Not eating?

[GrifTheGreat]

I am a little worried about my pacman frog. He has only eaten one cricket in the last four days. He is still active, has regular bowl movements, his temperature and humidity are normal, and he is not estivating, so I am not sure why he won't eat. He bites at the crickets but he won't actually eat them. Normally he eats alot more. I've had him for over five months now and he has never gone this long with out eating. I can't find any specific information about how long they can safely go without eating. All the books and websites vary Alot in how much they say to feed them.

How long before I should take him to the vet? I don't want to take him there if he isn't sick, but I'm woried about him. I would appreciate any advice! Thank you!

[demeteraurion]

He may just be getting older and they tend to eat less as they reach adulthood. Pacmans can go one or two months without any food, more if they are estivating. Maybe try another type of food, he may be sick of crickets. Try nightcrawlers, pinkies, or a superworm or hornworm.

[pac]

Yea change up the food a lit bit

[GrifTheGreat]

Thanks for the advice. I have tried feeding him a couple types of worms and he won't touch them. I haven't tried pinky mice though. The other issue is that he won't eat from the forcepts. Last night was the first time he ever took a cricket from the forcepts. Any tips on how to get him to eat from the forcepts?

[Teh Frog Whisperer]

Instead of using forceps, why don't you hand feed him?

[Roseanne]

Try silk worms? I have yet to see my pacman turn one down and she is a very light (and fussy) eater.

[demeteraurion]

My frog doesn't like being fed with forceps either. Lately (during his lamisil treatment) we've had to coax his mouth open and place a piece of nightcrawler in it but after the first bite he will eat it just fine. You may want to look into dubia feeder roaches. I've been waiting for mine in the mail.

[DVirginiana]

Mine doesn't have the legendary feeding response either. The only thing he's ever taken from forceps is a pinky mouse; I guess he just couldn't resist that one I'm waiting on a shipment of Dubia roaches too; I've heard they love those. If yours is five months old then you might want to look into getting some dubias; it should be big enough not to have any problem with them.

[GreenLeader49]

My guy historically has hated eating from forceps, but recently he is all about me using the forceps to place his food about 6 inches away from him so he can hunt without even moving from his hole. As soon as I put the cricket down and it makes it first move on the ground, he's on it. Gotta love the laziness.

But I digress...I think switching up the food is a good idea, but as Demeteraurion said, appetites can come and go with age. If he still acts healthy (which it sounds like he does) you should be fine! Just monitor him for any strange behavior if he contains to refuse to eat.

[GrifTheGreat]

Thanks again for the advice! I will look into the roaches. Grif (my frog) is about 3 and a half inches now which I gather is normal adult size for males so his decrease in appetite could simply be because he is done growing. I was just worried because his decrease in appetite was so abrupt.

He seems healthy; the only other change is that he has been shedding a lot. I'm not sure if he is just peeling the mucus and dirt off or whether he is actually shedding, but he has been doing it every 2 or 3 days. He used to only do it every week or 2. The reason I ask about the shedding is that I've read that excessive shedding is a symptom of the chytrid fungus (scary stuff). He doesn't seem to have any other symptoms but I've heard some people do preventitive treatments with lamisil? Is this a good idea? What does everyone recommend?

[DVirginiana]

Mine sheds a lot too... I'd want to see something other than that before I treated for chytrid though. Like maybe lethargy (haha.. that'd be difficult to tell) or decreased alertness or something.
Does yours know when it's going to shed ahead of time? Trevor will never eat on the day he's going to shed, then the next day he'll eat a lot. Maybe he's just saving space so he can eat his skin?

[demeteraurion]

I've did the lamisil treatment for my Rupert and it seemed to help him. He was shedding dark slimy shed and a few days after his treatment his shed was clearlike, it also helped his appetite.

[GrifTheGreat]

Sometimes he waits to eat sometimes he tries to eat while shedding. This is the first time that he's gone this long without eating. He is the first frog I've ever had n I get worried really easily when his behavior changes like that. I hope he doesn't have a impaction between his stomach and his intestines. He didn't eat last night either he didn't even try.

Before this week he would chase his crickets instead of waiting for them to come to him. He wouldn't stay in his hole. He buries himself when its time for him to rest during the day. I use a 50 watt daylight bulb n at night I use an infrared bulb of the same wattage. I also have a under tank heater but its not enough to keep it warm enough at night. Do I need to keep the temp at 80 or is 70 fine at night?

[demeteraurion]

I don't use any heating for night time and my room stays around 75-76. I think they can go as low as 68 at night.

[GrifTheGreat]

Grif still hasn't eaten anything. Its been almost 8 days since he's eaten. He doesn't even try but he seems fine. He buries himself and wakes up when his lights change. I'm really worried about. Him. He has never not eaten for this long. What should I do?

[demeteraurion]

Your frog sounds better than mine My frog doesn't even burrow he just wobbles around the tank and usually flips over. If you want you can try to gently open his mouth and place some food in and he just start eating it. That's what we have been doing for my frog. Just now I put two nightcrawlers in and my frog simply went to the other end of the tank! Its so frustrating!

[GrifTheGreat]

Mine is sleeping right now. He doesn't get up at all during the day. I'm just confused as to why all of a sudden he would just stop eating like that. What do I use to open his mouth?

[demeteraurion]

You can try a credit card or plastic spoon or something. I have my boyfriend do it for my frog, although he just coaxes his mouth open. we actually just fed him a worm and I managed to get some calcium mixture in an eye dropper into his mouth. I'm glad because he's been getting thin but now he looks plump. Does Grif seem thinner? Hope your frog eats soon!

[Guenhwyvar]

my frogs seem to only eat when the lights are out. They'll stay still when it's day, but pounce on the sleeping crickets at night. maybe it's the lights?

I was also wondering what the lamisil treatment is? My PCFs are immune to the fungus that's taking the frogs by storm, but pacman's aren't...Could someone explain that to me please?

[GrifTheGreat]

He didn't look thinner this morning. He also doesn't have a hard spot on either side. His belly is soft and squishy. So if he is impacted I can't tell. He usually isn't bothered by the red light when it comes to eating. He just changed all of a sudden. I've read about the Lamasil treatment. I've never actually put my Pacman through it. You can actually look it up online. Might be easier for you to get the full details of the treatment. Someone on here might be able to explain better than me.