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FAQs About Xenopus laevis, African Clawed Frogs, Disease

I recommend you try reading here:
http://fluffyfrog.com/FrogPondVetF.html

African albino clawed frog, hlth. – 04/21/08
hello, I hope you can help. I have a 7year old albino African clawed frog always healthy he swallowed an upside down catfish. I believe they are barbed.
<Yes... the dorsal and pecs>
after 3 days he spit the fish out and now floats around hardly moving. he didn't eat for 8 days and now he ate a couple of Spirulina sticks and a few small bloodworms. can he have internal damage?
<Yes>
that's why he cant stay on the bottom?
<Possibly>
he has starting eating and is much more active but still hasn't spent much time fully submerged. any advice is greatly appreciated, we have become attached to "froggie"
<Xenopus are very tough... I would just wait here, be patient, and hope for a self-cure. I take it there are no more swallow-able tankmates present. Bob Fenner>

Re: African albino clawed frog 04/22/08
no more edible tankmates, 2 large goldfish both larger than the frog!
hope u r
<... no Netspeak please...>
correct, thanks for the advice I came across your site
totally by accident just when we were giving up hope. ps froggie has
stayed submerged a bit longer today!
<Ah good. B>

ACF with fungal/bacterial problem? 01/22/2008
Hello,
<Howdy>
My name is Rachel. I have 4 Albino Clawed Frogs and they are housed in a 30 gallon tank filtered with 2 Whisper 20-40 gal filtration systems. I know that this 30 gallon is going to be too small for these guys but they are still relatively small. We plan on upgrading to a larger tank as soon as we can. All of my frogs are between 6 months and a year old I am assuming. We do regular water changes
<Every week I hope>
and feed them every day or two. Nothing has changed with their tank except that we added the second filtration system about a month ago.
<Good>
One night when feeding the frogs however, we noticed our smallest one had some small black spots/rings on one of his hind legs and his eyes were blackened. With the others, if you look into their eyes its almost like you can see through to their brains, but his looked black and mucky if you looked through them.
<Not to worry re... some degree of melanization is not a problem... even with "albino" Xenopus>
From the leg alone and "cloudiness" of the eyes I assumed I was dealing with some sort of fungal or bacterial infection. He was eating and swimming just fine and he does not seem to be acting any differently. After reading a little on your site and others, I decided to add a little aquarium salt
<Mmm, I wouldn't>
as well as Maracyn Two (pet store recommended). I only used half the recommended dose for each. After three days of the Maracyn Two, his eyes seem to be SLIGHTLY more clear but his leg is looking the same. I have attached a picture for you. Hopefully you can give me some more suggestions. I hope that I caught this in time and that it will not be fatal. I would hate to lose him. He is our baby of the bunch.?? Any help would be greatly appreciated.? Thank you.
<There does appear to be a bit of reddening here... I would step up your water change-out procedures, and add/soak a bit of liquid vitamins to their foods ahead of offering (ones made/intended for baby humans are fine here). Bob Fenner>

Re: ACF with fungal/bacterial problem? 1/31/08
Hi again!
<Hello>
It seems as though my problem is getting a little worse. I stepped up the water change. I actually did a full system clean because of the salt that I had originally put in. With the clean water, I took your advice and found some liquid vitamins that the pet store had. I believe its called Vita-Chem. Anyway, I had mentioned previously that all together we have 4 frogs. All of the others were fine but tonight I noticed that 2 of them are starting to get the same dark spots on their legs (not as extreme as the frog in the photo). The redness that you noticed on the picture has diminished slightly, and the spots on the toes were clearing up, but the spots on the legs are very persistent. Now that the other frogs are developing the same condition, Im wondering if there isn't something else I should be doing on top of the water changes and vitamins.
<Perhaps adding some filtration, or a larger system...>
(As far as the vitamins, I add about a drop per 2 gallons in the water when I do a water change, as well as soak their food in it.) Do you have any more advice for me?
<To read more widely on the Net using the terms Xenopus and health, nutrition, systems... and to report back to us re your findings... for others edification. Bob Fenner>

