My pacman frog is not eating and seems weak

[Mistahgurgle]

Hey guys, i found this forums when researching whats wrong with my pacman frog. He hasn't eating in 3-4 weeks now. my girlfriend usually keeps Mr. Green(The frog) for me. This started after he went into hibernation, because my girlfriend went on a week vacation. After she came back i told her to put Mr. Green in the water bowl and he will start moving again. shortly after he ate his skin, he would not eat. i figured that it may just be because he is not ready yet, but a couple weeks went by and he is still not eating. i also think that he may be impacted from being feed super worms. Also his lower jaw seems to be protruding out more that the upper jaw. i attached the pic showing his mouth. I am keeping Mr, green now and the humidity is 80%+ the temp is 75+, iam getting a digital thermostat to keep his temp more consistently around 80. I would like some input as to what is wrong with Mr. Green.


Thanks
Mitahgurgle

[GrifTheGreat]

Hello and welcome to frog Forum.

Sadly your frog has a very bad case of MBD(Metabolic bone disease) this is why he has such a large underbite. From the clamy appearance I'd say that he still has some skin layers to shed. It is recommended that any frog under 1 year of age not be allowed to aestivate because their can be complications that may lead to death. Also if inexperienced in performing a proper aestivation through conditioning the frog may die.

Anyway from the look of your frog you need to take him to a Herp Vet immediately. It is possible to save him, but sadly any damage from MBD is irreversable. The bones may begin to harden, but the distortion will remain. If he was not given supplements with his food like Calcium powder with Vitamin D3 and a Multivitamin powder then it would explain the MBD.
Do you have any Herp Vets located near you?

[GrifTheGreat]

I will also add that superworms are bad for Pacman Frogs. Although less dangerous than mealworms they still contain a large amount of chitin that cannot be digested by the frog and can lead to an impaction(severe intestinal blockage) which can lead to death. If you can go out and buy some Unflavored Pedialyte and prepare a luke warm bath of de-chlorinated water no deeper than up to the frog's chin. The mixture should be at a 10 to 1 ratio so for every 10 ounces luke warm de-chlorinated water add 1 ounce Unflavored pedialyte. Soak the frog for 20 minutes and then return it back to its enclosure. Keep him warm. Try and keep temps at around 79° or 80° tonight. He needs a consistant climate.

Answer these questions. http://www.frogforum.net/pacman-frog...enclosure.html

[Mistahgurgle]

Hello and welcome to frog Forum.

Sadly your frog has a very bad case of MBD(Metabolic bone disease) this is why he has such a large underbite. From the clamy appearance I'd say that he still has some skin layers to shed. It is recommended that any frog under 1 year of age not be allowed to aestivate because their can be complications that may lead to death. Also if inexperienced in performing a proper aestivation through conditioning the frog may die.

Anyway from the look of your frog you need to take him to a Herp Vet immediately. It is possible to save him, but sadly any damage from MBD is irreversable. The bones may begin to harden, but the distortion will remain. If he was not given supplements with his food like Calcium powder with Vitamin D3 and a Multivitamin powder then it would explain the MBD.
Do you have any Herp Vets located near you?

Iam not sure if i have any herp vets near me, but i will look into that.

As for the calcium powder, i have coated crickets with the powder when he was younger, but i stop using crickets and went to super worms because they lasted longer. When i began to use the super worms i stopped using that calcium powder.

I will go get some Unflavored Pedialyte tonight and prepare a bath for him.

thanks
Mistahgurgle

[Mistahgurgle]

. Size of enclosure
2. # of inhabitants - just 1
3. Humidity - 80%+
4. Temperature-75+
5. Water - type -tap water, use stress coat to declorintate
6. Materials used for substrate-exo terra plantation soail
7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials. just a piece of tree bark
- How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv. Not sure what this is
8. Main food source-crikets/superworms
9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often) calcium twice a week, but stopped after switching to superworms
10. Lighting- only my room light.
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure - undertank heater
12. When is the last time he/she ate 3-4 weeks ago
13. Have you found poop lately - no
14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine) - look at earlier post
15. How old is the frog-around not sure had him for about 8 months
16. How long have you owned him/her - 8 months
17. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred - bought from pets marts so not sure
18. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats - did not give the frog any treats besides just his crikets
19. How often the frog is handled- only when cleaning the tank
20. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area- low
21. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc) mist a couple times a day and keep his bowl filled at all times. changed substrate once a week.



also could i use a uv light to warm up the enclosure some more, i can't crank up the voltage on my under tank heater until i get my digital thermostat. the temp just above the soil is reading 75 and i do not have a temp probe to measure the temp in the soil.

thanks
Mistahgurgle

[DVirginiana]

The issue may not just be impaction... If he was eating before he started to estivate, that food is just sitting in his system and has probably started to rot. I had to deal with a similar issue after getting my frog back from being 'taken care of' by someone else. Still has problems, but they're manageable. If there is food rotting in his system, toxins can build up. This can be fatal or cause permanent problems. Toxins can cause neurological problems, and the blockage can damage the digestive tract. When he starts eating again WATCH HIM carefully. For several weeks after, my frog reacted badly to eating pretty much anything, bloating up and needing 'detox' soaks an hour or two after every meal.

