whats wrong with this frog?

[derbi]

hi all, decided to have a snoop round my mums pond and found this.

Not sure whats wrong with it and its the only one like it.

[GuyF]

By the looks of thing it is possibly starving, as it's legs seem very thin and the spine or ribs can be seen very clearly. I'm not sure what's caused this, and whether there is a disease which causes it or not. Hopefully he'll be ok, although he doesn't look too well. Was he behaving normally?
Guy

[derbi]

yep it fine, swimming well etc. Not sure why he's that thin all the other frogs are a good weight

[Digifrog]

Poor thing. I would recommend sending that photo with as many details as possible to Froglife. They will be the best people to advise you. Personally, if it was me I would seperate him (into some pond water) and try and feed him manually. I'd possibly see if he will eat ['Tetrafauna, FreshDelica' - Treat Food For Amphibians] which are bloodworms & mosquito larvae in a vitamin rich jelly. Yum! And hopefully see if that makes any difference. Should be stocked at an aquarium/reptile shop/garden centre.


Being emaciated like he is, he probably finds himself always at the back of the queue for food being so weak.

[bardofely]

If its a female that has recently spawned it would look thin and that may be the cause but it's impossible to tell what sex it is from the photo.

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by bardofely

If its a female that has recently spawned it would look thin and that may be the cause but it's impossible to tell what sex it is from the photo.

How do you sex a frog

[bardofely]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

How do you sex a frog

The males have a pad on their thumbs that they use to grab the females with and if you look at the hands it is easy to see and also they are more likely to croak if you pick them up. Females won't croak. The males tend to have more black blotches on their backs but not always. The males usually have a bluish-grey colouring under their mouths on their chins and females are usually a paler mixture of reddish and yellowish colours in the same part. In breeding season before spawning the females are much fatter due to the spawn. After they have laid it they look very different and emaciated until they have had time to feed up again. The same goes for toads - the females are very thin looking after spawning. With toads the males are much smaller and less covered in warts. They also croak if handled but it sounds more like a squeak than a croak.
The males of frogs and toads both croak if handled to tell another male get off me. Frog and toad males are apt to grab on to anything that moves if they have not found a partner. Toad males will also pile on a single female and form a ball of toads and sometimes females drown under the weight of the males.
Males need to croak more because they do this to call others of their species to water.

I can't be sure without examining the creature by picking it up but the one in the picture I think looks like a female.

[Stewy]

Any news on the Frog derbi?

[derbi]

no net yet, told my mum if she see's it to put it in a bucket. Im goin up tomorrow so will have a proper hunt round for it, then put it in my pond which only has 1frog, so will get more food

[bardofely]

Originally Posted by derbi

no net yet, told my mum if she see's it to put it in a bucket. Im goin up tomorrow so will have a proper hunt round for it, then put it in my pond which only has 1frog, so will get more food

Frogs tend to leave the water after spawning except in very hot weather so I wouldn't expect it to still be there. They assemble in their breeding places in early spring but then go back to living mainly on land unless they are a species like the Edible frog, which tends to stay in the water. The species in the picture is clearly a Common frog and if I am right and it is a female then it needs to feed itself up again and would normally have more chance of doing so on land. If it is still there it will have been feeding anyway and should be a normal size again. If it still emaciated then I would agree it is very ill and probably dying.