Pac Man Ate Poop

[Joe9252]

So this morning when i left for work i noticed that my pac did a little morning sunshine in the corner of his tank well i just got home and i notice that it is gone and i cant find it in the tank anywhere.... perhaps he ate it idk I know they have been known to eat anything so is this possible? If so is it bad that he ate it?

[GrifTheGreat]

So this morning when i left for work i noticed that my pac did a little morning sunshine in the corner of his tank well i just got home and i notice that it is gone and i cant find it in the tank anywhere.... perhaps he ate it idk I know they have been known to eat anything so is this possible? If so is it bad that he ate it?

Are you sure no one else removed it? Like another family member? Was he buried where he pooped? They will squish it into the substrate if the burrow back into the substrate where they pooped. Did you leave any food items like a cricket in the tank. Something that could have crawled on the poop and ate the poop while trying to catch the cricket? When you see poop always remove it right away. Leaving it in their can cause bacteria and fungal growth. If he ate it then it was definetly by accident. He may become sick if he did. It is definetly not good. You may need to take him to a vet and get some antibiotics. Be positive that he ate it though.

Please note that your frog would not eat its own poop purposely. it is an inanimate mass of waste. The will eat items that they know are food, but most of their feeding responce is to movement or touch. So this was not a intended act if indeed it did occur.

Keep us posted.

[Niels D]

I've had the same thing going on with my pac. I've also heard that a friends pac did the same thing. We both feed our pacs with tweezers and there were no living food items in the tank, so it can't be that he accidentely ate his feces together with a cockroach. We both found it to be quite strange, but we've never found an explenation for it other than it being an accident.

[GrifTheGreat]

I've had the same thing going on with my pac. I've also heard that a friends pac did the same thing. We both feed our pacs with tweezers and there were no living food items in the tank, so it can't be that he accidentely ate his feces together with a cockroach. We both found it to be quite strange, but we've never found an explenation for it other than it being an accident.

That is not normal behavior. Do you guys dust their food items with vitamins and calcium? Dogs do it due to lack of nutrition, but I have never heard of Pacman frogs accidentally eating their own fecies or even on purpose. Mine don't do that and I know no others that don't do it either. Non of the breeders on here speak of such an act occuring either. It is not normal. From now on it would be very smart to remove it when you see it like you're supposed to do. Its unsanitary and if your having problems with your Pac eating it then your risking your frogs life and well being. I would advise your friend to do the same. Just letting it happen is wrong.

[Joe9252]

well its been 2 day since i think my pac ate his own poop and since then he prob hasnt eaten in about 3-4 days which is not like him at all also he is def not should norm behavior it norm goes cray when i try to pick him up and tonight he just chilled and relaxed as i placed him in his watering dish i was wondering if i should soak him in some warm water and honey i just didnt know #1 how much honey and #2 should i do this in his water bowl so he doesnt get stressed when i move him or should i do it in a separate smaller keeper this way he does make a mess?? #3 for how long do i soak him?

[GrifTheGreat]

Just put a couple of drops of honey in lukewarm de-chlorinated water. You can do this in his water dish or in a seperate bowl. He will be less stressed in his own enclosure, but he may not stay in his water dish for long. Soak him for 10-15 minutes. Keep us posted.

[Niels D]

That is not normal behavior. Do you guys dust their food items with vitamins and calcium? Dogs do it due to lack of nutrition, but I have never heard of Pacman frogs accidentally eating their own fecies or even on purpose. Mine don't do that and I know no others that don't do it either. Non of the breeders on here speak of such an act occuring either. It is not normal. From now on it would be very smart to remove it when you see it like you're supposed to do. Its unsanitary and if your having problems with your Pac eating it then your risking your frogs life and well being. I would advise your friend to do the same. Just letting it happen is wrong.

