Pacman frog not eating??

[gtr319]

I know this is not the freshest topic on the block, but it had been 2 days since Pacatron last ate (he ate @ the petstore)... my tank's humidity is around 80 and the temp. is around 80 during the day and 70s during night time... I had been trying to feed my pacman the can-o-crickets but still no luck... I still haven't try live crickets yet... I am also thinking earthworms, what do you guys think?

This is the first frog for my gf and I, we both had been doing assignments on our end before we bring Pacatron home, I really want to make this experience a positive one... thank you for you guys' help, I really appreciate it!

[pixiefrogman]

Definitely try live crickets. And it's only been two days, don't stress! I know it's hard not to!

[goreptiles]

The frog may be adjusting to new environment.

Crickets are great, as are earthworms. Mine lives worms the best but will eat crickets if offered.

[braaandooon]

ive never been able to get my pacman to eat any of the canned or jarred foods, he eats live crickets though, but definatly prefers worms, specifically red wigglers as those toss about more than earthworms, i know your frog is still new and is probably just adjusting like everyone else has said, my frog seems to eat strictly in the mornings, i always wake up to find him roaming his terrarium on the days he is hungry, if hes still in his usual burrow i dont even bother to feed, a good tip for people that may feel they have frog with a bacterial or fungal infection is to feed your frog "red wrigglers" not the more common red wigglers, red wrigglers are a good common cure for those type infections in most fish and amphibians, ive used these to cure gram negative and gram positive bacterial infections in fish, ive kept odd and exotic catfish for the better part of 20 years now, and have used these to cure bacterial infections in marbled salamanders also, never tried with frogs as i have never had a sick frog as i am new amphibian keeping,and still have lots to learn, theres a write up somewhere online on this as florida game and wildlife has done the bulk of research, but i guess i should save this for another thread, anyways good luck and im sure your frog will eat soon enough

[John911]

how do you guys feed them nightcrawlers and whatnot? do you just drop them into the substrate or use tongs?

[braaandooon]

my pacman didnt start eating from tongs until he had been in my home for a few months, i usually just toss the worm in front of him and he will grab it up sometimes within seconds, i think mine prefers the wigglers more because they move around alot more and dont burrow as fast, earthworms are alot more sizable and seem to automatically want to burrow, only thing with red wigglers is they dont get real big and would need an abundance of them with a large frog and they generally are more expensive, if this makes you feel any better, my pacman didnt eat for almost 10 days when i first brought him home, but i also have three kids and a cat that constantly harassed my terrarium, my frog settled right in after i moved him to my room where there isnt the constant attention from everyone in the house, knowing you have a new frog you may want to move him to a part of your house with low traffic and let him be for a few days

[goreptiles]

U actually put my pacman in another container and throw in a worm. He will only eat one a day.

[gtr319]

Thx guys... til today he is still sitting in his burrow and not moving... should I get the wall paper for him? I currently house him in the fish tank where all 4 sides are exposed... can this be why hes scared? And if so, should I swing by Petco and get the red wigglers or wait a couple more days?

@ braaandooon: will pacman frog roam around the tank if hes hungry?

Even my gf told me not to stress (I had a pair of the red ear slider where it took them a week before they eat), but since none of my friends has an exotic pet like this, I am more stress than before...

[Deku]

Well here is my advice:
1)It ate 2 days ago. Chill. Frogs can last up to a month or so without food.
2)Canned crickets isnt attractive to pacmans. I personally think its best used for turtles, and lizards that take dead food.
3)Worms are best here are what I use:
a)earthworms high in protein low on fat
b)Pheonix worms high in calcium and low on fat.
c)Goliath worms: high in calcium(higher than silk worms and pheonix worms) low on fat and high on protein(but very expensive!)
4)Make sure that you give it plenty of hiding places, that the dirt is deep.
5)Leave it alone for atleast a week for it to settle in. Some animals will take food quickly and some will take time to feed. Just try feeding it every couple of days.


For best feeding results feed LIVE worms. I prefer worms over crickets any day. Its my preferance though. I dont know what you or your frog prefer. My toads love worms. They even snatch it from my hand. My whites treefrog jumps onto my hand and snatches them from my hand. I can even try tugging them from him(It was an accident once. long story) and he will still try to eat it. Once I had a worm I was pinching on my fingers for the frog to eat. But I spaced out for some reason and then the frog was trying to eat it.

Hopes this helps. Congrats on your pacatron.

[gtr319]

@ goreptiles: I don't want to risk any accidents, I will just let the feeding be done in the tank since I will replace the substrate once a month...