How reactive is he? Does it look like he's having a hard time trying to get that skin off? Just thinking, he's probably very weak and with the MBD that might make it hard to get it off.

Normally I'd say you should look into force-feeding for a frog that hasn't eaten in a month, but that's very stressful for an already weak frog. Also, if he's impacted you don't want to make that worse... Maybe someone else will have better advice on that.

Like Grif said, herp vet would be the best option if possible. If you don't have experience with frogs this is a pretty bad case to work with without help...

[DVirginiana]

Is your UTH under the tank? If it is, remove it and put it on the side. Pacs burrow to get cool, and they aren't smart enough to realize that the heat source is under them, since it never would be in the wild. They just keep pushing closer to the bottom of the tank trying to get cooler but actually getting warmer.

[GrifTheGreat]

. Size of enclosure
2. # of inhabitants - just 1
3. Humidity - 80%+
4. Temperature-75+
5. Water - type -tap water, use stress coat to declorintate
6. Materials used for substrate-exo terra plantation soail
7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials. just a piece of tree bark
- How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv. Not sure what this is
8. Main food source-crikets/superworms
9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often) calcium twice a week, but stopped after switching to superworms
10. Lighting- only my room light.
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure - undertank heater
12. When is the last time he/she ate 3-4 weeks ago
13. Have you found poop lately - no
14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine) - look at earlier post
15. How old is the frog-around not sure had him for about 8 months
16. How long have you owned him/her - 8 months
17. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred - bought from pets marts so not sure
18. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats - did not give the frog any treats besides just his crikets
19. How often the frog is handled- only when cleaning the tank
20. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area- low
21. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc) mist a couple times a day and keep his bowl filled at all times. changed substrate once a week.



also could i use a uv light to warm up the enclosure some more, i can't crank up the voltage on my under tank heater until i get my digital thermostat. the temp just above the soil is reading 75 and i do not have a temp probe to measure the temp in the soil.

thanks
Mistahgurgle

Is it UVB? It should be fine temporarely. UVB also stimulates the production of Vitamin D3, but with no calcium to metabolize it wont help with the MBD. Use the light for day, but not night. Make him comfortable. If you can also buy a space heater and use it to heat the room hes in.

[Lija]

my god, that is bad, really bad ((((((((( on top of what was said the frog seems to be very small for 8month old, but there's nothing really to compare, i might be wrong. although with MBD that bad it would explain the size.....

please do what you were advised, but you need to take a frog to a vet asap, you won't be able to deal with that on your own, that is very bad case to deal with even for experienced keeper.

[DVirginiana]

the frog seems to be very small for 8month old, but there's nothing really to compare, i might be wrong. although with MBD that bad it would explain the size.....

The picture of Trevor in my avatar was somewhere between 7 to 9 months. A male probably would be a little smaller.

[Mistahgurgle]

I have him in the pedialyte bath right now, i also moved the uth to side of the tank. I will be calling the vet places around me to see if they also serve pac man frogs.

it is a UVB. Now he is not really reactive only really moving when i pick him up to put him into baths and such.


Thanks all for your inputs
mistahgurgle

[Bruce]

Oh gosh... That's a bad case of MBD if I've ever seen one. Your best bet is to take him to a vet and basically do whatever Grif tells you to at this point... The best advice however has already been given

I'm wishing the best for him!

[DeeDub]

Sad. Never should get this bad. Sorry to say but I would consider putting your pet down. The vet isn't going to reverse what's happened. You're just going to flush money down the toilet. Take it to the vet, but I'd imagine the vet will recommend euthanasia.

[GrifTheGreat]

Sad. Never should get this bad. Sorry to say but I would consider putting your pet down. The vet isn't going to reverse what's happened. You're just going to flush money down the toilet. Take it to the vet, but I'd imagine the vet will recommend euthanasia.

Sadly you are right DeeDub, but it is better a vet euthanizes the frog rather than a in home attempt.

[DeeDub]

I agree...... I feel bad for the frog and the OP.

[GrifTheGreat]

I agree...... I feel bad for the frog and the OP.

As do I

[Bruce]

it's just such an advanced case... I really agree and think that's what the vet will suggest... I feel so bad

[Mistahgurgle]

Well guys i talked to a vet and sent them pictures since i could not go in person with Mr green. The vet told me that there isn't much that she could do to help since it was such a advanced case. and the damages will be permanent. She suggested that he be put down to stop his suffering and that is what we did.

I feel really sad, but i also understand that this happened because i was not diligent enough in checking on Mr green when iam not at her house. I only come back to town once a month for a weekend.

I want to thank all those that gave me advice.

Thanks
Mistahgurgle

[GrifTheGreat]

Well guys i talked to a vet and sent them pictures since i could not go in person with Mr green. The vet told me that there isn't much that she could do to help since it was such a advanced case. and the damages will be permanent. She suggested that he be put down to stop his suffering and that is what we did.

I feel really sad, but i also understand that this happened because i was not diligent enough in checking on Mr green when iam not at her house. I only come back to town once a month for a weekend.

I want to thank all those that gave me advice.

Thanks
Mistahgurgle

I'm sorry for your loss

[Sunshine]

RIP Mr. Green