This is why I don't have pets. There is already something terribly wrong with Isabel's frog. (She got it as a white elephant at Grandma's Halloween party Saturday night. THANK YOU MOM!!!!) We've had it all of about 24 hours. Isabel brought it to me this morning saying she thought something was wrong with it. It was in the top corner of its little aquarium where it has stayed for the entire day. The kids have put it in the water on the bottom, but it always ends up in this tight ball in the top corner. (At least it's alive enough to do that, I guess.) The cricket has remained untouched. And - this is the grossest part - wasn't this frog light green yesterday? Now it's BLACK. Uhh...I'm thinking that's not a good sign. I have been reading up on caring for tree frogs and want to thank my mother again for giving such a thoughtful gift. Caring for tree frogs requires:
- misting them once a day with dechlorinated water
- changing their water everyday (dechlorinated, of course)
- feeding them crickets that are "gut loaded" and dusted with vitamins (so basically I need to be feeding the crickets, too. Hooray! Another pet I don't want.)
- they must have things to climb on, but first those things must be soaked in a bleach solution, then soaked in water, then dried in the sun for several days
- keeping their tank properly heated at a specific temperature
- sterilizing entire tank once a week
So....pretty much maintenance-free and something I have time for. Our house is really cold - I thought maybe that was the problem. I can't go to the pet store until tomorrow to get a heater, so I've cuddled the tank with an electric blanket. I hunted down some dechlorinating stuff (left over from Maddie's dead fish), and misted him. These small attempts haven't done much for him. He's still the same. Here's my prediction: I buy lots of stuff for him and make his tank all awesome and heated and frog-worthy - and he dies directly following that. I read that once they get sick their recovery rate is very slim. Poor poor froggy. It seems like just yesterday Isabel was basking in the glow of her very own first pet. Oh yeah, it was yesterday.
7 comments:
I think you should let it roam around the yard in de-chlorinated splendor. Its better than being all black... ew.
That is not good!! Mom asked me to buy it at pet planet and all they said is put it in the container with some water and a rock and feed it crickets. You should have seen the container it came from - it was SICK. I feel bad for Isabel... and Maddie. That frog was a lime green when I bought it -but it stayed up in the corner the entire time I had it too. Great. Jessie wants to spend her birthday money on some more frogs. Maybe this blog will change her mind.
FROG KILLER
Is that from a movie? It sounds so familiar.
I agree with Zak. At least you wouldn't have to watch it die. Probably not a good lesson for the kids though. That's really sad.
manuel?
I feel really bad - I bet the frog was doomed from the beginning. I think Zak idea of setting it free to find it's own place to die is a good one. Next year I'll stick with only body parts from something already dead. Poor Isabel - what can I say?
I think Isabel will survive - it's not like she had a lot of time to bond with it. It was sort of normal for about an hour. Anyway, he's still hanging on. Isabel doesn't want to let him go outside - she keeps wondering why we can't take him to the vet. Yeah...not gonna happen. Mom thinks I should just bury him alive, but that creeps me out. I'm also too creeped out to remove him from his permanent spot in the corner of the tank. It's like he's suctioned onto it. I was wondering where I could get some chloroform and kill him nice and painlessly, then throw the tank and all into the garbage. Groooosss. Hmmm...anyone got any better frog killing ideas?
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