ACF with fungal/bacterial problem? 3/5/08
Hello again,
I first sent you an email on 01/22 about a frog with a possible bacteria infection. It turns out that the spots on his legs are actually ammonia burns.
<Hmm... not sure there's a difference, to be honest.>
I don't believe we cycled the tank properly from the beginning. We have since cycled the tank completely. Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates are all at 0. I know that ammonia burns will take a very long time to heal/go away.
<Yes, and the main problem is secondary infections, i.e., the infamous "Red Leg" causes by Aeromonas bacteria.>
Assuming that the reddening you noticed in the picture was part of this ammonia burning issue, I did not treat my frog with anything other than the first dose of Maracyn Two. (I realized about a week ago that the treatment of Maracyn Two was completely unsuccessful
- I did not remove the carbon filters).
<Two lessons here: ALWAYS complete the course of medication, and ALWAYS remove carbon when treating livestock. In fact, carbon is practically useless in freshwater aquaria, and is mostly sold to extract money from hobbyists. Water changes do more good for less money.>
After the tank was completely cycled, I spoke to a pet store owner that has been helping me test my water and cycle my tank properly. When I mentioned the reddening of the legs, he raised his eyebrow and said that it was a bacterial issue.
<Likely, yes.>
I have been reading about bacterial infections and septicemia - which would be a cause for his body's change in color. Septicemia is the same thing as Red Leg from what I have seen.
<Red Leg is a category of septicaemia, yes; all a septicaemia is is a bacterial infection of the blood. In fish and frogs this often happens where the integument has been breached (for example by a burn or scratch) and the Aeromonas bacteria get in from the water and into the tissues.>
My frog has had this red color and the spots for over a month and a half. Frogs with red leg usually don't make it and probably don't live for a week after the symptoms actually show. I bought another treatment of Maracyn Two and removed the carbon filters. I haven't noticed too much of a difference.
<To be honest, recovery from Red Leg just isn't that common. By all means try, and stick with the medication you are using. Water quality and a healthy diet are critical factors, and probably matter just as much as the medications.>
Even before treating with Maracyn Two properly, one day his body would look normal with slight reddening on his legs and the next day his whole body would look red and somewhat inflamed then back to normal looking again the next day, almost as if his immune system is trying to fight this off. With your knowledge and experience, do you think that I am dealing with septicemia or something else? He has been like this for about a month and a half. Should I be treating him with something other than Maracyn Two? I have read about Tetracycline - perhaps it would work better.
<Certainly worth a shot.>
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Rachel
<Good luck, Neale.>

Mangled African albino clawed frog 8/16/07
Hi. My frog tore up its arms in what seems to me to be a bad idea aquarium-wise. I hung a plastic large plant from the top of my tank, trying to give it a more natural feel. Anyways, it appears my frog tangled its arms up in it and cut its arms quite a bit. Never knew plastic was so sharp until I actually felt it myself. Quarentened for a week, but when I put back into tank, my Oscar and catfish seemed to hunt the wounded frog. So I separated again, later more damage was done to its hands. This has been going on for about 6 weeks now and "Pac-Man" doesn't seem to be healing. Even more signs of extremities are almost rotting off. He won't eat. which he always did alot of. The "bones" or whatever are still clearly present, but no new tissue is growing. Is this termenal? What else can I do to cure him? I've done complete water changes at least every other day. TY
<Greetings. As soon as your frog damaged itself you should have treated for bacterial infections and fungus using an amphibian-safe medication. You local reptile store should be able to help there. After six weeks, the damage has been done, and the wounds have obviously become septic and the frog is dying. Unless you really kick into gear and treat right now, your lack of action has doomed your pet to a miserable and very painful death. Even if you do treat the frog, I wouldn't bet a lot of money on its recovery. It goes without saying that you should never, ever put anything inside an aquarium that feels spiky or rough. The idea is to create a safe and healthy environment! Giving pets cute names doesn't help them any, but common sense and proper care is what they want. Good luck, Neale>

Sick Albino Clawed Frog? 5/14/07
Hey there I have an Albino Clawed frog in my tank with a few fish and two snails. The snails and filter help keep the tank rather clean and it's a newer tank. I know the Clawed frog is going to get big enough to eat the fish but for now he's just a little baby. (Barely larger around than a quarter). Anyway... the last couple days I've been noticing his belly is looking a little swollen on one side. Then I woke up today and it's -huge- (bigger than his head). It seemed to blow up from just slight swelling... where I wasn't sure if it was actually swollen or if it was just distortion from the angle I was looking at him at. (He moves around a lot and it's hard to get a good look at him!) Today he's just hanging right at the top of the tank and man it's big. I've looked at several pictures of Albinos with dropsy and it doesn't look like dropsy. I wish I could get you a picture but no digital cam... it's only on his left side so I'm thinking blockage. I read a post where someone had a similar problem and you suggested a teaspoon of Epsom salt per 10 gallons. I'm wanting to try this, in fact I have my Epsom salt and teaspoon on hand and ready!!... But I'm worried that this may hurt my snails. Should I take my snails out of this tank and put them in the other tank before I try to salt the water? Thanks! Erin in Arkansas
< Your frog has eaten an item that is being broken down by bacteria and not being digested by the frog's stomach juices. As the bacteria break down the food item they generate gas and expand the abdomen of the frog. In fish we use a medication used on protozoans that may work with your frog. Try some Metronidazole found at some fish stores or can be found online. I have not heard of Epsom salts being used on frogs but they can tolerate some salts in the water so I would give it a try but I don't think it will be effective.-Chuck>

