# Frogs & Toads > African Bullfrogs >  African Bullfrog is full of air bloated & gassy

## viciousabominations

I have a male african bullfrog, he is a little over a year old. He is however full of air. He's super gassy and farting a lot. He is so bloated he can't swim because he's floating. He is also not eating. It also looks like he's "swallowing" alot. Which I really think he's trying to poop and or fart. He is also not eatting. Otherwise his eyes are clear and he's active and looks fine besides being bloated. Any advice would be great, there aren't any vets in my area experienced with these guys.

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## Yusil

I honestly have no idea. It could be bloat.

When you pick him up, does he feel odd? Has he always been bloated and if not, when did it start? Did something substantial happen recently that has caused him to bloat up?

I would try to retrace my steps, to see if anything has changed.

For now, maybe it's best to take him from his home and put him in a substitute enclosure, like a big plastic container, and see if he eats then. I can't imagine he's gassy because he isn't eating... but it could be a possibility.

Or even get a glass bowl and drop his crickets or other insect food in there and see if he eats them. They won't be able to escape once in the glass bowl[most insects anyway] and you can monitor how much he eats, if any.

I'm not very experienced with these frogs, so I'm not sure.

Hopefully someone more knowledgable will come along.  :Smile:

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## Tyler

Try a warm soak with a few drops of honey also maybe a bacterial antibiotic (used for fish) most bloat is caused by bacteria hopefully Griff will chime in soon

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## viciousabominations

when I pick him up he feels tight because he's full of air. He's not usually this bloated except when he bloats up to warn something away but then he releases it. It seems he can't release it as normal since he can't swim. I haven't changed anything. The bloating started at most 4 days ago. I'm going to try your suggestions. Thanks for the help.

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## viciousabominations

I will also try the warm soak with the honey and get some bacterial antibiotic from the store tomorrow. Do I just follow the instructions on the bottle of the antibiotic? I've never had to do this before

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## Tyler

I can't remember the exact way to do the antibiotic I know you get the tablet and crush it up and mix it in water then put a drop on the frogs back but I don't remember how much water you need like I said wait for Griff to chime in for the antibiotic

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## Yusil

In addition, I would also do a clean sweep of the tank/enclosure, just to make sure it's clean anyway. Like Deac said, Bacteria causes illness, so it's best to clean their tank maybe once every two weeks or every other week.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

What do you feed him? Do you de-chlorinate his water? post some pictures of the frog and his setup.

I want to be sure what may be causing his bloat. It could be Toxing Out Syndrome or a bacterial infection.

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## Tyler

And there is the champ  :Smile:

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## viciousabominations

I use spring water no special treatment, never have. I feed him crickets and nightcrawlers. I'll take some pics really quick

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## viciousabominations



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## Tyler

Those pebbles make me nervous they can eat those really really quickly....and it can cause impaction

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Those pebbles make me nervous they can eat those really really quickly....and it can cause impaction


My thoughts exactly.

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## viciousabominations

I don't feed him on the water side of his tank, but I will change those out into something that can't fit into his mouth.

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## viciousabominations

also I should of mentioned he had a bowel movement yesterday

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## Colleen/Jerrod

I fear the worst and you need to find a herp vet immediately. If he has eaten any of that gravel he may be impacted which when it gets severe they will swell up like this. Gravel and or large wood chunks cannot be easily treated at home.

A Luke warm bath with 4 to 5 drops of honey dissolved in the water. Make sure its de-chlorinated or natural spring water. Soak should be for 15 minutes. Watch him very carefully and get him to a vet.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> also I should of mentioned he had a bowel movement yesterday


Is his water filtered and circulated? How often do you do water changes and clean the enclosure?

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## viciousabominations

ok thank you so much. I will call the vet tomorrow morning. And we have organic honey because we raise bee's, is that ok to use?

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## viciousabominations

He has a water filter in his tank, that's the rock thing you see in his water section and i have an air bubble strip through the water. I change out his water weekly and I clean the tank with healthy habitat. I remove the top few inches of dirt every couple weeks and replace that and change out the entire dirt twice yearly.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> ok thank you so much. I will call the vet tomorrow morning. And we have organic honey because we raise bee's, is that ok to use?


That is actually better than store bought. If it is not an impaction it could be bacterial infection which a vet will prescribe the right antibiotic needed to treat the frog. He will prescribe Baytril or Flagyl. Was his bowel movement normal? Or was it runny?

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## Tyler

the organic honey will be fine but i agree with grif the first thing that ran through my mind was impaction the only stones i use are smooth river stones that are the size of my frog so be very careful on what you choose i would get him to the vet also if that water isnt being filtered,airated, circulated it will stagnate very quickly and can cause a lot of bacterial problems

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## viciousabominations

it looked pretty normal, I think. He did it on land this time, he usually does it in the water. What I saw was poop and liquid with it. But the poop had the same shape as when it's in the water.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> it looked pretty normal, I think. He did it on land this time, he usually does it in the water. What I saw was poop and liquid with it. But the poop had the same shape as when it's in the water.


You'll need to setup a hospital tank with moist paper towels as substrate. Keep him warm and don't let his temp fluctuate much and keep his humidity up. You will need to tear down your frogs entire enclosure and clean everything. Definitely get rid of that gravel. Replace all the substrate with new and I do mean ALL. Wash off the plants and wipe the leaves clean.

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## Tyler

Yea with having regular bowl movements im not so sure it's impaction I'm leading more towards bacterial make sure and do a Grif said and clean the tank down thoroughly and get him to the vet

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## Yusil

I agree with Deac, River Rocks/stones are the best substrate to use in water, just make sure there are no edges he can catch on. I had an accident with my turtle almost 2years ago and she nicked her back leg on one and I had to dry dock her for a few days so she can heal it. 

But frogs don't have rough/tough skin, so like Deac said make sure it's smooth/rounded river rocks. 

Also, you said it had a bowel movement, but it's not eating? I would keep an eye on his waste removal as well, so that he doesn't get too skinny. Also that could mean he's not impacted.

Do all that Grif and Deac has said, but perhaps give the Glass Bowl trick a try, just to see if he'll eat, that is, if he isn't impacted with a stone. At which point, and has already been pointed out, you'll need to go to a Vet first.

Also, are your Crickets/Insects store bought or cultured? Because sometimes wild insects can carry infections or diseases. Just an idea.

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## viciousabominations

I will change out all the substrate and clean the tank thoroughly and put him in one of my small tanks I do not use and I will try the glass bowl trick as far as the feeding. I buy his crickets and worms in bulk, I never use wild insects.

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