White Tree Frogs - HELP!

[BiologyTeacher]

Sorry if this has already been covered, but I am new to the forum. I had 2 juvenile whites tree frogs that I have had for about 2 months. They both seem to have gotten sick at the same time. I had trouble finding a vet that would treat them, and after spending a bunch of money for treatment (antibiotics for "Just in case of infection") they both died. These are classroom pets and my students were devastate. I would like to give it another shot, but I'm wondering if it is something I am doing wrong. Can someone help me troubleshoot before I make another attempt?

Thanks!

 

[Herpin Man]

I would suggest that you describe the symptoms, and how you were keeping and feeding them, in as much detail as possible.
Most herp ailments can be traced back to husbandry errors.

 

[BiologyTeacher]

The Frog started becoming very lethargic after a couple of days of not eating. I tried isolating them and getting them to eat the Crickets I also tried force-feeding them. Neither seemed to help. I have attached pictures of their tank. It's a 20 gallon tall tank and I use Eco Earth coconut shavings on the bottom. I try to keep the humidity at about 60% and the temperature around 80 degrees.

 

[Herpin Man]

I don't see any apparent problems with the enclosure set-up. I also don't see any sign of fungus on the frog, however the skin looks a bit red, suggesting red leg. Hard to tell; some reddish coloration is normal. Do you see any broken blood vessels? The symptoms also suggest the possibility of red leg. If so, I don't have any direct personal experience with red leg; however this article provides some good info on prevention and possible causative factors. Keeping the enclosure clean and free of waste and dead insects is especially important:
http://frogworld.net/health/redleg.html
http://www.petmd.com/reptile/conditions/skin/c_rp_am_red_leg
Perhaps somebody who has experience with red leg could give you a more comprehensive response.
Another potential cause to look at would be contact with toxic chemicals, particularly in a classroom environment. Amphibians are very sensitive to any toxic chemicals. I would be very careful about letting kids handle them. If they are handled, it should only be after everybody washes their hands. In my opinion, amphibians should not be handled unless necessary. Another thing that I would avoid is force-feeding. It is stressful, and often does more harm than good. It should only be used as a last resort, in cases where the animal is starving.
If it were me, I would not let this incident discourage me from getting more frogs, and I do believe this species is a good choice for a classroom. If you decide to get more, thoroughly disinfect (diluted bleach) and thoroughly rinse the enclosure and all decor. Replace the substrate on a regular basis.
Good luck, they are neat frogs.

 

[BiologyTeacher]

Thanks for your help! Unfortunately I don't have the frogs anymore at this point, so further examination of the skin isn't possible. I have cleaned the entire tank and all of the accessories with a dilute bleach solution (1/4 cup bleach in 1 gallon of water) and rinsed everything well. I do not let the students handle the frogs for the most part. The only exception is when they help me to clean the tank once a month and those students always wash their hands well before taking the frogs out of the tank and putting them in the container. I teach biology and anatomy and physiology so there aren't really any toxic chemicals or fumes in the room like their would be if it were a chem lab. Hopefully I will have better luck this time. I did purchase a black light and a timer to use for the over nights as the temperature in the building drops and I'm wondering if there was to much of a temperature fluctuation in the tank.

Thanks again! I'll come back if I have any more questions!