# General Topics > General Discussion & News >  Tree frog Won't eat

## Iankinton

Help!!! I just recently got a american green tree frog and any time I try to feed it the Crickets just crawl under the leaves or ground cover and die. but anytime i try Suggested online tactics like a guitar string impaling the cricket the frog just jumps away. and when the crickets do come out from the ground cover the frog has nothing to do with them and I have only seen him eat one cricket.    BTW I use small-medium crickets

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## Iankinton

Help!!! I just recently got a american green tree frog and any time I try to feed it the Crickets just crawl under the leaves or ground cover and die. but anytime i try Suggested online tactics like a guitar string impaling the cricket the frog just jumps away. and when the crickets do come out from the ground cover the frog has nothing to do with them and I have only seen him eat one cricket. BTW I use small-medium crickets

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## elly

you might want to try simplifying the tank or putting the frog temporarily in a smaller tank with less stuff. It might be the frog's afraid of people, so you'd need to leave the room for a night or cover the tank with something. If some crickets disappear you'd know for sure the frog's eating. 

If the frog's not eating it might still be stressed or it might be sick. How long have you had the frog and where did you get it? Are you feeding small crickets or large ones?

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daybr4ke, Iankinton

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## Bryce

Like elly suggested you should cover the sides and back of the enlcosure, maybe even the front. This way stuff going on outside won't stress them.
You can try getting some UNFLAVORED Pedialyte and mixing a solution of 1 part Pedialyte to 9 parts water around 80-85°f. Soak the frog in it for about 20 minutes. Make sure it isn't too deep. Pretty shallow is good, you want the frog's nose/nostrils above the water. I don't know if it would be best to do it sooner or later. On the one hand you don't want to stress the frog more, on the other you want to do something to get it eating ASAP. Either way, good luck getting your frog to eat!

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Iankinton

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## Iankinton

Thank you, I covered the tank and the tank on a twelve hour heat cycle and it worked! He even ate a cricket that I was about to put in the cage but he just jumped and ate it out of my hand.  :Big Applause:

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## Iankinton

Hi, I just realized something else, Mildred ( the frog)  likes to sun herself on a rock should I get an ultra violet light?
and I noticed He likes to go on his back and rub around the substrate Is that bad?

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## elly

An ultra violet light (the kind labeled "tropical" rather than "desert") would be good as long as it doesn't overheat the tank. There's a study that suggests it helps with a developing milk frog's bone density. 

The rolling around on his back is a really bad sign. Either he's very sick, he has some kind of inner ear problem, seizures, or muscle problems. If he's jumping around and taking food from your hands he doesn't seem that sick. But still, be on the lookout for poor appetite, excessive soaking or not moving as signs of problems. 

It would be a good idea to get some kind of calcium supplement to dust his insects with, on the off chance he has a calcium deficiency. That can cause muscle problems. Otherwise, it could be seizures, either from birth or from an accident. Not much you can do for that if that's the case. 

I'd just keep the tank covered for a while, try to avoid loud noises near him and let him relax a bit. If he's wild-caught he might be more nervous than a captive bred frog.

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Iankinton

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## Iankinton

Thank you.

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## Iankinton

Ok I think he's really sick he just got swelled up like a balloon
and his legs are oddly crossed.

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## elly

Retaining water, swelling up, not righting himself, muscle spasms, all those things sound like calcium deficiency in later stages. Liquid calcium by syringe is usually how that's treated. This website seems to suggest that: http://www.repticzone.com/forums/Tre...s/1125949.html

But it could also be chytrid if you could check the underside of his legs for redness that might help.

Or it could be a response to something toxic.

Big disclaimer: I'm not a vet. If possible you need to see one as soon as possible.

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## ciaran8

The frogs will be better if they have branches to climb on and some leafy things to hide in. Cover the walls for their tank with a garbge bag or craft paper to help them settle in. Giving them some privacy. keep the tank darkened for at least a week preferable 2 and then remove one side at a time. Try not to handle the frogs at all while they settle. Just drop a few crickets in their tank and keep an eye out to see if they eat them

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