IRL. the frog by now has gotten rather fat (it is a female and eating 50% more then the other frogs in the group) and is doing very well. yet the "sacral vertebra" is still "sticking out" and is much more prominent at the left side (in front view)
I have tried to take some pictures. I hope you can see it. 

I know the first picter I posted was very dark, but these are the two points you should be comparing. you can see a big difference that cannot be attributed to the position of the frog.



in the picture above it is the frog on the right

because they are black and because of the reflection it is almost not visible on pictures from above. it is the frog in the foreground.


as said, it is very obvious IRL. I hope you can see it, but maybe I should ry to make a video.

any thoughts on this? It doesn't seem to bother the frog but I am just curious if anyone else has seen this and what the cause may be.


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

yes about 7 monthes ago i got a female Azureus for a bit of a deal cause it had this same problem, and i agree with you it doesnt seem to bother the Animal at all. It seems to act and respond like all the other female Tincs i have. My particular frog is a bit more severe than yours, and im currently trying to breed her. here are a couple pics.


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