# Broken Leg Turquoise and Bronze Auratus.



## Djohnson (Apr 17, 2018)

Hey fellow froggers, kind of a frog emergency here. I just got this poor little guy in the mail today and his leg is broken. I've done plenty of reading on the forums about dislocations and such and I and have even looked at a radiograph of a frog to get a sense of their bone structure and I can almost certainly confirm that this little guy has a broken leg. it's right in the middle of the upper right thigh and when he tries to hop it seems normal but if he moves wrong it will twist and fold over on itself. you can see in the picture how he arrived with it all twisted up.

My question is what can I do for him? DO I have to euthanize the frog or is there a chance that it will heal on its own? I moved the frog into a larger Tupperware container with plenty of moss and leaves and have observed him hop around and eat flies so he doesn't seem like he's in too much pain but the leg is still flopping and folding all over the place. I've got calcium and vitamin supplements but I don't have another stable vivarium for him to inhabit. 

Is a large Tupperware fine for recovery as long as it's ventilated and moist and stays warm enough? 

Should I put him in something smaller to limit the use of the broken limb?

Do I put him out of his misery that he is not hopping around in pain?

Any advice would be great. It has to have happened while shipping I watched the lady at the post office flip the package on it's lid when she was handing it to me and maybe that freaked him out? I have no idea. He came in a Styrofoam container with plenty of packing peanuts and insulation... 
Thanks again for any help.

Edit#1 Adding more info as I get home from work. Here is a radiograph that I found on the site and the red circle outlines the bone that is broken and the line is right about where the leg folds. it's the other leg I just used the straightened one for simplicities sake.


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## Djohnson (Apr 17, 2018)

Update 1: I still have the frog in a Tupperware container with the moss and leaves and he is hopping around as well as eating fruit flies dusted with calcium. He seems alright although I'm still unsure of what I should be doing. 

again any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

I am so sorry this happened. I know very little about treatment, but if it's a possibility, I would get that sphagnum moss out of there. It may have been the reason the leg was injured in the first place. It can wrap around extremities and not let go. I hope you get some competent advice. Any chance of engaging a vet to help?

Mark


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## Djohnson (Apr 17, 2018)

Hmm that's a good point. I will remove some of the moss and throw more leaves in so he can hop around on something solid. It sucks that it happened but I was talking with the vendor they said this extremely rare offered me a new frog if this little guy doesn't make it.

I'm fairly new to the Seattle area so I don't know any reputable vets that would be able to do anything. I might call a bird and reptile vet tonight and see if they can provide any additional information. 

Thanks for the input!


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## Djohnson (Apr 17, 2018)

Update 2: 

I'm going to try and keep this post updated so that there is some amount of information on what might help others in this situation. 

I think it's the 4th day that I've had the frog isolated and he/she seems to be doing alright. They get calcium dusted FFs each day and is able to chase them around and hunt them. I haven't seen the leg fold or bend in any strange ways. If the bone has set and started to heal it has done so in a slightly awkward way as the rear right leg of the frog is somewhat misshapen. I will update with a picture when I get the opportunity. It does not appear to be a major deformation however.

I think if come Monday I haven't noticed any worsening of the condition I will release the frog into the main tank and observe in a better environment.

Additionally, I am no expert on animal, more specifically, frog behavior but I introduced the other younger frog with the two older ones and one of the older one has taken to following the little one around and hiding out in all he same places. I haven't seen any wrestling or anything I just always find them sitting next to each other in the same wall pot or under the same leaf. Is this a territory thing? does the bigger frog need a time out? Neither of them would be "adult" frogs yet. The older frog is a Sub adult and the younger is a froglet.


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## Djohnson (Apr 17, 2018)

Update 3: got a picture of "gimpy" today. He is still eating as much as he can and is getting around better. You can see the right leg appears to be a little different than the left as a result of whatever healing has occurred. I still haven't seen an floppy leg symptoms so I might release him into the main tank next week.


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## Woodswalker (Dec 26, 2014)

It makes me relieved to hear that you're going to give him a bit more time to be sure it heals well, so he doesn't re-injure it exploring his new setup and interacting with his future companions. It looks much better than I feared it would from the original photo.


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## JackBinimbul (Jul 29, 2018)

This is so sad to see. He/she is such a beautiful frog. It's great that you're doing everything you can to ensure his survival and comfort.

I admittedly know very, _very_ little about frog behavior, but the larger frog shadowing the smaller seems like communal behavior. Safety in numbers and whatnot.


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## Djohnson (Apr 17, 2018)

Woodswalker said:


> It makes me relieved to hear that you're going to give him a bit more time to be sure it heals well, so he doesn't re-injure it exploring his new setup and interacting with his future companions. It looks much better than I feared it would from the original photo.


It at least looks like an actual leg now! It was pretty unsettling to see the leg in the state it was upon delivery. I put him in the tank tonight and he immediately ran to the wall and started climbing. It look funny but I didn't see it fold. He has since found a nice leaf to hide under and I presume that is where he will be for a few days.



JackBinimbul said:


> This is so sad to see. He/she is such a beautiful frog. It's great that you're doing everything you can to ensure his survival and comfort.
> 
> I admittedly know very, _very_ little about frog behavior, but the larger frog shadowing the smaller seems like communal behavior. Safety in numbers and whatnot.


I love the bright blue on these frogs, it made me so sad to open the box and see his leg. I only hope that he/she continues to eat and that the leg will fully heal in time even hopefully a little bit of a limp won't set him back too much.


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