[ResidentAlien]

Hi everyone, glad to join such a thriving and lively group!

I've always wanted a dart frog and recently made some space for a habitat, which I bought from someone nearby who wanted to sell his Azureus.

I picked him up yesterday and on the way home, the Azureus was upside down! I thought he had died. Later he was up again so I was relieved. But then after I got the tank home, he was upside down again. I've read a few post where panicked frogs will do some kind of thanatosis, he wasn't twitching.

From what I've seen of Azureus, this guy look severely thin, his legs and overall body seem frail. The guy who sold him to me told me that he was selling because he didn't want to deal with culturing FF, and had to drive far to get his cultures, so I'm feeling like this little frog has been malnourished.

And today he's just hiding in the corner. Now, the little guy is just pushed his face into the substrate and he's kind of splayed. 🙀

His tank is currently at 72F and 64% humidity, and I'm keeping the lights very low.

I don't want to stress him out further, but should I try to feed him? I was thinking to try placing a spoonful of FF larvae to get some calories in him quickly, but I don't know if he'll even eat?! 😔

Appreciate any advice!!! I hope I didn't just pick this guy up on his way out ...

 

[Vargoje3]

That frog does look severely underweight. I wouldn't be surprised if he passes unfortunately. Probably has a vitamin deficiency as well. Make sure you are dusting your fruit flies with repashy calcium plus every feeding. I would have definitely passed on that purchase.

 

[ResidentAlien]

Thank you @Vargoje3 for your candid thoughts, should I try to put some FF or FF larvae in then?

 

[Vargoje3]

Thank you @Vargoje3 for your candid thoughts, should I try to put some FF or FF larvae in then?

Yes you should try to feed it to see if its even able to eat at this point. If it can eat FF larva will be goof for it. Just make sure to dust with a proper vitamin supplement like repashy calcium plus.

 

[Imatreewaterme]

Bad keepers often try to dump unhealthy animals on other people so they do not have to deal with the aftermath. If this frog is indeed in bad shape hopefully it is not too late to fix things.

That being said, I would recommend sending some more photos of the frog and the enclosure so we can give you better advice. We do not know what type of conditions this frog is being housed in and often times the vivarium is part of the problem if the animal is unhealthy.

Ricky

 

[S2G]

Something is severely wrong. Can you post a pic of the enclosure? In the future if you get a frog like this put together a quarantine Tupperware container so you can monitor it.

72F & 64% are way low for day stats as well if you're taking it in the middle of the tank. Good luck.

 

[ResidentAlien]

I'm so bummed guys. I think he's gone. I'll leave him overnight, but I took a closer look and I don't see any breathing going on. What's the correct way to dispose of the body?

@Imatreewaterme I think you're exactly right about what happened here. I'm tempted to yell at the guy who sold this frog to me, but I don't think it'll accomplish anything. At least now I'll have the opportunity to review the tank situation and reset it properly. I'm not seeing any evidence of CUC like springtails or isopods. And I think the leaf litter looks kind of rotting.

@S2G I thought the temp range was ok based on Josh's Azureus care sheet here: Dendrobates tinctorius 'Azureus' - Josh's Frogs How-To Guides But I see the humidity should be higher.

I'll take a photo of the enclosure tomorrow when there's more light and I feel more up to it.

Thanks guys for weighing in quickly. I'm so sad I wasn't able to rescue this guy in time.

 

[Imatreewaterme]

I'm so bummed guys. I think he's gone. I'll leave him overnight, but I took a closer look and I don't see any breathing going on. What's the correct way to dispose of the body?

@Imatreewaterme I think you're exactly right about what happened here. I'm tempted to yell at the guy who sold this frog to me, but I don't think it'll accomplish anything. At least now I'll have the opportunity to review the tank situation and reset it properly. I'm not seeing any evidence of CUC like springtails or isopods. And I think the leaf litter looks kind of rotting.

@S2G I thought the temp range was ok based on Josh's Azureus care sheet here: Dendrobates tinctorius 'Azureus' - Josh's Frogs How-To Guides But I see the humidity should be higher.

I'll take a photo of the enclosure tomorrow when there's more light and I feel more up to it.

Thanks guys for weighing in quickly. I'm so sad I wasn't able to rescue this guy in time.

