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Thread: Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

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    Default Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

    My African Bullfrog, Jeremiah is not eating. He’s had 1 nightcrawler and a few mealies the past month and that’s it. I’ve tried crickets, dubias, mealworms, nightcrawlers, frozen/thawed pinkie mouse and he doesn’t want any. I think his enclosure may be too cold. It is 68 deg. I have a stick on heater and a heat dish and it just won’t get warm enough. It’s a 75 watt and I have to turn off the heat lamp at night because it’s too bright to sleep with, and then it drops to 60-65deg with just the stick on heater. I’m really worried. This is my first frog.

    I’ve answered the frog enclosure questions below in case it helps.

    1. Size of enclosure? 20 Gallon long glass aquarium

      2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences? 1 African bullfrog

      3. Humidity? 65

      4. Temperature? 68 deg

      5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish? Tap water treated with dechlorinater made for reptiles.

      6. Materials used for substrate? Coconut Fiber soaked in treated water

      7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials. - How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv? Just a few artificial plants.

      8. Main food source? A variety – crikets, dubias, nightcrawlers, mealworms.

      9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often?) Multvitamin once a week, Calcium with D3 3 times a week


    10. Lighting? Heatlamp during the day, also have a UV light but haven’t used it in a while as I’ve heard it’s not needed for Bullfrogs

    11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure? Stick on heater and a heatlamp with a 75 watt heat light.

    12. When is the last time he/she ate? 10 days ago

    13. Have you found poop lately? No, but it might be in the coco fiber somewhere. He doesn’t go in his water dish much.

    14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine) Can provide a pic if needed


    15. Describe frog's symptoms and/or recent physical changes; to include it's ventral/belly area. Looks physically ok, just won’t eat and stays burrowed all day

    16. How old is the frog? About 6 months old

    17. How long have you owned him/her? Since August 2015

    18. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred? Captive bred

    19. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats? Crickets, Mealworms, Dubias, Nightcrawlers, occasional pinky mouse

    20. How often the frog is handled? Not much

    21. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area? Low traffic

    22. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc) Water changed daily, bedding changed completely every 2 months

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    Default Re: Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

    I just tried to feed him again and thankfully he ate a nightcrawler! Still worried about it being so cold though.

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    Default Re: Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

    Okay temps are FAR too cold. Aim for 80-84F during the day and no lower than 75F at night.
    As African bull frogs get a lot of D3 in their diet UVB might not be necessary but considering they're active day and night, exposed to the African sun, UVB wouldn't hurt but they have been kept without it and been fine when fed D3 in their diet but I wouldn't consider this a study but more an experiment with supplements, so I don't think there's actually been any studies on their UVB needs.

    Stick on heater, a UHT? A UHT/heat mat would usually get temps up to 100F when used without a thermostat but will vary with brands, though surely higher than 68F. Remember they're contact heaters and will get the glass hot but not do much to the air temperature, so you must make sure you use a digital thermometer (not analogue) and put the probe directly on the glass being heated by it.

    Changing the substrate once a month would be better, big frogs produce a lot of waste.

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    Default Re: Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

    You still need to figure out the ways of heating enclosure up - infrared or ceramic heater plugged into controller usually do the work. In that cold especially for prolonged periods of time you are risking damaging his kidneys ( not reversible) and digestive tract problems ( food is not digesting properly).
    Save one animal and it doesn't change the world, but it surely changes the world for that one animal!

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    Default Re: Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

    UVB- not needed, but be beneficial, especially during fast growth stage.
    When considering either it is needed you need to look at their natural habitat, ponds, water sources, lots of sun. They will be happier with full spectrum light, but having an ability to hide. Visually you most likely notice brighter frog coloration.
    Save one animal and it doesn't change the world, but it surely changes the world for that one animal!

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    Default Re: Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

    Ok I am going to go to petco or petsmart and get a better heat system. Any recommendations on what to get exactly? I'm still a bit unclear.

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    Default Re: Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

    I'd scrap the heat mat for these frogs and get an infrared it's your best bet probably need quite a high wattage. If you go on the exo terra website it tells you what temp the bulb will get to. I'd also use at least a 2% which won't provide any UVB once it goes through the mesh but will give uva and a day and night cycle, or you could use a UVB not sure exactly what strength but 5% usually suitable for most frogs but again the UVB doesn't seem to be a must but a UVA bulb is.

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    Default Re: Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

    Ok I went to the website and found out I should probably get a 100w Infared.

    Can that be used at night too? The frog is in my bedroom so I'm not sure how bright it will be...? Should I get something else for night time use, like a ceramic heater?

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    Default Re: Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

    Quote Originally Posted by BlueJax View Post
    Ok I am going to go to petco or petsmart and get a better heat system. Any recommendations on what to get exactly? I'm still a bit unclear.
    My favourite controller! http://www.amazon.ca/Zoo-Med-HygroTh.../dp/B0019IHK9Q except in US you guys can get it for 50$, lucky people. That one controls humidity and temps, but you can get something just for the temps.

    ceramic heater http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/heat...6-catid-500035 or similar, I would do 100w, but make sure you use controller! Any type of controller as long as it works.

    Infrared http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/heat...pfm%3Dcategory or similar.

    Difference between these here two is that ceramic doesn't produce any light, is more expensive, but it's also longer lasting.

    And for the light - there are very nice exo terra natural light bulbs you might want to look into.
    Save one animal and it doesn't change the world, but it surely changes the world for that one animal!

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    Default Re: Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

    I second what Lija's said. Try the 100w ceramic set day time temps to at least 80F and down to 75F for night and use the natural light (used to be called a 2%) for lighting. Remember you can always take the ceramic back and go up a wattage if needed.

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    Default Re: Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

    Thanks! Just got everything I needed from Petsmart.

    I also gave him his UV light back. How many hours a day should they have the UV? Can I use it all day as a lighting source or is that too much?

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    Default Re: Frog Not Eating – Enclosure too cold?

    All day should be fine 10-12 hours. Just remember to give the frog some hiding spots, it will then move away from it as needed. Put the lamp next to your heat source to stimulate natural behaviour, as it would get UVB whilst basking for heat. D3 will still need to be included in the diet.

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