Live Plants and Other Questions

[Zehla]

I've been googling a bit the past few days but I can't find any definitive answers - what kind of live plants are safe to put in my pacman's tanks? I'm trying to give them a more stable humidity, and just spritzing their coco fiber and heating the air with ceramic bulbs doesn't last long after I turn them off at night.

So I don't kill the poor things whenever I'm cleaning the cage I'm thinking of putting said live plants in small clay pots for easy removal unless there's something about clay that is a serious no-no to put into your pacman's tank. I currently have fake plants in there just for security and hiding places but they don't chalk up to a live, humidity-regulating plant. I was thinking perhaps small ferns? Might even buy seeds since you never know if the greenhouse or garden center sprays their plants with chemicals.

On another note, my male pacman has a vet visit on the 26th because of a persistent abscess that I thought went away. It hurts the poor little guy so much he won't let me put neosporin on it anymore, so I stopped stressing him out and let him be. Another concerning thing I noticed last night, however, that I will certainly tell my vet, is that he suddenly leapt out of his hole as if something had bit or startled him.

When I looked over his anus looked...what's the word...large I guess? Like there was a poo on its way or something, hah. I kept observing him to see if he was okay, and he kept contracting his muscles trying to push it out but nothing came of that, so he dug another hole and hunkered down. I gently took him out of his hole before I went to bed just to see if he DID go, tiny pooper scooper in hand, but no luck. His anus still did not look right, but it was not as big looking either, I think he gave up.

I've read somewhere that if your frog eats coco fiber, even THAT can impact them if they aren't full adults (I guess their digestive systems are stronger as they grow older). He DID take a pretty big mouthful of the stuff hunting crickets, but I even watched him paw it off his tongue (well, most of it). From now on I'm going to feed him his crickets with tongs if his aim's going to be that terrible, to prevent ingesting of too much fiber. I really don't know how old he is; he could fit in my palm, but you couldn't see my hand after that not counting my fingers.

At any rate I'm just hoping he's in need of some laxatives instead of surgery, and even more so hope that he isn't at risk of dying before I can get him to the vet. Sheesh, I seem to be having a spot of bad luck with frogs lately. Bought a baby fantasy frog sick, and now this little guy's got a chronic abscess and an apparent pooping issue. I'm glad my female is perfectly healthy (knock on wood >_>).

[poison beauties]

Pothos and some other larger leaved philos will do well with your pacman. If you having trouble with huidity I would dicth the ceramic heater and use an UTH heater. that will help increase humidity and warm the substrate a bit and even the viv if it pretty much sealed. I would aslo consider other insects like roaches and even pinkies now and then as a diet source. As far as impaction gos it does happen and short of a solid substrate like a clay base with a small pool your not really going to be able to completey prevent it unless you feed it in an empty misted tub.
Good luck with your vet check on the frog,

Michael

[Zehla]

Ah cool, thanks. I'll try and find one of those plants at the store I work at, hopefully the garden center isn't completely out for the winter, haha.

Yeah, I actually thought about feeding in a super safe separate environment but since my particular frogs don't like to be handled it would probably stress them out enough to kill their apetites. I hope all is well at the vets', and I'll just have to be careful when feeding my male since he's such an aggressive lunger, haha.

[John911]

A lot of people give their pacmans a warm soak to help their digestive system. The strange looking dumper could be on the verge of a prolapse? Google it, I'm not an expert but I guess any frog can get it.

[Zehla]

Well, turns out his abscess was really an infected open wound. The flesh beneath the layer of colorful skin was puckering outward, creating the illusion of a boil or abscess. Poor little guy . He'll always have a scar but so long as I put this Silvadene Cream on it twice a day (he REALLLLY doesn't like it hahaha) it should heal in a month or so :3.

As for my worries about him being blocked, doc found no masses or anything to suggest he was having issues passing stool and was not concerned when I described to him what it looked like. Like the poster above me, he simply suggested either adding some warm water to his tank or putting him in a bowl of it to help him go.