Please Help, My New Tomato Frog Won't Eat

[Mikae3000]

I'm posting all of this from another frog forum I visit. No one is answering me there, so I'm going to try here as well. This has all been happening since Tuesday this week (It is now Friday). Thank you very, very much for any help you can offer me. >.<


WEDNESDAY
I'm probably posting this soon enough so it isn't an emergency (yet).

I just got my first frog, a tomato frog, on Tuesday afternoon (It's Thursday at 2am now) from Petco. I decided to rescued the poor thing since she had been there for about 2 months. They had reduced the price on the little one twice. I was planning on just ordering my tomatoes, but I just couldn't leave her at that store.

At any rate, I brought her home and let her rest from the transition for the night. I tried to feed her in the morning, but she wasn't interested in the cricket I set down near her. I tried the same at night, and again she didn't want to eat. I'm about to go to bed now, and I suppose I'll try to feed her again in the morning before work.

Here is more detailed information:

-Frog is probably 3-5 months old the best I can tell. Can't tell gender yet.
-Tank is a 20 gallon long with 2-3 inches substrate of coconut bark fiber stuff. A couple of live plants. 2 shallow water dishes. Hiding logs to hide in.
-Temperature stays around 70F at night and in the morning, and can get between 75-80F during the day. I try my best to keep the humidity around 70%--it has dropped to 50% at times though.
-Full spectrum CFL light I keep on during the day on one side of the tank. (I left this off completely on the first day)

On Wednesday morning I could see that she had gotten in both water dishes during the night, and had pooped as well. The waste looked solid yet moist. She buried herself, and I dug her out to try to feed her (in retrospect... bad idea most likely). In the evening she was hiding under a log tunnel, and I took her out to try and feed again (again... I'm wondering if I should have done this...). When I get my hand close to her she starts to breathe heavily it seems. Her sides and chin move in and out quite quickly like she is scared.

I feel I don't understand the process of feeding them as well yet. Should just put crickets in the tank and leave them? Right now I've just been offering her a single cricket both in some tongs, and then dropping it near her. I don't know if I should be worried, or what to do. I just don't want to mess up and kill her by not feeding her right. I want my froggy alive. ;-;

THURSDAY
Update:

She still hasn't eaten this morning. She was hanging out behind a log this morning. I moved her a little bit and tried to get her to eat a cricket again. She did seem a little less nervous, and she looked like she lunged at the cricket once, but didn't try again. She turned to look at it some too. I left 2 crickets inside her tank to see if she'll eat them while I'm gone to work. It's a 20 gallon tank though, so I fear she won't meet up with them to eat them.

Update:

Well, when I got home today, I couldn't find the two crickets I had left in there for her. I looked around the best I could. I don't think they could have escaped through the lid. I have no idea if crickets bury themselves or not. So, I'm hoping that maybe she ate them while I was gone. (This would be the method that Petco used, but the frogs are in tiny 5 gallon tanks with hardly any substrate then).

Anyways, I found her behind a log and set her on a moist paper towel and put a few red wigglers in front of her. She wasn't interested in them and hopped off. When I put my hand in near her, she puffed up at me and hissed. Maybe not the best reaction to get, but it's different from the hyperventilating/terrified stare reaction she's been giving me. I put a few more crickets in her tank, and then went out of the house for awhile.

I just got home. I've only spotted one cricket running around so far, but I haven't got in her tank again to look for them really. I'm just leaving her in peace at the moment. She's hiding inside a log thing right now. She does seem more... alert? Like she's more aware and less dazed/terrified now. Not sure. It may just be me and my human emotions thinking that.

FRIDAY
Update:

I found 2 of the crickets in her tank this afternoon afternoon out of the 3 I left inside there last evening. I moved her a bit and tried to feed her some red wigglers again with that Repti-cal stuff on them.... She seemed to be all super nervous and hyperventilating again. I tried a cricket also. She seem terrified of it to me. I took video of me trying to feed her to see if maybe that helps at all. I left those same 2 crickets in her tank, maybe they'll come to her and she'll eat them. She's hiding out inside a log again right now.

