[Crazy4frogs]

Hello all,
I’ve had my tinc babies for 3 months now and am concerned about one of them. One froglet is extremely active and is constantly hopping around the tank, gobbling up everything in sight. The other is very shy and is becoming quite skinny. I’ve experimented a bit, and it is able to eat (so I don’t think it’s sick), it just seems to be extremely picky. It will not move forward and eat food even 3 inches in front of it, regardless of whether I am there, and the FFs have to be almost directly under it. About once a week it comes out from the leaf litter, and if I pour a massive load of FFs right in front of it, it doesn’t really notice me and slurps up about 10-20.

I initially thought it was just scared and eats only when I’m not around, but if a large group of FFs congregates in front of its favorite hiding spot, it does not decrease in size for several days until the larger frog finds them, and the other frog is growing much faster and fatter. It only eats if I manually give it the flies right in front of it. I am therefore intrigued about its behavior and am wondering if anyone has any solutions. I am getting worried about the difference is growth rate between the froglets, since they are now very noticeably different in size. I haven’t seen signs of aggression yet (the two used to sit together under the same leaf for hours until about a week ago), but I’m worried the larger frog will start getting more and more dominant. The smaller frog has definitely gotten skinnier this week. From what I can tell the larger one is male and the smaller one is female, but they are still young.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

Please cut and paste this as a reply and add detailed responses: Fill this out to help troubleshoot health problems

Please take pics of both frogs and the whole viv, and post them here.

 

[Fahad]

What Socratic Monologue said. I will add this one thing from my experience: in the past when I've noticed a frog or froglet lagging behind and losing weight, I've remedied it by separating it from other frogs either until it puts on considerable size or permanently, as overt aggression or bullying isn't the only thing to watch for. I've seen frogs freeze or simply not eat due to being in the presence or line of sight of another frog without ever coming into physical contact with them.

But fill out the troubleshooting list before you jump to any conclusions, it could be any number of issues, and as some other keepers will point out, it can cause undue stress to capture and move a frog that's already not doing well. Good luck!

 

[Crazy4frogs]

Quick update with some good news! I moved the feeding station with rotting fruit from an open area into a more secluded part of the tank underneath a hanging piece of cork, and both frogs love it. They both sit together under there and eat flies all day long, and the little one has definitely gained a lot of weight. I think the problem is solved for now, but if I see it start to relapse I will send the standard health trouble shooting message.

I also have another question that I guess I will add here since I don’t want to spam threads. I have to live with my parents for 2 weeks due to moving apartments, so I will have to move the viv twice in 2 weeks. Does anyone have any advice for minimizing the stress of moving? I don’t want the small one to get stressed and stop eating again.

 

[Dane]

I also have another question that I guess I will add here since I don’t want to spam threads. I have to live with my parents for 2 weeks due to moving apartments, so I will have to move the viv twice in 2 weeks. Does anyone have any advice for minimizing the stress of moving? I don’t want the small one to get stressed and stop eating again.

I would monitor the temperature swings in the current space, and compare them to those in the temporary room. The closer you can keep environmental parameters (lighting, temps, humidity, day cycles, feeding frequency), the less likely you are to induce extra stress. You may also want to cover the sides of the viv with paper or other opaque material before the move, so that if there is more foot traffic in your parent's home, it won't affect the frog's daily activity.