Frog not eating or pooping . . .

[ErnieFrog]

My Pacman has not eaten in a week. I removed him this morning from his enclosure and soaked him in warm water for one-hour. He did not poop. I removed the water, put him back in the Critter Keeper, and offered him Dubia roaches and 1-Hornworm.
He showed no interest in eating. He has been totally "burrowed" in the substrate for a week. Is there something wrong here?
Is this normal behavior ?

[DanDrobates]

Frogs in the genus ceratophrys will burrow for a few reasons.
1. They will naturally burrow deeper if the substrate is dry and the ambient temperature is too cool. In nature they will brumate during colder dryer conditions and form a layer of thick dry mucous over their skin to prevent moisture loss. This process is a natural reaction to the aforementioned conditions. They will also go off feed during this time.
2. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if temperatures are too high they will burrow deeper to find a cooler more comfortable temperature.

It would help to know the age of the frog, its size and the size and setup you currently keep it in. If the frog is entering brumation the best way to stop it (bear in mind it is preferable for them not to brumate in captivity unless you're cycling them for breeding) is to bring the temperature to the mid to high 70s and make sure the substrate is moist.

[ErnieFrog]

Frogs in the genus ceratophrys will burrow for a few reasons.
1. They will naturally burrow deeper if the substrate is dry and the ambient temperature is too cool. In nature they will brumate during colder dryer conditions and form a layer of thick dry mucous over their skin to prevent moisture loss. This process is a natural reaction to the aforementioned conditions. They will also go off feed during this time.
2. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if temperatures are too high they will burrow deeper to find a cooler more comfortable temperature.

It would help to know the age of the frog, its size and the size and setup you currently keep it in. If the frog is entering brumation the best way to stop it (bear in mind it is preferable for them not to brumate in captivity unless you're cycling them for breeding) is to bring the temperature to the mid to high 70s and make sure the substrate is moist.

Thank You Dan for your reply. My PacMan frog is a sub-adult, 6-8 Months of age. I have had him since May 8th. He is in a 10-Gallon glass enclosure. He has Eco-Earth substrate, 3-5" in depth. Lamp above tank with 60w Daylight heat bulb. 3/4 of the screen lid is covered with Aluminum foil. The substrate is moist, the Temperature is 77F, sometimes reaches 82F. Humidity levels run between 60-70%. So with all of this said, I am still baffled as to why this PacMan won't eat, and wants to burrow. He has not eaten in a week.

[DanDrobates]

Your enclosure sounds perfect so i'd rule out brumation then. I've had some of mine burrow and then shed a few days later and even go into brumation for a few days due to unknown causes and then emerge like nothing happened. How is the overall appearance? If his eyes are above the substrate and appear clear and alert that means all is well. If it has a layer of slimy translucent skin and the eyes are flush with the skull it could be shedding or somehow dehydrated. I'd include a water bowl in the enclosure so it can soak its leisure and withhold food for a few days. Remember this species can go a reasonable period without food so I wouldn't panic. You can also try misting the enclosure to simulate rainfall and get the humidity up.

[ErnieFrog]

Your enclosure sounds perfect so i'd rule out brumation then. I've had some of mine burrow and then shed a few days later and even go into brumation for a few days due to unknown causes and then emerge like nothing happened. How is the overall appearance? If his eyes are above the substrate and appear clear and alert that means all is well. If it has a layer of slimy translucent skin and the eyes are flush with the skull it could be shedding or somehow dehydrated. I'd include a water bowl in the enclosure so it can soak its leisure and withhold food for a few days. Remember this species can go a reasonable period without food so I wouldn't panic. You can also try misting the enclosure to simulate rainfall and get the humidity up.

No, he is totally submerged. You can not see him at all, and his eyes are not exposed above the substrate. I had him out this morning, washed him off, and he looks good. He does have a water bowl in the corner of his tank. Like I said, I attempted to feed him, but he showed no interest in eating. I mist his enclosure a few times a day depending on what the Hygrometer readings are in his tank. So, I guess I'm just not going to panic and wait and see what happens. It's a shame, because just yesterday and today, I received Food for him in the mail.......Dan, I will keep you posted for sure. Thanks for your help.