Damn that's unfortunate. Sorry you had to deal with this.

The animal was clearly unwell and the shock of the move probably expedited the process. Nothing you could have done.

Dispose of the animal in a proper waste reciprocal. I believe it is advised against flushing or burying the animal outside to protect your local wildlife from pathogens.

Don't be discouraged the hobby is very rewarding as long as you are not like the person you received the frog from.

Ricky

 

[E man]

Well spoken, the hobby is amazing and if you are interested in getting another tinc, they are amazing and vary hardy, he was being malnourished for a while

 

[fishingguy12345]

I'm sorry to hear that your frog didn't make it.

Pictures of the vivarium will help us give you advice on how to set it up for best results.

Some good reading:

Vivarium 101

 

[E man]

I wish some one sent this Vivarium 101 to the last guy who had the frog.

 

[S2G]

I'm so bummed guys.
@S2G I thought the temp range was ok based on Josh's Azureus care sheet here: Dendrobates tinctorius 'Azureus' - Josh's Frogs How-To Guides But I see the humidity should be higher.

That's one of the worst places to get care info from & will set you up for failure. Which is odd because I have some healthy frogs from them.

Look into ventilation. You want just enough circulation going through to maintain your humidity. That ventilation will allow you to have higher temps without your frog stroking out from being in a totally sealed box. It's more natural.

Getting a healthy animal from a knowledgeable person is so important. I've received overnight frogs that are eating day one or two. Meanwhile the car ride home from petco could do one of those in

 

[Harpspiel]

That's one of the worst places to get care info from & will set you up for failure. Which is odd because I have some healthy frogs from them.

While it is true that places that specialize in commercially selling an animal can be expected to give care information conducive to selling more animals...I don't see any problem with 72F and 64% humidity, based on the tinc care guide on here. 64% could be a little low, but it might not be - the picture provided doesn't look too dry. General advice on this forum is to make sure you have a humidity gradient over time (dripping right after misting, to surfaces visibly dry right before misting) and throughout the tank (visibly moist under leaf litter, not glistening wet near the top of the tank) rather than trying to hit a specific % on a hygrometer, which are notoriously inaccurate and prone to breaking, and even when reading correctly will vary from the bottom to the top of the tank. I just specify this in case the OP wants to try another Azureus at some point - but I would recommend dialing in tank parameters, seeing healthy plant growth, and getting used to visually assessing humidity without use of a hygrometer, before getting another frog.

 

[S2G]

While it is true that places that specialize in commercially selling an animal can be expected to give care information conducive to selling more animals...I don't see any problem with 72F and 64% humidity, based on the tinc care guide on here. 64% could be a little low, but it might not be - the picture provided doesn't look too dry. General advice on this forum is to make sure you have a humidity gradient over time (dripping right after misting, to surfaces visibly dry right before misting) and throughout the tank (visibly moist under leaf litter, not glistening wet near the top of the tank) rather than trying to hit a specific % on a hygrometer, which are notoriously inaccurate and prone to breaking, and even when reading correctly will vary from the bottom to the top of the tank. I just specify this in case the OP wants to try another Azureus at some point - but I would recommend dialing in tank parameters, seeing healthy plant growth, and getting used to visually assessing humidity without use of a hygrometer, before getting another frog.

I guess I should of clarified. I meant randomly checking with one until you get it dialed in. I go by "feel" myself, but I wasn't sure how to explain that. You did though

 

[ResidentAlien]

Just to close the loop here, thanks for all the pointers everyone. I was so so bummed after I lost my first frog. wish his previous owner had learned from you guys!

Here's an update for my completely renovated tank. Current resident is a Vanzolinii, until his own tank is setup. Then two juvenile azureus moving in. Can't see it from this angle but lots of open leaf litter area behind the root structure in front.

 

[Imatreewaterme]

Just to close the loop here, thanks for all the pointers everyone. I was so so bummed after I lost my first frog. wish his previous owner had learned from you guys!

Here's an update for my completely renovated tank. Current resident is a Vanzolinii, until his own tank is setup. Then two juvenile azureus moving in. Can't see it from this angle but lots of open leaf litter area behind the root structure in front.

View attachment 311994

Looks great. I'm glad you have healthy frogs to enjoy.

Ricky