New pacman frog owner! I think my froggie is sick :(

[Misschievou2]

Hello everyone!

I hope I can get some advice on my new pet frog. I just purchased this pacman frog at petco about a week and a half ago. He isn't really eating very well in my opinion. I have to force feed him night crawlers. For the past two days he has been puffed up with or without me holding him. Also when I was holding him I noticed on his right side puff I can see a semi digested night crawler through his skin. Is this normal? I am worried he is sick. The person at petco said that young pacman frogs eat once a day but my frog is such a poor eater - was I miss-informed? Is their a good website that has consistent information that I can read? Thank you!

[Wizzlewuzzle]

If you can answer the questions in the "trouble in the enclosure" sticky that'll give everyone the info they need to give you some excellent advice. There are all kinds of possible reasons why a frog may not be eating well. Some are no biggie (getting used to its new environment), while others may be due to illness or to problems with the tank setup. If you have any pictures to upload of your new frog and its tank, that would be helpful too.

[DVirginiana]

Are you dechlorinating the frog's water? (for soaking, misting, water dish, and expanding its bedding) That's a common cause for frogs bloating up. If you haven't been using dechlorinated water, you need to get either dechlorinator+deaminator (you can use the kind you would for a fish aquarium) or if it'd be quicker, a gallon of spring water. It has to be spring water, not just bottled. And let the frog soak in that, luke warm, for 10 minutes or so while you're supervising it. No deeper than chin height. You can put repti-boost or a couple drops of honey in the water as well. If the frog has not pooed in awhile, that will help it go.

Still answer the questions from the trouble in the enclosure sticky though. Just wanted to go ahead and recommend a soak since that's a good go-to treatment for lots of problems and doesn't stress the frog too much.

[Misschievou2]

Where can I find this trouble in the enclosure sticky? I am having difficulty finding it. And i'll go ahead and take some pictures

[Misschievou2]

Here is my set up. I have a 20 gallon glass tank split in half. One half is albino GALS which are Giant African Land Snails. And the side in question is the one with my pacman frog. He is currently sitting on soaked coconut fibers. I did give him a honey water bath last night for 30 minutes. He is still very bloated and unhappy. I will go to the store and get the de-chlorine drops today because I have been using tap water. Also where can I find this sticky you guys want me to fill out?

[sobo2gego]

Hello everyone!

I hope I can get some advice on my new pet frog. I just purchased this pacman frog at petco about a week and a half ago. He isn't really eating very well in my opinion. I have to force feed him night crawlers. For the past two days he has been puffed up with or without me holding him. Also when I was holding him I noticed on his right side puff I can see a semi digested night crawler through his skin. Is this normal? I am worried he is sick. The person at petco said that young pacman frogs eat once a day but my frog is such a poor eater - was I miss-informed? Is their a good website that has consistent information that I can read? Thank you!

Not to be rude, but for one, you honestly shouldnt be holding your frog. That could be one reason hes puffing up. The oils on your hands could be harming him, and it stresses them out, which could be why hes not eating. Due to your writing, it sounds like you hold him constantly, so thats most likley why.

If you want a pet to hold and play around with, this is not for you. These frogs are meant to be looked at through its tank, just like you would a fish tank.

This is my guess why your frog is having problems, but there could be other reasons.

[Misschievou2]

Not to be rude, but for one, you honestly shouldnt be holding your frog. That could be one reason hes puffing up. The oils on your hands could be harming him, and it stresses them out, which could be why hes not eating. Due to your writing, it sounds like you hold him constantly, so thats most likley why.

If you want a pet to hold and play around with, this is not for you. These frogs are meant to be looked at through its tank, just like you would a fish tank.

This is my guess why your frog is having problems, but there could be other reasons.

Good point. I'll be more careful not to hold him. I thought it would help him get used to humans but I misunderstood.

[GrifTheGreat]

"Trouble in the Enclosure" is the first thread under the pacman section: http://www.frogforum.net/pacman-frog...enclosure.html

You need to get the De-Chlorinator ASAP! Your frog has Tox-Out Syndromn (aka "toxing out"). The severe bloating and lack of appetite are symptoms of this. Basically, the chlorine and other chemicals in the water are building up inside the frog. If left untreated, his organs will shut down one by one and he WILL die. It is a slow and painful death. If you fix the water immediately he will most likely recover. When you get the De-chlorinator, soak the frog in lukewarm de-chlorinated water like DVirginiana said. This will help wash any residual untreated water off of him. You need to make new substrate using de-chlorinated water to expand it and change his water dish.

On other notes: You should still go ahead and answer the trouble in the enclosure questions. Read the pacman care sheet if you have not already done so.

No you should not be holding him except when necessary.

Is that divider glued down and sealed? It is hard to tell from the pictures but it looks like it is just set in there. If it is not firmly attached then it needs to be. Many people have had issues with the frog getting over/under/around a divider and attacking whatever frog is on the other side.

It would be best to get rid of those other decorations. When the frog is bigger it is possible that he could swallow one of them. As far as decor goes, all Pacs need for a comfortable home is a water dish and a fake plant or possible a hide (such as a half log).

Keep us posted.

