Newly Adopted Pacman Wont Eat.....

[Jello737]

I have had a 3-5 yr old albino pacman frog for about a month now and she is still not eating.
Tried feeding time inside and outside of tank, also tried mulitple kinds of foods. She literally would just turn her whole body around after i waved it in her face for a bit, showing no interest.
Has been burrowed 24/7 since ive had her, which i know is pretty normal. Humidity has been good, and temp has been between 75-80.

Is she stressed from change of home? Does this kind of thing happen often? She isnt losing weight, still looks healthy. Im just concerned. How long before I should really start to worry?

Thanks for ANY advice!!!

[IvoryReptiles]

It could be stress. It could also be changes in the diet or the water used in the enclosure. Go through & answer this questionaire and that way we can try to help address any issues.

http://www.frogforum.net/pacman-frog...enclosure.html

Thank You!

[Jello737]

. Size of enclosure 10 gal I received her in
2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences 1 albino pacman frog
3. Humidity between 60-80% any given time
4. Temperature between 75-85 any given time
5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish treated and sat out for 24 hours, tap water, both for misting and in her water dish (which she still hasnt used)
6. Materials used for substrate Came to me in just fish tank gravel, I changed it to peat moss
7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials. one large water dish, 2 small live plants
- How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv. bought both dish and plants from PETCO, cleaned with warm soap water before hand
8. Main food source Has not eaten yet, prior owner fed mostly feeder fish and frozen mice. I have offered frozen mouse, roach, earthworm
9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often) Unsure what the prior owner did, I have give her nothing yet, she hasnt eaten
10. Lighting 50watt red night heat lamp
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure 50 watt red night heat lamp
12. When is the last time he/she ate a couple days before I received her (so a month?)
13. Have you found poop lately No, she supposedly pooped the day I received her
14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine) see picture above.
15. How old is the frog 3 yrs
16. How long have you owned him/her 1 month
17. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred captive bred as far as I know
18. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats N/A
19. How often the frog is handled Handeled her 3 times to feed/stir substrate
20. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area in the living room, but our house is pretty quiet
21. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc) changed water once a week, have stirred the substrate 3 times in the month ive had her. Havnt done anything else, I dont want to stress her too much

[GrifTheGreat]

Get rid of the moss and buy some Coconut Fiber substrate(not husk) and use that for her bedding. All water must be treated with a de-chlorinating agent prior to being used for your frog and that includes the water used to expand her substrate and misting bottle. Also water for her soaking dish must be changed no less that every other day
so it does not become stagnant.

Does the lamp you're using have a dimmer switch? If not I recommend purchasing one that has a dimmer switch to accurately control the amount of light and heat produced by the bulb.

Do you have a UTH(Under Tank Heater) on the side of the tank to assist with temps in the enclosure?

Correct the issues I've pointed out and see what happens.

Keep us posted.

[Jello737]

Peat moss isn't like Sphagnum moss at all... it is actually ground up like the echo earth (or at least the bags of it I find at places like Lowe's are), I have the organic stuff I use for all my other critters. So there shouldn't be any more of an impaction problem with peat than there is with coco.
The water IS treated, ALL of it.
The only thing I need to change according to you is a dimmer.....I will do this and see if it helps.
I will not get an under tank heater, after all the research ive done and discussions ive had with people, I have decided they are not a good idea.

[GrifTheGreat]

Peat moss isn't like Sphagnum moss at all... it is actually ground up like the echo earth (or at least the bags of it I find at places like Lowe's are), I have the organic stuff I use for all my other critters. So there shouldn't be any more of an impaction problem with peat than there is with coco.
The water IS treated, ALL of it.
The only thing I need to change according to you is a dimmer.....I will do this and see if it helps.
I will not get an under tank heater, after all the research ive done and discussions ive had with people, I have decided they are not a good idea.

Hmmm obviously you take my knowledge as being unreliable. I can assure you it is NOT, but if you don't want my advice I will not assist you any further and the reason why the moss is a risk is because it causes blockages in their intestinal tract due to them not being able to digest it. Coco fiber passes right through their bowels without issue.

There are no problems with UTHs when used as directed. These are tropical frogs and need tropical temps. it very seldom reaches 75° in the rainforest. Your frog needs a constant heat source in which a UTH provides. As well as give them the proper temp gradient that they need. Night temps should be no lower than 77° to 78° and the ambient air temp should be no lower than 80 during the day. Max temp for entire enclosure should not go above 85° and humidity should be maintained at 80%.