@ Deku: Thx! So you would recommend me to just leave it alone and not feed it? Will the pacman give out any hint that hes hungry and ready to eat?

Thank you for your input! Like I said before, this is the first frog that my gf and I own and I just want this experience to be in a positive note... more input is appreciated~

[braaandooon]

when mine was younger,it seemed to always just be waiting for me every few days when i got up for the day, i'd grab a worm or minnow and set it in front of him and he would eat it, and then then within a few and go burrow until the next time he was hungry,now a days once a week hes up waiting to meet me and i just hand feed him, i'm sure he's a male as he hasnt got as big as some of the females ive seen, and ive had him for nine months now, i feed earthworms now as a staple, and also feed small mice on occasion and small bluegill also as i have access to them and tons of other foods at the local bait shop, he seems to also enjoy freshwater shrimp, hes also eaten an anole once and a few small local toads

[gtr319]

@ Braaandooon: So I should just feed him in the morning? Is there any way that I can feed him at night? And during feeding, should I just drop the worm and leave it there for a while to see if he eats it?

[braaandooon]

im not sure if mornings are perfered, that was just the time i always offered my frog food, it seemed almost like the frogs internal clock knew i only offered food before i left for work, my bengal cat is the same way, so maybe frogs are somewhat trainible, after about 9 - 10 mornings of offering food he finally just started snatching it up, it took me another week to figure out that when he was out and about in the mornings he would accept food for the most part

[gtr319]

so I went and purchased the earthworm @ Petco... but no luck feeding Pacatron... I guess I will just give up and leave him for this week, right now he is burrowed himself under the substrate, what does that mean?

[braaandooon]

the only time i see my cranwelli burrow completely was when he was young and i would clean his tank with him still in the tank,my guess for this is stress, but i could be wrong, i now no longer do this as i usually clean my tank every other week now, and i use this time to set my frog in warm water so he can make poopie, anyways do as you said, leave him be, and try offering live food items every other day until he decides he is hungry

[gtr319]

@ braaandooon: should I then return the earthworms to petsmart? what it is is that the earthworms quickly find its way below the service and its not really helping the feeding... should I get something that stays on the surface of the substrate, like meal worms or crickets?

[John]

That substrate looks too dry to me.

[gtr319]

That substrate looks too dry to me.

i spray it twice a day... the humidity gauge reads 85 as i was taking this photo.... so, should I just buy 5 - 10 small crickets, dump them all in and leave them be or should I just call it a week and worry about it next week? Even though I said I would call it a week, I still don't want anything to happen to him, hes my first frog and I want this to be a positive experience?

[braaandooon]

i wouldnt return your earthworms, as long as you keep the soil moist and refrigerate them they will last for months, im pretty sure your pacman will be feeding by then, and i'm sure when he does he would like to have a nice worm to chew on, looks like your pacman is about the size of mine when i bought him that one glorious day at petsmart, i hate chain stores by the way, so you may want to cut the worm in half if its of the larger variety, yes earth worms tend to burrow fast, but my frog has usually made up its mind if it wants it before i even put it in the enclosure, if my worm isnt snatched up within about a minute, i pull the worm and put back into the refrigerator and then try again in a day or two, and john may be right about your substrate, looks pretty dry, hygrometers are recommended, but it only gauges air humidity and doesnt necessarily gauge your how damp your substrate is, if my substrate doesnt look wet i mist, which in my enclosures are every 3 days, but i also keep organic peat under my substrate which helps the cause of retaining substrate moisture, but i also keep live plants in my enclosures which also raise o2 levels and feeds off your frogs waist which in return keeps your tank a little cleaner, but doesnt mean to skimp on maintenance as there is really nothing to rid your tank of frog urine, but there are lots of other enviormental factors that play into how moist your substrate stays, but a good top will make all the difference in keeping your substrate moist, if you are using a screen top you will probaly need to mist at leat twice a day, im using a glass top with the plastic strip on the back and it has holes drilled in it on my suriname tank, my temp is 84 in tthat tank right now and humidity now up to 90 percent, half the glass on that tank is fogged over, on my cranwelli tank i use the same glass top but removed the back plastic panel and am now using wired screen, this tank is in the same room and the added ventilation drops the ambient air temp to 81 and humidity at 85 percent and none of the glass is fogged over, you may want to experiment a little bit to find the right combo

[gtr319]

@ braaandooon: I will take some pic of my tank and upload here tonite, in the mean time I'll just call it a week of trying to feed him... I called the store and they told me the exact same thing, so I guess it'll be alright...