African Clawed Frog Can't Move   5/5/07
About a week and a half ago I came into my African clawed frogs room to find one upside down on the bottom of the tank. I thought she had past away but when I went to pick her up she moved a little. I put in a shallow pot of water and found out that she can not move her waste down and I decided to keep her in shallow water since she can't move I am scared she will not be able to get air and drown, she wouldn't eat anything so I tried aquarium salt and gel Tek (neomycin) but no change she wouldn't eat it so I tried melafix and after a couple days she got sores on her back that wasn't open they just looked like big bubbles so I talked to the pet store and they  gave me tetracycline she is on her fifth day of treatment and all her sores have cleared up but one. She still will not eat and is losing a lot of weight and her skin is loose and shedding a lot. I have tried feeding her the usual feeder fish and nothing I have also tried crickets, ReptoMin, and sinking brine shrimp pellets but she shows no interest I am very concerned I don't have a clue what is wrong with her and why she can't move she does move her front but she only has one front leg (since she was a baby) and it doesn't help her get around at all. Please help me I don't know what I would do if I lose my little froggy. She just had 50 tadpoles which now have sprouted legs. I would be very grateful for any advice. oh sorry by the way my name is Tricia.
< Sometimes these little frogs make mad dashes to the surface for air. If the gap between the water and the top of the tank is close they might hit their head on the top of the tank and cause some trauma to the spinal cord. I don't think it is a disease but can't be sure. I would keep the water as clean as possible and offer some brown worms sold at the fish store for tropical fish. frogs have a difficult time refusing  live food if they are hungry.-Chuck>

DEAD FROG
I recently purchased two of the above and have them in a ten gallon tank with algae eaters, a black molly and they all seemed to be cohabitating well. One of the albino frogs was exhibiting rather odd behavior by spinning around in circles like it was possessed and then would proceed to flop to the bottom of the tank and just lay there. My room-mate and I watched this behavior for a few days thinking it was odd but also thinking maybe it was just having fun. I went out of town for two days and when I came home my roomie told me one of the frogs had died.......can you give me any insight to what may have happened?
They get a steady diet of frozen blood worms and like I said, all my habitants of this tank seem to be fine. Perplexed!
< I don't think it is anything in particular that caused his death or else both of the frogs would be dead. I will assume that one of the new frogs tried to eat something in the tank that it couldn't digest and eventually died from intestinal blockage. That would explain the weird behavior for the few days before it died.-Chuck>

Albino Frog Problem
Our frog was eating normally one night and all of a sudden it basically spazzed out. I don't know how to describe it. After that it fell to the bottom where I thought it died. I went to scoop it up and it very slowly crawled so I left it. I thought it was going to die but when I went back to it later it was still alive. It remained this way for about a week. It gradually started to move about but could not swim without spinning around uncontrollable.
About a week later it became all bloated and it's eyes were really red and bulging. I thought for sure it had died, but it was still alive.
About a week later it was back to normal size and looking for food on the bottom. It can now control itself on the bottom but it cannot swim at all. When it tries to swim it just spins around uncontrollable. It now has a bruise on it's right side and it's veins are protruding also it's sides are starting to sink in. I don't think it is eating because my goldfish eat the food before it gets to the bottom and it does not like shrimp pellets. I put it in a separate bowl to eat but it won't.
I also forgot to mention that when this happened it is lopsided to the left it cannot sit or float normally anymore. I took it to my pet store and he said in all his thirty years he has never seen this. I also called Drs.Foster&Smith and they could not help me and sent me on to you. It is almost like it had a seizer or stroke is this possible? I would greatly appreciate your constructive comments.
Thanks, Erica
< Not much literature is available on frog diseases in captivity. External problems can be somewhat figured out but internal problems are a whole different story. If the frog were mine, I would treat it with Metronidazole. It is effective on internal bacterial infections on fish so it is worth a try. If the frog starts eating again I would give him some black worms or small washed earthworms to build up his strength. Frogs are pretty tough little creatures, Hopefully he didn't eat something like a piece of gravel that may stay lodged in his gut.-Chuck>

