# Frogs & Toads > Fire Belly Toads (Bombina) >  very skinny fbt needs some weight

## lizarddude

Hey guys. my fire belly toad recently lost a lot of weight. i can see the bones of his legs, and he has almost no fat on him. i have him alone in a ten gallon tank with about 2 inches of water, rocks with coco fiber and sphagnum moss on top, and a little turtle bridge thing. he also has a water heater and a florescent light. i usually feed him crickets that are fed the fluker cricket diet. recently i switched to wax worms for the past 2 days to fatten him up. i suspect some worms maybe since he is still active and jumping around. is there anything i can do to fatten him up some and get him healthy again  thanks

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Hey guys. my fire belly toad recently lost a lot of weight. i can see the bones of his legs, and he has almost no fat on him. i have him alone in a ten gallon tank with about 2 inches of water, rocks with coco fiber and sphagnum moss on top, and a little turtle bridge thing. he also has a water heater and a florescent light. i usually feed him crickets that are fed the fluker cricket diet. recently i switched to wax worms for the past 2 days to fatten him up. i suspect some worms maybe since he is still active and jumping around. is there anything i can do to fatten him up some and get him healthy again  thanks


If he has a parasite you'll want to cure him of that before worrying about fattening him up. Otherwise it will not help and he will lose whatever nutrition you're providing. Have a fecal sample tested by a vet for parasites. Could be bacterial infection too, but I'm going to say that he has a parasite.

Anything else odd except a sudden loss in weight?

Post some pics of the frog and his enclosure.

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## lizarddude



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## lizarddude

you can see how skinny he is

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> you can see how skinny he is


He looks bad. Does he eat ok? How often do you feed him?

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## lizarddude

he eats fine. sometimes he has some trouble grabbing the crickets though. i usually feed him every other day.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> he eats fine. sometimes he has some trouble grabbing the crickets though. i usually feed him every other day.


Do you use supplements and gut load his food?

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## lizarddude

i gut load his food with the fluker cricket diet. we dont use any calcium or anything since the food says it has extra calcium in it

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> i gut load his food with the fluker cricket diet. we dont use any calcium or anything since the food says it has extra calcium in it


Sometimes gutloading isn't enough. Are you able to take him to the Herp Vet?

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## lizarddude

the vet near me is incredibly pricey. a fecal costs around 60 bucks. i dont really have the money

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> the vet near me is incredibly pricey. a fecal costs around 60 bucks. i dont really have the money


$60.00 is pricey. It only costs me $20.00. Is that the Herp Vet? You could take a sample to a regular Vet for an exam if its cheaper, but he will need a Vet. If he has parasites you'll need meds.

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## lizarddude

he treats everything. ive been to him a couple times. there are different vets, i just need to see there prices

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> he treats everything. ive been to him a couple times. there are different vets, i just need to see there prices


Get a fecal done and then focus the cost twards treatment from the actual Herp Vet. First things first is figuring out what's ailing him.

I have some medical text so I'll check to see what may be some causes.

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## lizarddude

okayi will try to get a fecal done. in the meantime is there anything i can do?

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> okayi will try to get a fecal done. in the meantime is there anything i can do?


Keep feeding him and keep his climate consistant. Clean water as well. Offer him earthworms. They're very nutritious and easy to digest.

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## KittyKat90

If it's nothing major and he just needs to be fattened up... I've been feeding mine Butter Worms every other day and they are looking healthier every second.

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## lizarddude

what is the best place to get earthworms? i know there was some problems with bait and tackle stores as well as just digging them up

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## Michael

> what is the best place to get earthworms? i know there was some problems with bait and tackle stores as well as just digging them up


To my knowledge regular bait shop earthworms are fine, just clean them off and use a scissor to make them into more manageable pieces if needed.

Just avoid the funky stuff, like dyes or any other 'enhancements' they may do to them to make them 'better' for fishing.

The ones sold at Wal Mart should be just fine, I feed them to my clawed frogs, no issues and eaten with enthusiasm.

I would avoid red worms (red wrigglers) and stick with canadian nightcrawlers. I believe when cut red wrigglers secrete more 'snot' when threatened and I don't believe it's toxic to frogs it makes them much less appetizing and the frog may reject it.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> To my knowledge regular bait shop earthworms are fine, just clean them off and use a scissor to make them into more manageable pieces if needed.
> 
> Just avoid the funky stuff, like dyes or any other 'enhancements' they may do to them to make them 'better' for fishing.
> 
> The ones sold at Wal Mart should be just fine, I feed them to my clawed frogs, no issues and eaten with enthusiasm.
> 
> I would avoid red worms (red wrigglers) and stick with canadian nightcrawlers. I believe when cut red wrigglers secrete more 'snot' when threatened and I don't believe it's toxic to frogs it makes them much less appetizing and the frog may reject it.