Video Link: Tomato Frog Won't Eat - YouTube

I am at such a loss at what to do. Please, I don't want my little one to die. >.<
Video Link Again: Tomato Frog Won't Eat - YouTube

[emandkel]

I am a newbie on keeping tomato frogs as well, but unless she is getting thin, I would not worry. The more you "mess" with it, the more stressed the frog is going to be and therefore more likely not to eat. Puffing up and/or hissing is defensive behavior. On the other hand, it may be stressed with all the additional room it has and you may want to either house the frog in a smaller setup or block part of it off so it can find and catch it's food easier.

Tomato frogs are diggers and will bury themselves. I have what I think is a young adult to adult male tomato frog that I purchased at a pet store as an adult/young adult. My setup is a 10-gallon aquarium with coconut fiber (about 2 - 3 inches deep) plus a couple fake plants, and a water bowl. Mine has never used the water bowl that I have seen at least. Mine mostly stays buried and I rarely see it out, even in the nightime (they are nocturnal frogs).

I put a few small crickets in every night. Sometimes one or more are gone by the next evening, sometimes not. I know he is still alive as his hole is usually under a fake plant and when I look under the plant, sometimes his nose or part of his head is visible, and he often moves just a little if "disturbed" in this way. Sometimes I can't see him as he completely burrows out of sight.

Also, if the frog hasn't been fed worms before, it may not eat them. I'd stick with whatever the pet store was feeding for a while until she settles in, then try new foods.

[DonLisk]

Your frog needs time to acclimate to the new home. It is very stressful for them to be packaged up and the dropped into some place unfamiliar.

Give the frog time to settle in. Usually one would make sure you have the right temps, humidity and the tank is ready for them. You want to limit how often you go into the tank or rearranging things. Provide a day night light cycle and have the tank in a low traffic, quiet area. Outside startling noises, people passing by, all will create stress and cause the frog to take longer to acclimate to the new home.

If you have a shallow round cereal or desert glass/ceramic bowl, use that to pur the crickets in and have the bowl sunk into the substrate so the frog can see them and get in and out easily.

relax, sometimes this process takes weeks and the more you relax the better off he will be.
Just watch weight and physical condition of the frog over this time.

[GrifTheGreat]

You are causing unnecessary stress. You should not handle her or move her during feeding. Stress will make them stop eating and can be fatal. She needs Time to be able to settle in to her home. I also think that right now the 20 gallon is too large and could also be causing stress. I do not own Tomato Frogs and am no expert, but there are many things you should not do and constant handling and disturbing a new frog while it adjusts to its new home is a definite no. All you should do is offer food and let the frog be for a day or 2 possibly longer.

Try not to disturb her and let her settle in.

[Mikae3000]

Okay, I've done as you've all suggested. I divided off half the tank (so there's 10 gallons now) and am just leaving the frog be. I put a couple crickets in last night, but they've climbed up the divider (it's cardboard), so I guess I'll have to find a different divider. I used a little dish to put some squash in so the crickets have something to eat instead of potentially biting the frog.

Thank you so very much for your help. I'll keep the forum updated of any changes. I'll just let her be for the next few days and weeks. Thank you so much. >.<

[GrifTheGreat]

Okay, I've done as you've all suggested. I divided off half the tank (so there's 10 gallons now) and am just leaving the frog be. I put a couple crickets in last night, but they've climbed up the divider (it's cardboard), so I guess I'll have to find a different divider. I used a little dish to put some squash in so the crickets have something to eat instead of potentially biting the frog.

Thank you so very much for your help. I'll keep the forum updated of any changes. I'll just let her be for the next few days and weeks. Thank you so much. >.<

You misunderstood what Don was saying. You place the crickets in a slick glass bowl that is small and sink it into the substrate. The crickets can't jump out of the glass dish because it is slick and therefore you'll know whether the frog has eaten any because the crickets can't escape to go hide.

