Anorexia, Or Starvation, In Amphibians

Description: anorexia of amphibians (anorexia; an- + Greek orexis desire to eat, appetite) - lack of appetite in amphibians (refusal to feed) in the presence of a physiological need for nutrition, due to disturbances in the activity of the food center.

Reasons: keeping in conditions deviating from the norm, constant stressful situations (aggressive neighbors, infections and parasites), monotonous or poor nutrition.

Symptoms: the body of starving semi-aquatic and aquatic amphibians swells, while terrestrial amphibians, on the contrary, lose weight, they seem dehydrated.

Starvation and dehydration are the most common

problems that occur in captive frogs.

Treatment: 5-10 pollen granules are dissolved in a few drops of warm water, a little raw yolk (chicken egg) is added to the solution, at the tip of a knife, calcium gluconate and calcium glycerophosphate powder in a ratio of 1.5: 1. The mixture is stirred and drawn up into a pipette. Open the mouth of the amphibians, raise the head and in small portions, give the mixture from a pipette. Then the animal is placed in warm water.

From the beginning of treatment, amphibians are improved their living conditions, as close as possible to natural conditions. After 3-4 days, amphibians begin to feed in a variety of ways.

Obligatory ultraviolet irradiation. Animals begin to feed on their own after a few days; in severely neglected cases, treatment continues for about a month.

Remember that recently purchased amphibians often refuse food in the first days (sometimes up to 7 days) until they settle in a new place.