Frogs hopping mad about ammonia 7/30/05
I currently have a twenty-nine gallon tank with three African clawed frogs.
I keep about twenty-five gallons so they don't jump out.
<Good idea>
  My problem is my ammonia is through the roof.
<Toxic...>
I switched to a canister filter about a month ago.  It is keeping the water remarkably clear.  I have in the media baskets the foam filters, pre filter (inert ceramic rings,) a carbon bag, an ammonia remover bag, and the media growing rings.  I had been doing one third water changes every week, now I am doing two thirds.  I am also switching the media every two weeks.
<Shouldn't switch...>
Two of the four sponges, carbon, and ammonia.  I am staggering these out, so I don't disturb the beneficial bacteria.  I expected an ammonia spike with the initial set up (the tank is about six weeks old,) but it seems I can't stabilize the tank.  When I had a hang on the tank filter, my ammonia was close to nil.
<Should have left the hang-on on during this transition to the canister... or used both even better>
  Granted the water was nasty
(ACF's are pretty gross little beasts,) but I didn't have this problem at the time.  I have no live plants in the tank and I have about twenty-five pounds of sand.  I am currently using ammo-lock to make sure my frogs aren't harmed.  I have also monitored their eating habits and they are eating what I feed them.  There is very little food left after they eat.  The frogs don't seem to be suffering any ill effects at all.  The ghost shrimp that I put in (as a snack and to help clean are literality jumping out of the tank
when I put them in. Any suggestions for me?
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

SICK FROG
I read some other emails about their albino frog shredding its skin and that being normal. However, I had an old catfish recently die and as it was dying, the whiskers (not sure what they are called) began to shred away to almost nothing and it had red sores in its mouth. It was an old fish so I didn't think much of it, I just thought it was from age. After, my albino frog began to shed about 4 layers of skin and now a few of its front legs' claws have deteriorated and some claws are red on the end. I don't think this is normal shredding, but I am not sure because it is my first pet frog. Please help me.
< You have a bacterial infection that began with you catfish and is now affecting your frog. Change 30 to 50% of the water and clean the filter. Vacuum the gravel to remove and sediment that has occurred there. The clean water should greatly help. Now if it gets worse then we need to try some antibiotics and I am not real sure which one would be appropriate. Look online at red legged frog diseases and see what others have been using. To be safe you could always ask a vet but many are not to familiar with frog diseases. If you need to try something ASAP to save its life then I would try Nitrofuranace. It works well on fish but frogs breath through their skin. If your frog starts to show any kind of reaction then get him out of the water immediately. Then try another medication like Maracyn but this is only a guess. I know these medications will work on the bacteria, I am just not familiar enough with frogs to know if they will have any adverse reactions to the antibiotics.-Chuck>

Amphibian Ailments (4/2/2004)
Hi your site was suggested to me by a rep a pet land. <A well informed pet store employee> I have 2 African albino clawed frogs and one of them seems to have some thing wrong with its foot. It looks like the skin is peeling off, or shedding. Its also blood shot. <Could be bacterial or fungal...is there any "fuzziness" or anything indicative of a fungal infection, or is it more red and swollen, possibly indicative of a bacterial infection? As a side note, do check your ammonia levels, and I assume you are not using chlorinated water?> I at first thought that it might of hurt it self or the other frog bit it. But today it looks a little better. But now if you look at it, you can see the bones on the foot. <Not good. Does it appear to be spreading? Any red\swollen skin or any red "blood poisoning" obvious in the legs\blood vessels? Frogs of this species are especially susceptible to "Septicemia"> Would you guys have a idea as to what it could be? The guy at Petland thought that it might be a fungal infection, but the other frogs seem ok. <Probably bacterial (Septicemia), a nasty and all to common infection of these animals.> If you can email me back at * I'd be grateful.
<Try treating the frog with 'Triple Sulfa' by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals or Tetracycline (available from Kordon and other vendors, shouldn't be hard to find at your local pet store). Do this in a separate container of tank water or a quarantine tank. Dose appropriately and make sure to keep the water heated. If you don't notice any improvements in 4-5 days, do send me another email, along with the aquarium size, tankmates, and a picture of the frog if possible>
Thanks
<No problem, let me know if your frog doesn't improve in health in a few days. M. Maddox>