[Misschievou2]

"Trouble in the Enclosure" is the first thread under the pacman section: http://www.frogforum.net/pacman-frog...enclosure.html

You need to get the De-Chlorinator ASAP! Your frog has Tox-Out Syndromn (aka "toxing out"). The severe bloating and lack of appetite are symptoms of this. Basically, the chlorine and other chemicals in the water are building up inside the frog. If left untreated, his organs will shut down one by one and he WILL die. It is a slow and painful death. If you fix the water immediately he will most likely recover. When you get the De-chlorinator, soak the frog in lukewarm de-chlorinated water like DVirginiana said. This will help wash any residual untreated water off of him. You need to make new substrate using de-chlorinated water to expand it and change his water dish.

On other notes: You should still go ahead and answer the trouble in the enclosure questions. Read the pacman care sheet if you have not already done so.

No you should not be holding him except when necessary.

Is that divider glued down and sealed? It is hard to tell from the pictures but it looks like it is just set in there. If it is not firmly attached then it needs to be. Many people have had issues with the frog getting over/under/around a divider and attacking whatever frog is on the other side.

It would be best to get rid of those other decorations. When the frog is bigger it is possible that he could swallow one of them. As far as decor goes, all Pacs need for a comfortable home is a water dish and a fake plant or possible a hide (such as a half log).

Keep us posted.

Thank you so much for helping me. I think the pacman frog is such a unique and beautiful creature and I am more than happy to do what I need to do to treat him. I've only had a week with him/her and I partially blame petco for selling the creature and NOT telling me the right information/all the information to care for him. It is partially my fault for not doing more research. I am glad I found this forum of helpful frog experts.

1. Size of enclosure - 20 gallons
2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences - one pacman frog. and the other side is GALS. with a divider which I will glue.
3. Humidity - tropical
4. Temperature - 75 - 80
5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish Now newly de-chlorinated water.
6. Materials used for substrate coconut fibers
7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials. removing items from land besides watering dish
- How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv.
8. Main food source grasshoppers, earthworms.
9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often) calcium twice a week with d3
10. Lighting small lighting lamp overhead
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure - temperature gauge on wall
12. When is the last time he/she ate - yesterday morning
13. Have you found poop lately - Not that I know of.
14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine)
15. How old is the frog - 2 months
16. How long have you owned him/her - 1 week.
17. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred - captive bred
18. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats - fairly diverse.
19. How often the frog is handled - daily but i'll change this.
20. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area - just inhabited in my room.
21. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc) - water changes once a week. spritsing twice a day. cleaning once a week

Can you direct me where I can find this pacman care sheet? I have one from petco but it was VERY vague. I could use all the information I need.

Also. I JUST redid all the de-chlor in the substrate, his dish, and my mist bottle. I noticed that his mouth is constantly open and he is still bloated. I put him in a watering dish with a little honey and a drop of the dechlor drops. How can I speed up this process? I am worried. He has been bloated for about 24 hrs and I don't want him to croak on me.

also. if he doesn't eat should I force him to? How long should i dangle the worm infront of him to eat or call it a day? sure i want him to eat but for him to eat a worm should it take 30 minutes? Once a day for young pacman frogs right? or twice?

Thank you so much for helping me. I feel like I am asking a million questions and you've been very patient and answered all my questions and i really appreciate it.

[GrifTheGreat]

If you used regular water to expand the substrate you will have to change it immediately and replace it with new that has been moistened with de-chlorinated water. Also he needs daytime temps 80° to 83° and night temps of 75° to 79°, but you'll want to hover around 78° at night. Humidity MUST be 75% to 80%. He also needs a day/night cycle of 12 hours of day and 12 of night and these frogs are nocturnal so they are active at night which is when you want to feed him. He is sick and very bloated. You will need to make sure that all water used is de-chlorinated from now on. So you must either buy all natural spring water or use a de-chlorinating agent like Prime or ReptiSafe when using tap water. DO NOT use distilled water or filtered water.

[GrifTheGreat]

Also water must be changed no less than every 2 days and needs to be changed every time the frog enters the water no exceptions.

[Wizzlewuzzle]

im sorry grif i was under the impreason that you could use distilled water to mist the tank is that wrong?

That's correct, you can use distilled for misting (keeps the glass/plastic from getting cruddy). Now I can never seem to mist without getting a little on my frog, and since I'm excessively paranoid, I use dechlorinated tap water for misting too. That's just me and my paranoia, though.

[DVirginiana]

Like Grif said, the divider needs to be secured in the tank, not just sat on the substrate... But IMO you should get a new small tank for the snails and remove them completely from your frog's habitat. Even if the snails aren't toxic to you, they are constantly secreting mucus from their skin that may be harmful to your frog. Snails and slugs can be highly toxic to reptiles and amphibians, especially if they do not naturally exist in the same area. All frogs also secrete toxins from their skin which can be harmful to other animals.
It's a bad idea to keep two species that both secrete toxins together, especially since both of them can also absorb toxins through their skin. With that setup, there's no way you'll be able to go the entire life of your animals without ever having cross-contamination. If I were you I'd remove the snails and the bedding and sterilize the whole tank just to be safe.

Not trying to nag, you definitely want to deal with the tox problem first! Just thought I'd mention it. I've had a snake get very ill and regurgitate just from eating a pinky that I had offered to my frog, and heard several horror stories of people feeding snail-eating animals the incorrect species.

[GrifTheGreat]

D makes a good point. Snails can carry nematodes which intern may infect the frog. The last thing that frog needs right now is a parasite.