Yup, we dust food items with vitamins and calcium. I even have UVB-light in the tank. I breed my own roaches and I'm feeding them very nurticious food. It's happened just once, but I'm certain that this one time he ate his poop, because there's no other explanation for the feces to disappear. It happende a month after we got him, when he still was a juvenile. He's CB in 2010. Shortly after we got him he also had red leg, but we treated him succesfully. I've asked a lot of more experienced keepers what could cause this, but nobody knew. All I found out wat that another keeper experienced the same thing with his own pac.

It never happened again and now he's a healthy pac with a diameter of more than 10 cm. When my gastrotheca starts to call he sometimes answers it. I have no intentions breeding C.cranwelli though. I allready breed enough other animals, especially newts and salamanders, but I just love to have a pac in the living room. Pacs are totally wicked :P

[GrifTheGreat]

Yup, we dust food items with vitamins and calcium. I even have UVB-light in the tank. I breed my own roaches and I'm feeding them very nurticious food. It's happened just once, but I'm certain that this one time he ate his poop, because there's no other explanation for the feces to disappear. It happende a month after we got him, when he still was a juvenile. He's CB in 2010. Shortly after we got him he also had red leg, but we treated him succesfully. I've asked a lot of more experienced keepers what could cause this, but nobody knew. All I found out wat that another keeper experienced the same thing with his own pac.

It never happened again and now he's a healthy pac with a diameter of more than 10 cm. When my gastrotheca starts to call he sometimes answers it. I have no intentions breeding C.cranwelli though. I allready breed enough other animals, especially newts and salamanders, but I just love to have a pac in the living room. Pacs are totally wicked :P

You need to get rid of that UVB light. They are too bright for Pacmans and can damage their eyes. UVB is used to help animals produce Vitamin D3 naturally and Pacmans don't need it because they get D3 from supplements you provide via food dusting. UVB lights are bad for Pacmans and I strongly recomend you use incandescent bulbs. Also you need a lamp that has a dimmer switch so that you can accurately control the amount of light and heat coming from the bulb. A Daylight Blue full spectrum bulb can be used but i s not necissary. Preferably a basking light that has a concentrated beam. This way you can keep the enclosure warm without having the dimmer switch turned up high and it provides plenty of light. Provide some cover with a fake plant. What are your temps and humidity levels? If he doesn't eat soon you may have to take him to a vet. Eating his own waste can make him very sick.

Keep us posted.

[Niels D]

It isn't a bulb, it's a long glass tube (don't know the English name) and I've allready got a dimmer on it. It doesn't emmit much warmth and it really isn't bright. A breeder I know uses the same light. For heating I use a keramic bulb in combination with another dimmer. It's almost 1.5 years ago when he ate his own feces (just one time), so I think worrying about that incident is a waste of time at this moment. My pac is eating well and is doing fine. I've provided enough hides and there are several plants in his enclosure. I'm also not a beginner so I appreciate your concerns, but believe me that it's not necessary. I never mentioned that he doesn't eat anymore, because he never had any problems eating btw.

[Joe9252]

well i tried soaking him and nothing idk maybe he didnt eat it i just know its gone and he has been acting odd no matter what i do he wont eat he loves fuzzys and i left one in the tank for about 15 mins and the fuzzy was legit crawling over him and nothing didnt even moved idk last time i had a problem like this i left him in the basement for a few days in an area where no one would pass and it helped idk might do that again also i dont have any backdrops around the sides of the tank, never did beucase i have 2 heat pads on the side should i go get one tom and put it around the tank? it never seemed like an issue before... so frankly idk what do to do i just know that its beena good 4-5 days since he as eaten and i personally dont want to force feed him but i also dont know if it has gotten to that point yet???