Frog Demise (4/6/2004)
Thank you for taking the time to write back. <My pleasure> I have to tell you that the frog did not make it. It died the next day. <Sorry for your loss :[ Septicemia is a vicious killer among aquatic amphibians, and often is extremely difficult to treat successfully> The other frogs seem to be ok, I did a 40 % water change the same day. <They most likely won't become infected unless they have some sort of injury or are otherwise stressed> Is there any thing I can do to prevent this from happening again? <Maintain good water quality and feed a variety of foods. If you notice injury, or know your frogs have recently been stressed, keep a very close eye on them, and treat at the hint of an infection. Be sure to run the full course of the antibiotics: don't stop dosing even if the symptoms disappear until the rededicates have run their course> I am thinking it was the septicemia that you mentioned. <Very probable> I haven't been using chlorinated water, should I be? <Most definitely not!> I use a chemical to treat the water I put back in. <Highly recommend Amquel+> How do frogs get this kind of infection? <Anything that stresses a frog could cause it to fall ill to this infection. Not all that different from people getting sick: excess stress or injury leads to illness in all species>
Thank you for your time again. <Not a problem, sorry about your frog>
Luke
<M. Maddox>

Tropical frog problem
Hi i have an albino frog, looking at your picture i think its an albino clawed frog but not sure. I have had him along with 3 others for about 2 months and he has been doing fine. When i woke up this morning and looked at him, he has bloated up. As if someone has blown him up with air, right down to his legs. I thought that if it was over feeding then by night time he would of gone down slightly, but no sign of getting better. My local pet store couldn't really offer any advice, so i was wondering if you could. So please help quickly as i don't know if he will last much longer. Thanx for help
< If your frog is still eating then I would watch him for awhile and see if the bloat goes away. Being that it happened overnight I am wondering if it shed and ate its shed skin. If it is an internal bacterial infection then there is little we can offer except that you might have to consult a vet.-Chuck>
Phil.

Albino Clawed Frog
I have an albino clawed frog that somehow jumped out of the tank during the night. We found it this morning and was wondering if there was anything that we should do cause it is still alive but looks kind of bad? Should we keep it in a separate tank away from the other frog or could we put it back? Any suggestion would be helpful and appreciated. < Keep him separated until he is fully rehydrated. Watch for bacterial infections. These frogs are usually pretty tough so I assume he will be back to normal in a couple of days.-Chuck> Thank you

Sick Underwater Frog? 8/2/04
Hi, I have a female African clawed frog who has a strange discoloration on her leg. It is on the back of the leg at the joint where it bends inward- it is a reddish-purple color an is slightly swollen.
She has not been acting any differently and had been eating normally. I have gone on several web sights to check the symptoms and I cannot find anything. The only thing this resembles (in on line symptomatology) is a fungal infection, but she does not have any white around it. I thank you for your time and appreciate your help with this matter.
< I have heard of these bacterial infection on frog legs before. It is caused by a bacteria that quickly multiplies in water high in nitrates from dirty water. Keep the tank clean and remove all the uneaten food, service the filter.
Watch that it doesn't get any bigger or becomes infected. If it is an injury from a fish bite then the same would apply.
Not sure how the little frog would react to antibiotics. If it gets worse I would isolate him and treat with Maracyn at half strength and see how he reacts. If there is not problem then add the rest after a couple of hours if he is doing ok.-Chuck>

Frog Eyes
My African clawed frogs have grown feathery things from their eyes. <It may be the frog shedding some skin, or it could be a fungus. Fungus usually occur in dirty tanks or to injured body parts. Fungal medications for fish may be worse for the frogs than the fungus. Try treating with aquarium salt at a tablespoon per 3-5 gallons. Frogs do not like a lot of salt. At these levels, the frogs will not be harmed but perhaps the fungus will clear. Make sure his tank is clean and had fresh water. Don> I put 6 feeder fish in with them yesterday and only one has been eaten. Usually 3 are gone the first day. They are hanging out at the top more than usual and not very active.