Red Wigglers are toxic to certain animals just not frogs. The mucus they secrete as a defence mechanism is noxious. It smells and tastes bad to deter predators from eating them. The way around this is to just not cut the worm so that they don't secrete this substance. Night Crawlers are better though.

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## lizarddude

i dont have any walmarts near me. its not okay to just dig them up right? is there any foods that might fatten him up some? he doesnt look that good

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## Michael

> i dont have any walmarts near me. its not okay to just dig them up right? is there any foods that might fatten him up some? he doesnt look that good


I'd avoid using wild earthworms unless you are 100% sure they were not exposed to pesticides, which most wild caught worms are.

Bait shops are pretty common, you shouldn't have much issue finding night crawlers. I've seen them sold at gas stations, just make sure to open them first and inspect the worms. The hummus they're kept in should be moist and make sure there's no dead worms (which stink terrible, so you'll know..).

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## lizarddude

ok i will try to pick some up. i hope he makes it. he is only around 2 or 3 years old

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## lizarddude

so he is eating alot guys. i am getting concerned though. his stomach is very big in comparision to his body and he is not pooping. where his legs meet there seems to be a lump of some sort. i am starting to worry he somehow found a way to swallow a small rock or something. what should i do? ive heard mineral oil helps along the digestion cycle. should i try to use that? here are pictures.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> so he is eating alot guys. i am getting concerned though. his stomach is very big in comparision to his body and he is not pooping. where his legs meet there seems to be a lump of some sort. i am starting to worry he somehow found a way to swallow a small rock or something. what should i do? ive heard mineral oil helps along the digestion cycle. should i try to use that? here are pictures.


Try soaking him in a luke warm bath about 78° to 80°F with 4 drops of honey dissolved in the water. Make it no deeper than half his height or up to his chin. Try this first. He may need to soak for 20 minutes. As the water cools prepare a second bath the same temp as mentioned before of just plain de-chlorinated water and soak him until the water cools. After the water cools down return him to his enclosure. You may have to perform these baths for a couple days. Don't feed him if you suspect its an impaction. It will make it worse.

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## Murray of the Deep

He is constipated! hurry up and do your best to treat it my pacman frog was too late to be cured and he soon died and also avoid using wax worms it contains chitin while googling about them and also it has lots of fat. hope you do your best to cure him just follow grif's advice i also have a toad my self and he was eating mealworms and he pooped their skeleton out and now im feeding them wild grasshopper and seem to do good. follow grif's advice

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## lizarddude

So i did the honey thing and he pooped about a week ago. He as unfortunately reverted back to not eating much and becoming very skinny. He doesn't move around much and is very weak when on land. Is there any advice you guys can give to get him to eat or maybe assist feeding? Thanks guys

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## Murray of the Deep

My toad would just go up to a basking area at night and wont move either but it would rush to its food and jump back to water. Balance his food dont give him those worms give him nightcrawlers or crickets(pinhead), i usually feed my toad grasshopper nymphs by cutting of the grasshopper's "jumping" legs so that toad can easily catch it.And also does he have a water area?Can i have a picture of your setup??so that i could help you. If you suspect something serious is really wrong rush him to a vet.And also im pretty sure that something is wrong because you said its weak and doesnt eat.... Same thing happened to my pacman frog who died of this. Rush him to a vet before he dies like my pacman frog.

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## lizarddude

Theres a picture of his setup on the firsy page

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## Murray of the Deep

> Theres a picture of his setup on the firsy page


That land part(with soil) was it treated with fertilizer or -cides???and also the water should be deep like 3-4 inches like my fire belly toad they spend 75% of their time in water.

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## lizarddude

Its coco fiber. Theres also spaghum moss ontop

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## lizarddude

any help guys? i have no money for the vet, and tiems are tight. is there anything else i can do? or do i have to just wait it out?

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## Murray of the Deep

you have to send it to a vet really!!or you will end up dying like my pacman frog.you could wait till it eats.Also is he pooping well|?

