Red Eyes

[Adam]

Ok my red eyes bred the other day now the female looks very skinny and doesn't seem to eat. Can someone help me as I have never claimed to know everything just most things LOL. Seriously she looks bad and I don't want to loose her, I have read all the caresheets but need more personal help!!!
Cheers,Adam

[Oxyuranus microlepid]

red eyes?

sorry i cant be more helpful...

[Adam]

yeah Red eye green tree frogs. My girl has always eaten crickets and woodroaches but now turns her nose up at them. she Laid eggs a week or so ago and now seems to be going down hill.

[meshe1969]

You could try asking over at www.frogs.org.au/community If Gerry or Deborah in particular come on in the next 24hrs or so they would be the ones to give you the best advice, probable Gerry. I presume you have held a cockroach to her nose and "annoyed" her with it to try and get her to take it? The frog site is having some "issues" today but I will go and try doing a search and see if I can find anything.
Ann

[Oxyuranus microlepid]

o lol try some wriggly stuff like worms?

[jonesc1]

where is she? is she still in her tank? u mite try placing her in a smaller container and putting her somewhere dark so she feels more secure, then try feeding her some mealworms. these wont be as hard for her to catch as woodies or crix. she may not be eatin so she can conserve wat energy shes got till an easier meal comes along. another good thing bout the mealies is their hav a high fat content so she'll put on condition fairly quickly. this has workd 4 me b4, so worth a try IMO.

[meshe1969]

OK found this info from Deb, it was in relation to a sick frog that also needed other treatments but you might find some info that helps.

3) force feeding with liquid supplement - frog's colouring indicates very poor systemic condition so some energy supplentation will help; you'll need an eye dropper or syringe and a small cup to mix up a cocktail which will be based on Polyaid bird emergency supplement. Exact measures are not important but only mix what you can use in that feeding. The mixture should be runny enough to pass easily through a small syringe. Include about 1/4 polyaid, 1/4 water, you can add the four antibiotic drops, add a little calcium powder or liquid calcium supplement, a sprinkle of powdered reptile vitamins and mix well. If you can get a total of 2ml of cocktail into the frog, this will be absorbed immediately. This liquid booster is better than force feeding a bug because the energy required to digest the exoskeleton can cause a weakened thin frog to get worse or die trying to digest its meal. The liquid food takes no energy and puts energy into the bloodstream in a few minutes.

the act of force feeding will be difficult. You need to slide something in between the lips and gently maneuver it up and down to get past the jaw; a laminated paper envelope from a sauce mix or thin cardboard label from a bag of something might work - credit cards are too thick so another id card that is thinner would be better; the frog might open its mouth to try to get rid of the insert which is when you can stick a finger in the side of the mouth to keep it open for the syringe. Try to aim for the gullet at the back of the mouth rather than just filling the mouth with fluid because the frog might spit it all out.

This is a finicky process for you and for frog so try to keep calm. If you can prepare the liquid mix for a once a day feeding, this should help the frog build up its condition which will help fight off what's wrong with it.

[Adam]

Thanx heaps guys and gals. I had her in her own container overnight with a heat source but to no avail, tried the woody, waving it in front of her to annoy to no avail, I will keep her on her own again and try the mealworms as we breed all of them woodies,crickets and mealies. She seems to be her natural colour and seems happy in her tank but that is where the tadpoles are and I don't want her eating THEM!!!!! She ate one or two crickets overnight but still seems VERY skinny. Thanx again and I will surely keep you all updated!!!!

[Scotth]

Has she eaten pinkie mice before? My GTF's go nuts when a pinkie is offered and it may help to put some weight back on her quickly. I have only ever used pinkies as a treat and the frogs tend to bulk up very quickly. Good luck.

[Oxyuranus microlepid]

Originally Posted by meshe1969

3) force feeding with liquid supplement - frog's colouring indicates very poor systemic condition so some energy supplentation will help; you'll need an eye dropper or syringe and a small cup to mix up a cocktail which will be based on Polyaid bird emergency supplement. Exact measures are not important but only mix what you can use in that feeding. The mixture should be runny enough to pass easily through a small syringe. Include about 1/4 polyaid, 1/4 water, you can add the four antibiotic drops, add a little calcium powder or liquid calcium supplement, a sprinkle of powdered reptile vitamins and mix well. If you can get a total of 2ml of cocktail into the frog, this will be absorbed immediately. This liquid booster is better than force feeding a bug because the energy required to digest the exoskeleton can cause a weakened thin frog to get worse or die trying to digest its meal. The liquid food takes no energy and puts energy into the bloodstream in a few minutes.

would this work for reptiles as well?!? please PM me!

[Adam]

Yes it would work on snakes. I have tried pinky mice on my GTF's and they love 'em but the Red eyes don't seem to like them. Neither of My adult Red Eyes have ever taken a pinky. Whereas the adult GTF's have taken pinky rats before!!! Likewise with snails, I buy frozen snails and defrost them, the GTF's love them but Red Eyes won't touch 'em.Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[meshe1969]

How is she Adam?

[Adam]

She is ok, I seperated her and gave her a few crickets and she ate them. Thanx meshe.

[timthevet]

Would be careful using the force feeding method as if you squirt anything into the larynx or the animal doesn't swallow, the food can go into the lungs and cause fatal pneumonia.

[Adam]

Yeah, I was lucky and didn't have to force feed. Although I have done it many a times before to snakes and birds, never a frog yet and I hope to keep it that way. Thanx for your comments.