Frogs and drugs (no toad licking here)
Hi, I just treated my freshwater tank for what appears to be velvet. I bought Greenex to treat the tank. I have an African Albino Clawed Frog in there that reacted badly to this. Am I going to lose the frog due to using this product? Thanks, Lynn
<wow... I must admit that is doesn't look good for the frog. Do remove it from the tank or the medication from the water immediately (water changes and carbon). Medications that include metals (like copper) or organic dyes should never be used on invertebrates or scaleless animals (including some fish). The frog was indeed overdosed... but don't give up, please. They are hardy. Fresh water ASAP. Best regards, Anthony>

Re: frogs
Anthony, Thanks for your reply. The frog was dead by morning : ( I sure felt bad. The rest of the fish are dropping like flies. I wish that I had gone on line before I bought the Greenex. The product said it was safe, HA! Now I am just trying to save as many of the fish as I can. Thanks, Lynn
<alas... sorry for the loss too. Some such meds are not necessarily bad, but rather cure or kill remedies. For virulent infections they may be called upon. I personally do not care for this medication in most applications, but many fine aquarists have had very favorable results with it. I do not recall the manufacturers warning to know if it considers invertebrates, amphibians and the like. I suspect it must mention scaleless fishes/animals though. Best regards, Anthony>

Clawed Frog Disease - 09/08/2005
My Frog, Bugzie, has a large bulging, swollen area under her mouth that extends from chin to throat.  This occurred 3 days ago and seems to be getting larger and lighter in color....PLEASE HELP!
<I recommend you try reading here:  http://fluffyfrog.com/FrogPondVetF.html .  Though this may just be some result of physical trauma (injury, etc.), it could be an infection of some sort.>
Thanks.  Carole
<Wishing you and Bugzie well,  -Sabrina>

African Clawed Frog ... comp.    5/2/06
Hello Crew,
<Hello Matthew!>
I'm new to the interesting life called African Clawed Frogs.
<Cute but dim, aren't they? I have a pair myself.>
  As such I have a question regarding the webbing on its back feet.  It appears it is either shedding its webbing or it has been "eaten" by one of my other fish.  Am I looking at infection or poor water condition?
<It is hard to say without knowing what tankmates are in with it. It is not recommended to keep African Clawed Frogs with fish. If the fish don't nibble at the frog, as the frog gets larger, it will damage the fish. Infection is often a sign of poor water quality, so do try to keep the water pristine to allow the frog to heal.>
Will this webbing regenerate itself?
<If the frog is not harassed and the water quality is good, then yes... frogs do have a remarkable ability to heal/regrow.>
  Hope to hear from you soon
<Do separate this frog... and make sure it has no "escape routes" (an inch-wide crack in the canopy is enough to lose these renowned escapologists). Best regards, John.>
  Sincerely
  Matthew

