otofrog
New member
Three days ago I found my one of my clawed frogs laying upside down on the bottom of the aquarium. I flipped him over and watched him struggle to move his back legs, so I took him out and put him in a shallow tupperware.
Upon doing some research it seems that this happens in frogs when chitin from insect prey builds up in their stomach and pushes up against their spine. This is most likely what happened to mine because crickets make up the staple of their diet. I also found some forum posts that report this happening to other frog species such as white's tree frogs and dart frogs.
Fortunately none of my other clawed frogs were affected (I'm going to stop feeding them crickets) but I am not really sure what to do with the frog with the problem. Right now I give him daily salt baths and am going to try a honey bath soon. From what I read online, people who had this happen ended up euthanizing their frog, but mine is still able to move around so I think he has a good chance of recovering if he passes the obstruction in his gut. What else should I do? Is there a laxative that works for frogs?
Upon doing some research it seems that this happens in frogs when chitin from insect prey builds up in their stomach and pushes up against their spine. This is most likely what happened to mine because crickets make up the staple of their diet. I also found some forum posts that report this happening to other frog species such as white's tree frogs and dart frogs.
Fortunately none of my other clawed frogs were affected (I'm going to stop feeding them crickets) but I am not really sure what to do with the frog with the problem. Right now I give him daily salt baths and am going to try a honey bath soon. From what I read online, people who had this happen ended up euthanizing their frog, but mine is still able to move around so I think he has a good chance of recovering if he passes the obstruction in his gut. What else should I do? Is there a laxative that works for frogs?