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## lizarddude

He poops when he eats. Im not completely sure if he is eating or not. I wish i was able to take him, but i have no extra money to bring him

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## Murray of the Deep

ok ill tell you try this first tell me what happened ok?
1.place your toad on a land area
2.take a piece of nightcrawler or mealworm(just for now dont make as staple)
3. place it infront of him maybe an inch away and observe the frog
4.if he runs out of the land place him back and do the procedure again.
hope it helps this is how i got my fire belly to eat

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## lizarddude

Ive done this with a cricket and he doesnt react at all. Kinda just sits there and then leaves after a while

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## Murray of the Deep

> Ive done this with a cricket and he doesnt react at all. Kinda just sits there and then leaves after a while


samething as my fire belly it wont eat crickets for its too big for them try giving him a piece of mealworm or nightcrawler/earthworms.

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## lizarddude

I will try earthworms tommorow i guess. The might crawlers at my petstore are huge, as big around as his head

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## Heather

I would get some plain unflavored pedialyte. Do a 1 part pedialyte to 10 parts dechlorinated luke warm water soak for 20 minutes to give him some nutrients. You can also get reptaboost and prepare it as a soak. If using reptaboost, do a regular dechlorinated water brief soak after the reptaboost soak to remove any residue. 

It seems as though your frog may have a parasite stealing vital nutrients from him. If this is the case, he can only be cured with medication. 

Try contacting Dr.Frye. He will do a fecal exam for you and will prescribe the medication you need without the cost of a vet bill. He helped me to rescue 5 sick frogs. 

You don't have much time. His loss of weight and the stress from the illness will take over soon. He is weak. 

Continue to feed him daily. If he is having trouble catching his food, break off one of the large legs off of the cricket so it moves a little slower. Calcium/vita D powder every other day. 

How often do you do water changes? 

Take everything out of his house and wash it out with warm water. Use paper towels as substrate and change them everyday. Most down the tank at least 2 times a day with Luke warm dechlorinated water. Provide a water dish with fresh luke warm dechlorinated water and change the water daily. Keep a good weighted lid on the tank.

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## lizarddude

Where can i get pedialyte and reptaboost?

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## Heather

Here is Dr. Frye's web site:

http://milanareaanimalhospital.com/about.html

Here is a link from here:

http://www.frogforum.net/tree-frogs/...g-prepared.htm

He will want some decent photos of the frog. Have a couple ready to email.

...keep us posted

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## lizarddude

Is it better to email than pm? Or does he not have an account. Would local stores have pedialyte?

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Is it better to email than pm? Or does he not have an account. Would local stores have pedialyte?


Many grocery stores carry Pedialyte.

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## Murray of the Deep

> Where can i get pedialyte and reptaboost?


you can cut up nightcrawlers and give them to your frogs i guess and also in out country reptaboost was for sale but it's expensive!!!try cutting up nightcrawlers ok? my fbt likes them.if you cant buy reptaboost go search over many website available.Or simply post a thread in the Sale subforum.And also i suggest go look on Dr.Frye website by heather ok hope your frog gets well soon.

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## lizarddude

I will look for the pedialyte. I will also try some worms tommorow and check out dr frye's website

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## Murray of the Deep

> I will look for the pedialyte. I will also try some worms tommorow and check out dr frye's website


I hope your frog gets better soon and also be sure to cut the nightcrawler into small piece up to how big your toad consumes.Be sure to place it on land with your frog.

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## Heather

Either calling or emailing is fine. I called and then he asked me to email pictures.

Be sure to only get the unflavored (clear) pedialyte. You can find it in the baby care items, usually near the baby food. Sometimes it's in the pharmacy.

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## lizarddude

i got the pedialyte today and gave him a bath. would it be possible if you were to give me his email address? i cant seem to find it on his website

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## Murray of the Deep

> i got the pedialyte today and gave him a bath. would it be possible if you were to give me his email address? i cant seem to find it on his website


Have you fed it any of those which I told you to feed?

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## lizarddude

I did. He did not have any interest in them at all

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## Murray of the Deep

ok.... Rush them to a vet or ill try to help you by showing you my setup ok?

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## Heather

Dr. Frye's email address is dr.frye.vetatmilan@gmail.com

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## Murray of the Deep

here my setup is like this he would normally go to that red thing to eat it's a "recycled" tank its an old tank with used materials needed and happy in his terrarium.

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## b24082

I'm curious for an update. Those pics were pretty sad.

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## Murray of the Deep

> I'm curious for an update. Those pics were pretty sad.


he's been living there for a lot of months he plays with his new fish buddies,and this was only a "recycled"tank for a project , I have him in a nicer terrarium.

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## b24082

I was referring to the OP.  :Smile:

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