Clawed Frog Constipation? - 11/19/2005
Hi,
<Hello. Sabrina with you, today.>
I've owned my African Clawed Frog for almost 3 years now and I have never had issues with him. He's had to deal with living at college with me and the trips back and forth and the freezing cold dorm rooms and has lasted through it all.
<Mm, sounds like some stressful times.... Do please be cautious; such stresses can make an animal much more prone to disease....>
Right now I have him in a 25 gallon tank with a ground feeder and a snail. The past week his butt has started to get red and irritated looking and it actually looks like he's almost constipated.
<Hmm....>
Last night I came home from being out and he had that bloated look of what Dropsy is but not as severely as some pictures I've seen.
<Alright....>
I woke up this morning expecting the worst but the bloating actually went down and he's eating and is shedding right now and acting normal except for looking irritated and constipated back there.
<If he was constipated, he may have become bloated from the blockage, then after it passed, the bloating subsided. Mind you, though, I/we am/are not frog experts, so take anything from me with a grain or to of salt.>
I've looked up stuff on red leg but it doesn't seem to be that.
<Good.>
I have the tank at a steady temperature of 76 and I always clean the tank the same way so there haven't been any drastic changes in his routine recently.
<Mm, but do you test your water? Readings for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? Please do be testing for these, and maintain ammonia and nitrite at ZERO, nitrate less than 20ppm, with water changes.>
Do you think you know what this might be because I can't find anything about it on the internet.
<As above, perhaps the animal was in fact constipated.... or perhaps this is from ammonia or nitrite poisoning (any reading on these above ZERO should be considered toxic). I would urge you first to test your water and maintain optimal water quality, then do some Google searches on clawed frog nutrition and disease. Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Sick African clawed frog 8/1/06
I love your website!! Unfortunately, I have a sick albino African clawed frog, Piggy. She is probably about 5 years old and no longer wants to eat.
<This is a good old age for Xenopus...>
She lives in a 55 gallon aquarium with two goldfish and another African clawed frog. There is a Fluval canister filter, a Fluval submersible filter, and a "homemade" canister type filter on the tank. They have all been together for a year or so. Water quality is fine--no ammonia, nitrites, ph 7.4 or so. No new decorations or fish. About a month ago, I noticed she wasn't eating as much (the frogs are hand fed)--maybe one or two Reptomin sticks per day. I didn't worry too much--they do that occasionally. Then, she stopped eating completely. She absolutely refuses to eat anything--not even her favorites--worms and flies.
<A very bad sign...>
She ate nothing for three weeks-I noticed she started to get smaller. She doesn't swim around as much as she used to and sheds more than usual. How long can they go without food??
<Perhaps a few more weeks>
She has no other physical symptoms--no injuries, red leg, fungus. I decided to force-feed her and see if it helped. I've been able to get several earthworms into her over the past week.
<Good>
I only force-feed her a few pieces every day or so (whenever I can catch up with my brother who is good at holding her and opening her mouth while I shove a worm piece in). She doesn't seem to have anything caught in her throat or mouth--we can see almost down into her stomach when we get her mouth opened sometimes. She doesn't spit the worms back out once we get them in her and she definitely swallows them. Since feeding her, she has gotten more active and not as skinny, but she still refuses to eat on her own. Can anyone help?
<Mmm...>
I've tried Maroxy and salt in the water, but neither seemed to help. I've read about all sorts of medicines to treat bacterial, fungal infections, but I don't' know if I should try something else or just wait. Maybe she has a blockage and needs Epsom salts???
<Doubtful, but as a "last ditch effort" worth trying>
I can't tell if she is pooping or not. I have read that a Chloramphenicol bath may also be effective, but for how long???
<I myself would not use antibiotics here, but a 250 mg capsule dissolved in one gallon of water for about five minutes is about right>
A bath for a few minutes or hours?? I work in a lab and we use Chloramphenicol on fish eggs to prevent bacterial/fungal contamination. Or would an antibiotic from a pet store be better?
<These are identical to human use... though often "post-dated", old>
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I've had many of these frogs over the years and just love them. They are so personable.
<I suspect this frog is "just old"... cumulative heritable defects... doesn't "feel like" going on. A hard issue with our beloved pets, life around us. Bob Fenner>

Frog Tank With High Ammonia   1/31/06
Hi, I am hoping that you can shed some light on what is going on in our tank.
We have had this 10 gallon tank set up with 2 baby albino ACFs (African Clawed Frogs) for over a month and it was cycled before we added frogs.
They are still very small frogs and we plan on a bigger tank once they grow a little.  Anyway, something disrupted the biological filtration system.  I am not sure exactly what happened.  We raised the temp slightly (approx 2 degrees F) which I know will effect it slightly.  The only other thing I can think of is that one of the frogs was extremely constipated and was extremely compacted with food.  She finally passed it about three days ago.  Two days ago when I tested for ammonia with a newly purchased test kit because I had been using strips and have learned they aren't all that accurate.  The ammonia was around 1.0 ppm.  I immediately prepared some tap water for a 50% water change.  Within six hours of the water change the ammonia was back up to the same levels.  I tested the tap water and another smaller tank (that I have been using drinking water in -instead of tap) to make sure the test kit was
working and both came back zero.  I did another 50% water change yesterday and the same thing happened.  I tried using some Ammo-Lock out of
desperation and tested again after an hour.  It made absolutely no difference in the ammonia reading.  Perhaps that batch of Ammo-Lock is bad
or outdated.  But, I still don't get why the ammonia level is rising so fast after a water change.  We are using a whisper filter that goes up to 20
gallons.  Also the other readings are pH 7.2, Nitrate 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm, GH about 75 ppm, KH about 120 ppm.  Water prep is letting the tap water sit
overnight or for several hours and adding 2 drops pH down per gallon (tap water is off the chart alkaline for my pH testing kit before adding the pH
down and very hard) and Aquasafe per directions. Any suggestions?  Probably the Ammo-Lock wasn't the best idea since we need it to recycle but I was desperate.  Should I continue doing a 50% water change everyday.  It doesn't seem to be helping much.  I would be interested to see if the level would get above 1.0ppm if I let it go but I won't put the little froggies at risk.
Thank you so much!!  Christi
< Go to Marineland.com and go to Dr Tim's Library. Read the article titled "The First 30 Days." The will give you some background on cycling terms so you can determine if your tank is indeed truly cycled. If not add Bio-Spira from Marineland to get the tank cycled now.-Chuck>