Perhaps you should purchase a Hygrotherm Temperature and humidity control unit and combine it with a Zoo Med Reptifogger to maintain the climate within the enclosure so you can be sure all environmental climate levels are accurate. They are not very expensive and work very well. I have 6 Pacman Frogs ranging from adult to young juvenile and I have no issues.

I am just offering advice with experience. If you don't want to take it that's your decision, but you asked for help and that's what I'm trying to provide. If you don't believe it to be reliable then maybe you should ask other members to find if I'm a credible source for information about the care of these frogs.

[Froggiefressh]

I am just offering advice with experience. If you don't want to take it that's your decision, but you asked for help and that's what I'm trying to provide. If you don't believe it to be reliable then maybe you should ask other members to find if I'm a credible source for information about the care of these frogs.

Grif has helped me with ALL my pacman concerns. All the info Grif has given you is accurate and correct! My advise is to listen to what Grif has told you.

[Jello737]

i wasnt thinking your advice wasnt accurate or anything, sorry, didnt mean to offend you! I am working on making adjustments to meet all her needs.

[IvoryReptiles]

....................nope........gonna be a good little breeder and keep my fingers still.

[Jello737]

ok, now that I have time to explain, sry for offending whomever, I am 2 months away from my wedding n going crazy and was trying to make my posts short n 2 the point. Apparently shoulda worded stuff better.
I will be getting a dimmer for the lamps for sure. And will change the substrate asap. I will also get a UTH to stick to the side. My concern for those was just that I had been talking to someone just like you who is a long time breeder and such, he was telling me they can burn if they get too close to them, that worried me.
I do have a temp and humididty gauge. As far as the temp range I gave above, the low of 75 i've only caught a couple times. Usually it is at 80. I check it as often as possible.
Excuse my ignorance with anything, I am used to reptiles an inverts, this is my first amphibian.
I REALLY appreciate any and all advice, like I said before, I wasnt trying to piss anyone off!!! :/

[GrifTheGreat]

ok, now that I have time to explain, sry for offending whomever, I am 2 months away from my wedding n going crazy and was trying to make my posts short n 2 the point. Apparently shoulda worded stuff better.
I will be getting a dimmer for the lamps for sure. And will change the substrate asap. I will also get a UTH to stick to the side. My concern for those was just that I had been talking to someone just like you who is a long time breeder and such, he was telling me they can burn if they get too close to them, that worried me.
I do have a temp and humididty gauge. As far as the temp range I gave above, the low of 75 i've only caught a couple times. Usually it is at 80. I check it as often as possible.
Excuse my ignorance with anything, I am used to reptiles an inverts, this is my first amphibian.
I REALLY appreciate any and all advice, like I said before, I wasnt trying to piss anyone off!!! :/

After you make the changes to the tank it will take a day or 2 for the frog to readjust to the environmental changes. I would also buy new gauges because humidity almost never stays at 75% to 80% when you have a heat lamp over the tank.

[Jello737]

Update: All the suggested changes were made. Upon removing her from the tank to change the substrate, I found she was shedding. She has now FINALLY ate a frozen mouse Could she not have been eating due to her shedding?

[GrifTheGreat]

Update: All the suggested changes were made. Upon removing her from the tank to change the substrate, I found she was shedding. She has now FINALLY ate a frozen mouse Could she not have been eating due to her shedding?

No not necessarily. Adults should shed about once or twice a week. She was probably stressed for so.e apparent reason, but some will eat before they shed and not eat anything afterwards.

[Ra]

Hmmm obviously you take my knowledge as being unreliable. I can assure you it is NOT, but if you don't want my advice I will not assist you any further and the reason why the moss is a risk is because it causes blockages in their intestinal tract due to them not being able to digest it. Coco fiber passes right through their bowels without issue.

Peat moss, or choir as it is sometimes called, passes through their bowels just as easily as coco fiber. Coco fiber is not digestable at all, and both coco fiber and peat can cause obstruction in large enough quantities.
Peat moss is not ground up moss, its peat, taken from a swamp, and I had always thought it may get too acidic for Pacman frogs. Milled spagnum moss is ground up moss. I use long fiber moss, and I feed in a seperate tank.

I dont know how cold your house is, but I dont really like to use, nor have i ever needed to use, UTH, no matter where on the tank they are placed. AT least not for frogs. I have just never seen a need to supply any supplementary heat source beyond a red incandescent on a reflector lamp.


Can your frog see?

Have you attempted to force feed at all?

Another possibility is that the change in enviroment has triggered a state of semi dormancy in your frog. Is it shedding alot? Does it completely burrow itself?


*didnt see the update before, glad the frog is now eating again. She may have entered into a state of semi dormancy.