Tay's Tips- Week 1: Three Most Important Things To Have As A Frog Owner

1.

A plain triple antibacterial ointment with NO additives, especially lidocaine or aloe. Lidocaine can cause severe nerve damage to frogs. Polysporin and Neosporin also work (as long as they are plain) but a triple antibacterial covers all the bases! Apply by adding some to a q-tip and gently rubbing it on the injury. A little goes a long way so don’t overdo it! Never put an ointment on their “slippy patch”, the underside of their belly between their legs. You can apply it every day until the wound is healed.

2.

A bin/tank with ventilation for quarantine. While new frogs need to be quarantined in another tank for 90 days until you introduce them to their tank mates, there are many other reasons you could need a quarantine set up! For instance, Periwinkle here managed to cut his under-eye area (not sure how or on what). Thankfully it’s only a little cut so with some triple antibacterial ointment and a stay at the froggy hospital he should be all better by the end of the week! Quarantine tanks work best if have paper towels on the bottom, you can change them easily and toss them away to keep things nice and sterile. You should also add a water bowl and a hide for your froggy friend to sleep in. Keep quarantine as sterile as possible meaning change the water and paper towels every day. Since it’s a much smaller place excess water and unclean paper towels can cause bacteria to run wild if not taken care of. Quarantine should also be kept a little more dry than your normal tank to keep away bacteria but also help your frog heal. No soupy paper towels, I repeat NO SOUPY PAPER TOWELS!!

3. FLAVORLESS Pedialyte or similar electrolyte solutions. When dealing with a frog who seems to be harmed or passing away Pedialyte can be the difference between losing a pet and giving them another chance. If your frog is “toxing out” (check week 5), dehydrated, or overall lethargic a Pedialyte soak can help. You’ll want to have two bowls/containers. Fill one bowl with warm (should not be hot to the touch, a little over room temp) dechlorinated water. Add pedialyte up until you can set your frog's tummy in, if you need to help them keep their head above the soak use the pedialyte cap. Rest the cap under their chin or between their arms, you should only need to do this if your frog is unresponsive and clearly at risk of passing. Once the soak gets cool, add warm dechlorinated water to the other bowl and repeat the steps. Switch bowls every 10 to 20 minutes maximum. Soak until your frog is responsive (this may take hours) or you see their eyes have fogged over and they have laid themselves to rest. Hopefully, the better of the two will happen in your situation, letting them soak for a long time if they are unresponsive is key. Often if frogs get too cold or dehydrated their body will shut down but they are still alive. Pedialyte has brought frogs back to life before here at the rescue so don’t lose hope. You can’t really overdo pedialyte so if you feel there’s a need for a bowl full at first and then slowly adding in water, that works too!

Of course, while doing all of this it’s best to contact a vet or professional who can take a look at your frog to make sure everything is gonna be okay!