Bloated Frog 1/3/07
My albino African claw-toed frog, Bridezilla, is normally quite large. However, she is now quite swollen with what appears to be fluid (she ripples when she swims). She is otherwise engaging in all her normal behaviors, eating, swimming, snuggling with one of the koi in the tank (they are buddies) and taking food from Frogzilla, a regular African claw-toed male, who is much smaller than she. I am very fond of my frogs, so am trying not to panic about her water retention. Help! Thanks, Sharon Kaczorowski, Delaware
< These things are almost always diet related. Food sits in their gut and bacteria break it down instead of the frogs digestive fluids and cause gas. Try raising the water temp to increase the frogs metabolism. Then go to Kingsnake.com and try to find a frog vet that can give you more specific recommendations such a medications.-Chuck>

Bloated African clawed water frog 5/8/06
Hello:
I appreciate any help you could give me. I have a 15-16 year old African clawed water frog named May.
<This is an unbelievably "ripe old age" for Xenopus>
She is 6 to 8 inches long. She has been very hardy and healthy. I have never done anything special for her. She eats Reptomin pellets. That's all she has ever eaten except when I once made the mistake of putting goldfish in her tank. She has lived through several near disasters. I haven't been diligent about cleaning her water. She has tolerated the lack of good care all of these years. Now she is bloated horribly. But she acts normal, still wants to eat, moves around, comes up to the surface. She has been bloating slowly for several months, maybe up to six months. I have had personal crises so I haven't been able to focus on her.
I have read online that I could maybe use Maracyn 2, maybe aquatic salt, MelaFix, stress coat. Her water had a lot of "stuff" on top of the surface recently. My daughter recycled her water, using Genesis in the tap water she added. We have always used Genesis to remove the chlorine.
What is the best way to treat May?
<... I'd go with the Minocycline... the Maracyn2 product>
How much longer can I expect her to live? We have never used soap to clean her tank, but is there something I can use to disinfect it since she might be suffering from some bacteria?
<Mmm, best to just use clean water, rock salt...>
If I use Maracyn, how do I know what dose and how long to treat her?
Thank you for any help.
Maria C.
<Three treatments, change water and re-administer every three days. Bob Fenner>

Sick Clawed Frog 2/28/07
I have a clawed frog, who has stopped eating for the last 3 days. She is only 2-3 years old. I have changed her water and put her into a clean tank. She is listless and will let you pick her up, but she can still swim away. I have tried to open her mouth gently to put food in, but she won't open her mouth and take food. She frequently lets out bubbles of air, she spends her time floating on the surface. Her skin has gone very mottled and saggy. Have you any ideas what is wrong with her??? I really would be upset to lose her! Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks Jill
<These little frogs are actually pretty tough, but can be sensitive to chemicals in the water. Try keeping the water very clean and offering some life foods such as washed earthworms and crickets. I suspect that their may be an internal problem with the lungs since you are seeing bubbles. Try increasing the water temp to 80 F and see if that helps. On Kingsnake.com you may be able to find a vet that can be of more help.-Chuck.>

Re Sick, Albino Frogs Not Blind 3/1/07
Hi again, Thank you for you're advice, she is now eating a little bit of food, 2 small pieces of pork fillet.. We changed some of her water and made it water warmer. However, she is still just floating in the corner and very lethargic. She is normally very active and gets very excited when she spots a human i.e. it means food! Thanks again, Jill
P.S: are albino frogs almost blind?
< Because they have no pigment, their eyes might be more sensitive to bright light. But they are not blind or else they would not be able to find their food.-Chuck>

Sick Albino Xenopus Frog Success   3/2/07
Hi, I am happy to report that she loves live earthworms and eats them so fast you miss it if you blink.  I've only been giving her small thin ones as I haven't wanted to overdo it but she is putting on weight again, her skin looks healthy and the red dots have disappeared.  She's also back to moving around and lurking behind things in case any more of those wriggly worms come her way.
So, thanks for your advice.  Have been keeping water super clean with new filter, and increased temp etc. (Its been very cold here this winter)  These frogs are sold everywhere here in England and with little or no advice on their care, except they eat Bloodworm or Daphnia. (available frozen)  We were surprised how quickly she grew and how much fun she is.  Very friendly (or hungry) and if you put a finger anywhere near the water you end up with a frog hanging off the end of it!
So thanks for the advice and I hope she continues to improve.
Regards, Jill
< Glad to hear that your frog is getting better.-Chuck>

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