Snakes aren't the only ones who shed...

September 4, 2012 1:37 PM

[Froggy filter] What's wrong with my African Dwarf Frog and what can I do to fix it! I don't want the little bugger to die :(

Pics of the problem here and here. It looks like his skin is partially off, but stuck and kind of green? I've been combatting an algae overgrowth and wonder if it is somehow caused by the algae, but I have no idea how to fix. I thought he was unresponsive (and maybe dead) at first, but he's been active since. Also I changed their water yesterday, if that's relevant. I've been putting in some anti-algae drops to combat the overgrowth, but they're in a ~2 gallon tank so I only put in about 2 drops.

posted by DoubleLune to pets & animals (4 answers total)

Uhm, I think your answer is in your title: he's shedding. Unless you have some reason to believe that's not what's happening?

I've never seen ours shed, but we did lose one to bloat, which is the most common thing that kills them, apparently, and it was really obvious it was happening.
posted by looli at 1:45 PM on September 4, 2012

I have seen them shed before and it's always a very quick process. What has me concerned is that the top layer seems stuck or hardened or something (though it could, of course, be an illusion) and that it seems an oddly dark green for his normal color, but where it has come off he looks very pale.
posted by DoubleLune at 1:56 PM on September 4, 2012

Frogs shed, so I am guessing that is what it is from what I can see in the photos. I'd be careful what you put in the water, frogs water and the things in it through their skin, they'll be more vulnerable to stuff like that too when shedding as their skin is thinner and they'd have less mucous coating.
posted by wwax at 1:56 PM on September 4, 2012

On the off-chance anyone has this problem and finds this question... I discovered it was the Chytrid fungus (some good info on that page). Unfortunately I discovered it too late (I could only diagnose it properly when my other frog was showing signs of white spots) and the little buggers didn't make it :(
posted by DoubleLune at 5:41 AM on September 29, 2012