Impaction. UGH!

[dpcsquid]

I'm so sorry that most of these have been addressed before. I'll try to keep my questions to things I haven't seen on the forum yet.

I've had a baby pac (he's about 1.5 inches SV) for about a month now. He is a voracious eater, but a few days ago I saw a huge lump forming on right right side, a wonderful size impaction. I've been giving him warm baths (treated water of course) every day, and the other day I did it with honey. The impaction has moved from the middle to down closer to his vent, but it's very firm.

I haven't fed him for about 2 days, hoping that the impaction would pass, that and I didn't want to clog him with anything else. He eats small crickets; I haven't been able to get him to eat worms yet.

How long should I go before taking him to the vet? In addition, how long should I go without feeding him? Or should I feed him? I don't want to....compact the problem. I have some pacman food lying around. Should I make that into a slurry and force feed him and hope that lubricates him, or is that going too far?

[WhitesTreeFrog]

What was your water to honey ratio


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GrifTheGreat]

Bathe the frog daily in a luke warm honey bath. Add 3 to 4 drops of honey. Soak for 20 minutes or until the water cools. After the water has cooled have a second luke warm bath ready ofnjust dechlorinated water and soak again for 20 minutes or until this bath cools. After this second bath return the frog home and place it in it's water dish.

[Mentat]

Follow Colleen/Jerrod advice on honey dips. Are you sure frog has not buried it's poop? Mine does that and also will go a week or so without defecating... then drops a nasty one on the bath dish.

Continue offering food and can add cut night crawlers (at Walmart sports area). If you cut them from pointy end they will heal up. Offer pieces around mouth size to start with.

Do not feed beetle worms (mealworms, etc.) because of chitin exoskeleton. Do not force feed; that is a last recourse for a malnourished non-feeding frog. Good luck !

[dpcsquid]

Thank you for everyone's advice so far! I usually do about 3-4 drops of honey in the bath when I use it, perhaps a tad more. I thought that I read somewhere on the forum that you shouldn't be using that more than once a week, though?
I should mention that he's still extremely active and that I'm just very paranoid, as one of my other frogs passed away a while ago from what seemed like either a tumor or major impaction that he had before I purchased him (I made a stupid mistake buying the guy, but he was so cute)

I've given him the fogger that's usually in the larger pac's tank to keep him extra moisturized for now. I'll feed him again tonight. I tried giving him a chunk of nightcrawler, but he didn't want anything to do with it and I didn't want to stress him out further.

[dpcsquid]

Lloyd,
There are foods that can easily cause impaction, like mealworms, superworms, or anything with a lot of exoskeleton. Crickets don't have as much as those, but if the frog eats too many it can still happen. In my case, I think that this little guy might be TOO voracious of an eater, even though most pacs will stop eating when they're full. Maybe he hasn't gotten the memo.

You're supposed to avoid feeding mealworms and superworms is the general rule of thumb. On the opposite end, nightcrawlers can help get things...going? Heh...sometimes.

[dpcsquid]

Ah, Carlos, sorry, was going to reply to you too. I cleaned out his tank two days ago when I was getting worried and I didn't find anything. I know how they like to hide stuff. : / I tell my mom that Pacman Frog owners are probably the only pet owners that go "Poop-diving" and get excited when they find something.

[Lija]

Lloyd,
There are foods that can easily cause impaction, like mealworms, superworms, or anything with a lot of exoskeleton. Crickets don't have as much as those, but if the frog eats too many it can still happen. In my case, I think that this little guy might be TOO voracious of an eater, even though most pacs will stop eating when they're full. Maybe he hasn't gotten the memo.

You're supposed to avoid feeding mealworms and superworms is the general rule of thumb. On the opposite end, nightcrawlers can help get things...going? Heh...sometimes.

that is true, in general if a frog eats anything that it can't digest and pass easy you have an impaction. You give a baby a big roach, it might be able to eat it, but it will most likely have an impaction, too many roaches can cause impaction even in big ones, so you better make sure you feed proper sized food, avoid food with high chitin content, such as mealworms and superworms, include a lot nightcrawlers.

another risk factor is environmental- moss in the enclosure is the most common cause of the impaction.

follow Grif advice on soaks, keep us updated please.

[never quit]

Bathe the frog daily in a luke warm honey bath. Add 3 to 4 drops of honey. Soak for 20 minutes or until the water cools. After the water has cooled have a second luke warm bath ready ofnjust dechlorinated water and soak again for 20 minutes or until this bath cools. After this second bath return the frog home and place it in it's water dish.

That's interesting....Can you tell me what the honey does?..You state "Add 3 to 4 drops of honey."......Into how much water?....... Are there foods that are prone to create impaction? I'd like to know......."just in case.".....But hope I never have to use it.

Thanks
Lloyd

[GrifTheGreat]

That's interesting....Can you tell me what the honey does?..You state "Add 3 to 4 drops of honey."......Into how much water?....... Are there foods that are prone to create impaction? I'd like to know......."just in case.".....But hope I never have to use it.

Thanks
Lloyd

The honey is not harmful, but there is no exact measurement of water to honey ratio. I guess if we need a honey to water ratio it would depend on how large the frog is and how bad the impaction is. You could say 1 drop per 4 oz. Water depth should never exceed a depth of up to the frog's chin. It acts like a natural laxative and also reduces swelling of the cloaca and bowels. Can be used also to assist with an intastinal prolapse due to sugar reducing the swelling of the intestines and in mild cases allowing the prolapse to return on its own without the need of your assistance or a Vet. Serious cases always need a Vet.

Everyone else has mentioned foods that can cause impaction and why. Rodents can also cause impaction if offered to often or if to large.

[DVirginiana]

I usually use a sandwich container with 4-6 drops of honey for mine. She had a serious health issue about a year ago now and gets impacted very easily, so I do a lot of 'preventative' honey soaks. You can also gently massage the frog's side while it's soaking if yours doesn't get too freaked out by that.