[GrifTheGreat]

well i tried soaking him and nothing idk maybe he didnt eat it i just know its gone and he has been acting odd no matter what i do he wont eat he loves fuzzys and i left one in the tank for about 15 mins and the fuzzy was legit crawling over him and nothing didnt even moved idk last time i had a problem like this i left him in the basement for a few days in an area where no one would pass and it helped idk might do that again also i dont have any backdrops around the sides of the tank, never did beucase i have 2 heat pads on the side should i go get one tom and put it around the tank? it never seemed like an issue before... so frankly idk what do to do i just know that its beena good 4-5 days since he as eaten and i personally dont want to force feed him but i also dont know if it has gotten to that point yet???

He may be sick. If he did indeed eat his own fecies that is probably what made him sick. Also I need to ask if both heat pads arw on the same end of the tank? They need a temp gradient so they can deside whether they want to be warm of cool. Keeping both sides warm and having no cool side can cause stress. There should always be a warm side and cool side. Also if the last meal he ate for you was a pinky or fuzzy he may be constipated. They can't digest mammalian tissues easily and they should only be given to them once a month, no more than that. You may have to seek vet treatment. Let him be for another day, but keep a close eye on him. Do you use de-chlorinated water?

If it comes down to life or death you will have to force feed. If you truely want to save him when it comes right down to it you may have to. I've had to do it and its not that bad.

Keep us posted.

[GrifTheGreat]

It isn't a bulb, it's a long glass tube (don't know the English name) and I've allready got a dimmer on it. It doesn't emmit much warmth and it really isn't bright. A breeder I know uses the same light. For heating I use a keramic bulb in combination with another dimmer. It's almost 1.5 years ago when he ate his own feces (just one time), so I think worrying about that incident is a waste of time at this moment. My pac is eating well and is doing fine. I've provided enough hides and there are several plants in his enclosure. I'm also not a beginner so I appreciate your concerns, but believe me that it's not necessary. I never mentioned that he doesn't eat anymore, because he never had any problems eating btw.

That's my fault. I read the post wrong.:P I thought you said that yours wasn't eating either. I went back through and read it again. The long glass tube is a fluorescent light bulb. All UVB lights are fluorescent. I guess that since its not very bright and he has plenty of cover that it should cause no problems. Especially since he is an older and has been under it for so long without issue. They do benefit from 4 to 6 hours a day of UVB light and full spectrum light, but they aren't necissary and most Fluorescent bulbs are way to bright.

Did you make the dimmer yourself or is it specially made for these types of bulbs? Usually lamps with dimmer switches aren't compatible with fluorescent lights. I believe their is some sort of hazard that can occur if they aren't compatible. Not sure what it is because they don't go into detail. Mine are not compatible with anything but infrared/incandescent bulbs/ and ceramic heat emitters. Sorry about the misunderstanding.

[Niels D]

No problem. I'm doing my best to make myself clear in Englisch, but grammar and such differs a lot compared to the Dutch language. You're right in any case. It's a fluorescent light bulb and it's active for 3 hours a day. I use a lot of timers and dimmers for all my animals. The bulb looks a lot like this bulb: 2.0 UVB 13W 15W 24W 26W Spiral UVB Reptile CFL Bulb - Sprial, 2.0 UVB 13W 15W 24W 26W Spiral UVB Reptile CFL Bulb Manufacturer - Nanjing High-line Lighting Co. I believe it's called a CFL, but I'm not sure. You need special dimmers fot this kind of bulb, but they should be available everywhere. I use the old fashioned dimmer for the ceramic heat emitters.

You didn't have too say you're sorry of course. Maybe my post sounded a bit harsh, but I tried not to make it sound that way. Apparantly I failed to do so, but hey... blame it on the fact for me being Dutch! It would be nice though if someone could solve the mystery of the "Poop eating Pac", because I've discussed it with two friends of mine, a biolegist and a vet, but they were puzzled, just like everyone on this forum.

[Joe9252]

well he seemed better today it was actually but and then i put a night crawler in my tank he lunged at missed and then just went back into his little hole

[GrifTheGreat]

well he seemed better today it was actually but and then i put a night crawler in my tank he lunged at missed and then just went back into his little hole

Sometimes they get discouraged if they miss and get a mouth full of substrate. Have you tried tong feeding him? If not you should. Keeps them from ingesting a lot of substrate. I would try again later.

