my frogs are dying fast

[xenopus]

i looked in the tank and two of my frogs were dead with one of their feet behind them like they were stretching out or something and i took the remaining 3 out and they seemed fine but one of them is dying now what could make them die one after the other ...i just changed the water after the other two ..i think maybe it was the last wax worms i fed them?? is there anything i can do to give the others more of a chance?

 

[xenopus]

they look bloated and have since i fed them

 

[keechoo]

What have you been feeding them besides the waxworms? What kind of water do you use for their water changes? How often do you change the water? Is it a dish or a large body of water with a filter?

 

[xenopus]

ive just been feeding them waxworms for a good while i also tried to feed them reptomin pellets but it was long enough ago that it couldn't be related to this...i always set water out over night for their water changes and i was a large area of water basically the whole tank i did wait a little longer to change their water this time one side of the divider had dried up but they still had the other side with enough to cover them selves if they put their head down and swim like they do ya know... they were all really bloated after the last time i fed them thats why i think it might have been the food ...the third one is dead the other two look fine..but so did this last one untill i looked at him again and he had his head pointing down to the ground and his legs streched out like the other ones his eyes were closed but he was still breathing for a while they all looked this way (positioning) does this sound familiar?

 

[keechoo]

Crickets are their main staple of food. The crickets should be the same size as the space between their eyes. The crickets should also be dusted with calcium (I use a vitamin made specifically for FBTs) and gut-loaded. Waxworms should be used as a treat or backup if you are out of crickets.

You didn't say if you have a filter for the water so I'm going to assume you don't. Not changing the water daily can be deadly to them. Their own poison can kill them if they are exposed to it for too long which is why daily water changes should occur. Other people I know who hadn't changed their water experienced their FBTs going blind.

 

[Jennewt]

Bloat is usually caused by organ failure, and organ failure can be the result of dehydration. Although they had some water, they may have been avoiding the water if it was of poor quality. Your description (one side of the tank going dry and the other side having barely enough water for them to submerge) sounds like a case of a tank not being "kept up" on a daily basis. There could have been an introduction of new germs from the food, or from elsewhere, but I suspect that the environment was also a factor. When previously-healthy amphibians die, there are usually several factors acting together rather than a single cause. I'm sorry for your loss.

For the remaining ones, keep them in clean water and hope for the best. Don't put them back in the old tank until you disinfect it and have it set up and aged again.