[ErnieFrog]

UPDATE::: It has been 2-weeks since ErnieFrog has eaten. He has remained buried under his substrate. I need some suggestions on what I should do. Should I remove him and try to feed him and let him poop? Or do I leave him alone ? Thanks in advance for your help.

[jonthomas233]

If your pacman has a firm lump on his side protuding then could definitely be impacted. Then you should see a vet. If not he could be stressed from the handling. Let him burrow all day and leave some crickets for him at night. Or cup him in your hand like your making a hand puppet with his face out toward you. Firmly rub a cricket against his mouth. I've had to do this with an albino that just stopped eating and it saved it's life. However I still have to hand feed him. I think your frog will be fine.

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[jonthomas233]

If your pacman has a firm lump on his side protuding then could definitely be impacted. Then you should see a vet. If not he could be stressed from the handling. Let him burrow all day and leave some crickets for him at night. Or cup him in your hand like your making a hand puppet with his face out toward you. Firmly rub a cricket against his mouth. I've had to do this with an albino that just stopped eating and it saved it's life. However I still have to hand feed him. I think your frog will be fine.

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I saw you said he doesnt have a lump. Hopefully nothing is stuck in his mouth or throat preventing him from wanting to eat. I don't think frogs can have sucralfate. I would feed him yourself. It's not hard if you do what I suggested. If he doesn't eat then gently open his mouth. I've done it many times with my albino.

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[ErnieFrog]

Here are 2 PICS of my Frog. I took him out yesterday to clean him off and take PICS of him to send to the Seller bought him from. He has an appointment with my Exotic Veterinarian on June 27th.

[Bynny Ribbit]

Late June seems so far, but hopefully his condition will maintain itself until then.

I have heard of people force feeding their frogs and how it helped get them going on their own, but I'm not sure if it's necessary yet. If you do it for any reason, it should be so he produces a stool to be examined. If you do go this route, call to make sure they will accept it despite him not technically being a patient yet. Since you have a visit scheduled, I'm sure they would be understanding.

He looks deceptively good. Nice, clear eyes and, despite not eating, isn't too skinny yet.

[ErnieFrog]

GOOD NEWS! He Ate Today! and he pooped. So I am very pleased. I discovered the trick with him is to feed him in the Dark. He will not eat if in an open and fully exposed Critter Keeper. I need to cover it completely with a towel --- leave him alone with the food item for 15-minutes.
He ate 2 Hornworms today which were a good size. So, I am pleased. Now I know moving forward how to handle feeding him.

[jonthomas233]

He's probably fine. I'd save your money amd cancel the vet appt.

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[Bynny Ribbit]

I'm so glad to read he is only being a shy eater! At least I hope that's all it is. I'm sure if he continues eating and looks well, you don't necessarily need to take him to the vet, but it never hurts for him to get established at a clinic and to get a check-up.

[ErnieFrog]

I'm wondering how often I should offer food ? and should he be fed in his enclosure or removed and fed in his Critter Keeper ?

[Bynny Ribbit]

Your Pacman is a few months younger than mine and I feed her every 2-3 days. If you want to beef him up a little more (since he hasn't been eating) you can try to feed him more frequently than that.

You'll find a lot of different opinions about how to feed your frog, and honestly whatever works best for him is probably the way to go about it. Remember my friend who couldn't get her baby frog to eat? It's because he didn't like to eat food at all unless taken out of his tank, put into a separate container, and having it offered to him on tongs. I'm not sure if he's still so picky, but depending on their little personalities and how they were raised, one frog may prefer to eat one way vs. another.

Another factor to consider is if there's anything he can accidentally ingest in his enclosure (like sphagnum moss) and if it would be safer to feed elsewhere.

[ErnieFrog]

The best feeding response I get is when I remove him from his enclosure and put him in the Critter Keeper, place the prey items, cover the tank and give him 15-20 minutes to eat in the dark, which apparently is what he prefers. Others state to always feed them in their enclosure. He has only eaten once in his enclosure and it was from tongs. I don't use sphagnum moss in his tank, but still there is always the possibility of him ingesting Eco-Earth.