Don't wait weeks just a couple to 3 days. If the frog doesn't eat soon you may have to force feed which I hope it doesn't come to that.

[Mikae3000]

You misunderstood what Don was saying. You place the crickets in a slick glass bowl that is small and sink it into the substrate. The crickets can't jump out of the glass dish because it is slick and therefore you'll know whether the frog has eaten any because the crickets can't escape to go hide.

Don't wait weeks just a couple to 3 days. If the frog doesn't eat soon you may have to force feed which I hope it doesn't come to that.

Ohhh, okay. I'll set that up then. I have a good glass bowl for it.

[kmichael55]

Glad you are getting vet attention, the panting/open mouth is definitely not a normal behavior. I lost a tomato frog I bought unhealthy from a pet store as well and they were quick to say they were not responsible for vet bills. Tomato frogs seem to be especially sensitive to stress especially from handling. I've read that to handle them even a few times without getting your hands wet (with bottled/treated water) can cause them infections. I try to never handle mine unless absolutely necessary, they're definitely not hands on pets. Personally, I put crickets in when they disappear and offer him a night crawler when I catch him above the moss layer. I rarely see him above ground. That said, good luck to you and your frog, you definitely care a lot about him and are trying everything you can to help.

[Mikae3000]

Sorry for the belated update, but I have good news to report.

I had a... crazy... time dealing with Petco throughout the week. They did NOT want to take my frog to the vet, and sadly he never got there. I'm done with Petco, period. However, Petco did keep the frog for a few days, and in that time... whatever was bothering him or making him sick was gone. The manager said that the frog wasn't breathing heavy anymore and was eating crickets fine--had fed him herself, and I could go pick him up if I wanted to. So, I went and brought him home again.

I don't know what happened, but it's almost like a different frog that I brought home (don't worry, it is the same frog as far as I can tell--they didn't switch one out on me). His breathing is normal and he keeps his mouth shut. He tried to hop away from me as I put him in his new 10 gallon terrarium.

I brought him home on Saturday, and I just let him rest all night without bothering him. That night he went on a hop-about around the cage, and got in his soaking dish and all. Then last night, Sunday night, I put in 2 dusted crickets. I watched for a bit, and one cricket got near where his head was poking out and he lunged at it quite ferociously. Sadly, he missed the little bugger, but this morning I can only find 1 cricket remaining in the terrarium. He didn't move from his little hole he's at over the night, but hey, as long as he ate and is happy, I'm happy.

The only thing I can figure that maybe could have caused the odd behavior besides stress (although I already mentioned that the odd behavior began when I brought him home) is that I was having a heck of a time keeping the humidity in his terrarium before. I would keep the percentage up, but I'd have to spray so much in the tank as the humidity kept getting sucked out. Finally, while he was at Petco, I figured out that it was my ceiling fan sucking the humidity out. So, now I turn that off and that keeps the humidity steady in his terrarium a lot better. (Now I'm having trouble keeping the temperature in my room down. =/ ) I know a bit off topic here, but does anyone know how to perhaps better keep the humidity percentage up in a terrarium? It's just a basic metal screen and my water bottle.

Anyways, thank you very, very much for your help and putting up with my newbishness. I greatly appreciate your time and care, and I will work to be a better frog owner. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[GrifTheGreat]

You can cover 3/4 of the screen top with Sarah Wrap or buy some plexiglass and do the same, but if you're using a heat lamp leave a large enough gap in the center of the tank for your light to shine into the tank if no lamp is being used then the gap can be smaller.

Drill holes in the plexiglass dodge gets proper air circulation. With the Saran Wrap cut rectangular holes in both sides of the Saran Wrap over the warm and cool side.

If you are really having trouble then do the above suggestion and buy a Reptifogger and hook it up to a timer to periodically come on and off throughout the day.