Help/ideas on baby R. brevicaudatus?

[wfsmith]

I've hatched out about 10 (in 2 or 3 waves) from WC parents which have since died. They were laid, hatched and kept in a 15 gal. tall aquarium set up as a vivarium with a bark substrate, thickly planted, sprayed twice daily and, since summer started, a fan during the day to keep the air moving. Fed with flightless drosophila, mostly melanogaster but some hydei. (I also added soil from the garden, taken from under pots, etc., to supplement the fauna.)

All has seemed good until recently, when some have just seemed to slow down, and then they gradually die. I've lost 2 and a 3rd and 4th don't look good. Others still look fine.

They've been moved into a smaller enclosure based on notes I saw about finding food. In the 15 gal they were living with 2 D. leucomelas frogs (I know, but it made for a more interesting thing to look at) which have gotten pretty voracious, so I thought they might be slighted on the food. However, the sickly ones don't seem to have changed.

Another possibility is heat: it's been quite hot (80s and 90s) the past 10 days and we don't run the air conditioner too much, though I'd be surprised if the environment got to 80.

Any ideas would be most welcome.

Regards,
Bill

 

[Julirs]

I would have to say your temperatures certainly had something to do with it. Low 70's is much more ideal, and sustained 80's or higher would take it's toll. I would also have to say the frogs stressed them out. They should not be housed with other animals.

 

[hallenhe]

I'm paranoid about temps, and turn on the AC if there's any chance of it getting above the low '80s (which, where I live, is about three days a year).
I had one (out of six) that was sitting on the floor, dark colors, not as big as the others. I moved him to his own container in case he was being outcompeted by his siblings, and he's doing much better.

 

[vetdebbie]

I get paranoid if my temps go above 79-80, esp for the babies. I think also temp may be an issue. With my old WC guys, they were fine till the temp sat at a max of 82 in the afternoon 2 days in a row, then 2 died. Heat stress cannot be underestimated for these chams.