Keep me posted.

[GrifTheGreat]

No problem. I'm doing my best to make myself clear in Englisch, but grammar and such differs a lot compared to the Dutch language. You're right in any case. It's a fluorescent light bulb and it's active for 3 hours a day. I use a lot of timers and dimmers for all my animals. The bulb looks a lot like this bulb: 2.0 UVB 13W 15W 24W 26W Spiral UVB Reptile CFL Bulb - Sprial, 2.0 UVB 13W 15W 24W 26W Spiral UVB Reptile CFL Bulb Manufacturer - Nanjing High-line Lighting Co. I believe it's called a CFL, but I'm not sure. You need special dimmers fot this kind of bulb, but they should be available everywhere. I use the old fashioned dimmer for the ceramic heat emitters.

You didn't have too say you're sorry of course. Maybe my post sounded a bit harsh, but I tried not to make it sound that way. Apparantly I failed to do so, but hey... blame it on the fact for me being Dutch! It would be nice though if someone could solve the mystery of the "Poop eating Pac", because I've discussed it with two friends of mine, a biolegist and a vet, but they were puzzled, just like everyone on this forum.

Lol! I'm not going to blame it on the fact that your Dutch. Grammer from Dutch to English I can see being difficult. English is supposed to be one of the hardest languages to learn so it isn't your fault. There are even people that speak English who can't write in their own language Lol!

Before this thread I have never heard of a Pacman eating their own fecies. Its unnatural behavior. Not to mention it doesn't even look like a food item to them. Its inanimate. I'm bafflled by this and really don't know what to advise other than keeping an eye on him and seek vet treatment if he becomes ill from it. Keep trying to feed him. That's all I can advise on this.

[Joe9252]

ok so now may pac is going crazy perhaps the most odd behavior i have seen since i have got him he is bouncing all around the tank trying to like climb out ive never seen so much movement from hiim and he is legit staring at me pacing back and forth i think maybe he is now going so hungry cuz he hasnt eat in like like 5 days I dont know what to do i have nothing to feed him at all and it doesnt make sense cuz i tried feeding him a night crawler about hrs ago anf he wouldnt go near it he is legit going crazy what should i do?

ive also noticed these red areas on him what could his be he has to other areas on his back

[GrifTheGreat]

ok so now may pac is going crazy perhaps the most odd behavior i have seen since i have got him he is bouncing all around the tank trying to like climb out ive never seen so much movement from hiim and he is legit staring at me pacing back and forth i think maybe he is now going so hungry cuz he hasnt eat in like like 5 days I dont know what to do i have nothing to feed him at all and it doesnt make sense cuz i tried feeding him a night crawler about hrs ago anf he wouldnt go near it he is legit going crazy what should i do?

ive also noticed these red areas on him what could his be he has to other areas on his back

There is something wrong with your enclosure. He is trying to get out and is severely stressed. How long has it been since you changed his substrate and did you expand the substrate with de-chlorinated water?

[Joe9252]

There is something wrong with your enclosure. He is trying to get out and is severely stressed. How long has it been since you changed his substrate and did you expand the substrate with de-chlorinated water?

what could be wrong with it??? this behavior has come out of no where he wont eat i tried giving him another night crawler just now and nothing it makes no sense at all i last changed his substrate about a week and a half ago i do it about every 2 weeks i use de-chlorinated water i have been doing nothing different since i 1st got him temp right now is 75 humidity is around the same i honestly give up idk what to do at this point and its just gettin really frustrating

[Niels D]

It looks like an infection, but I don't know for sure of course. I really suggest you take him to a (specialised) vet. If it's an infection you'll probably get some antibiotics.

I've had a simular problem shortly after I got him, as mentioned in this topic, but after the treatment everything went to normal within 2 weeks.