Ted (1 year old male)

[Baloo]

I don't have a great camera, and I don't know if these pictures well illustrate what I'm going to talk about. These pictures are a few months dated, I think the quarter one is over 6 months old. Ted, the frog here, keeps his feet under his body instead of up front and doesn't hop as well. I'm making sure now that all his meals have calcium & d3 plus multi-vitamin. Though I've before made sure at least half his food had the calcium & d3. He just didn't seem to use one of his front legs. My room mate once or twice dropped him cause he hopped unexpectedly, and though he seemed fine I wonder if he injured that leg. His appetite has remained good and all other health signs to my knowledge seem to be in the green. He seems to be doing better with that plus I don't use a screen top with a towel over top anymore cause that doesn't seem to work well. I have a plexiglass fitted sheet on the top which I'm looking to have ventilation holes drilled into. Shame there is no made to buy humidity screen lids of plexiglass. At least that I know of. As it is I had these cut 12"w x 24"L and I should have accounted for an extra inch so there was no risk of collapse... Doesn't seem like I can start a new paragraph. My blue samurai I ordered didn't eat and we gently encouraged him and he ate some meals worms and crickets over time but he didn't make it I'm really wanted a red ornate though but Yusuke won't be breeding those for a couple months.

[Mentat]

Although very fuzzy, the first pic shows me a malnourished frog with either a broken leg or Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) or both. The second pic is fuzzy too and just see the frog against a corner. A solution for better pics in the absence of a camera, is to use a smartphone with HDR application (I use HDR Camera).

My suggestion is to take frog to veterinary for X-ray to determine if there are any fractures or issues with it. If frog did suffer from MBD and it went into an advanced state, you might have stopped it; but frog recovered partially. With MBD, there is a chance of having permanent damage .

Also, if this frog and the Blue one that died came from same source, maybe it's time to start getting frogs elsewhere. Good luck !

[Baloo]

Thanks. I need to get another picture or two for you as the first one may be a bit misleading. I think my room mate took that after he had hopped as his back legs work well and he was probably in the midst of tucking them back in. I will see about getting a video done this weekend of him hopping. I need to find a digital camera at a budget price of around $50 with best video recording for that value I can find. Then I'll send it in. Most of his meals from the very start had calcium & d3 cause I read the book by Philippe. And his mouth doesn't droop, you see only the white trimming. But when I get some more pics we can know for sure.

[danfrog]

Vitamins? Are you using them?

[danfrog]

Fill these out so we can get a good idea on your frogs condition.
“Trouble in the Frog Enclosure”
The following information will be very helpful if provided when requesting assistance with either your frog or enclosure. To help with your questions, please utilize the below list and post the information in the proper forum area to get advice from FF members that keep the same frog. This will allow for little confusion and a faster more informed response.

1. Size of enclosure
2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences
3. Humidity
4. Temperature
5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish
6. Materials used for substrate
7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials.
- How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv.
8. Main food source
9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often)
10. Lighting
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure
12. When is the last time he/she ate
13. Have you found poop lately
14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine)
15. How old is the frog
16. How long have you owned him/her
17. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred
18. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats
19. How often the frog is handled
20. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area
21. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc)

by Lynn(Flybyferns) and GrifTheGreat.

[Baloo]

1. 15 gallon 24"L x 12"W x 12" H
2. One
3. n/a (have the big apple two probe reader that's supposed to read humidity. But says external temp)
4. 23.6 c / 74.5 f (fluctuates by a degree or two, maybe cause fall is approaching)
5. DE chlorinated water. I use standard Halifax tap water and add EXO TERRA Aquatize Conditioner standard amount
6. Exo Terra Plantation Soil Substrate
7. Artificial plants, artificial cave
8. Crickets
9. Calcium & d3, 75% of time in start. About twice a week. Now 100% plus multi vitamin 2 or 3 times a week.
10. uvb 2.0
11. Under tank heater for 10-20 gallon aquarium on one side of enclosure.
12. Wednesday
13. yes
14. posting another two
15. Approx. 1 yr and maybe a 2 or so months
16. approx. 1 yr
17. I believe captive bred
18. crickets, horn worms, occasion pinky (1 or 2 spread out over 6 months) I just don't trust frozen much. They usually don't have much else but I'm looking into earth worms
19. two or three times a week for feeding purposes. Is comfortable when i hold him.
20. till recently my room, mostly just me in there. now in living room 5 feet up on a cabinet.
21. water change every day or two. Soil change every 2 or 3 months a full change.

[Mentat]

1. 15 gallon 24"L x 12"W x 12" H
What is the frog's current length from snout to vent (SVL)?

3. n/a (have the big apple two probe reader that's supposed to read humidity. But says external temp)
You need to monitor humidity since too high or low can harm frog. ExoTerra's Digital Combo is very accurate and affordable (Check Amazon). You want it between 70-90% with 80% been optimal. The substrate should be barely damp (clumps in fist but does not drip water) and mixed with dechlorinated water.

4. 23.6 c / 74.5 f (fluctuates by a degree or two, maybe cause fall is approaching)
Temp is too low. Day temp should be 82-84F with a slight drop at night. A red lamp or ceramic heat emmiter controlled by dimmer, reosthat, or thermostat is recommended.

8. Crickets
Should be gut loaded with carrots, lettuce, and oats 24-48 hours before feeding. Add Canadian Night Crawlers to diet. Can cut them from pointy end, same lenght as frogs.

9. Calcium & d3, 75% of time in start. About twice a week. Now 100% plus multi vitamin 2 or 3 times a week.
This is dusting schedule I use: http://www.frogforum.net/food-feeder...schedules.html .

10. uvb 2.0
Pacman's do not need UVB. If used for observing, it's fine.

15. Approx. 1 yr and maybe a 2 or so months
See question no. 1.

19. two or three times a week for feeding purposes. Is comfortable when i hold him.
Make sure you wash hands and rinse them in dechlorinated water before handling.

21. water change every day or two. Soil change every 2 or 3 months a full change.
Change water dish daily even if it looks unused. Soil should be spot cleaned daily or as required and whole substrate replaced one a month.

Added comments and hope you can work on enclosure issues (Temp, humidity, substrate) ASAP. If need more information this is a good article: Frog Forum - Pacman and Horned Frogs - Ceratophrys - Care and Breeding . Good luck !

[Baloo]

Added comments and hope you can work on enclosure issues (Temp, humidity, substrate) ASAP. If need more information this is a good article: Frog Forum - Pacman and Horned Frogs - Ceratophrys - Care and Breeding . Good luck !

1. Current length snout to vent: 2 1/4" 3. How do I get the temp up higher? I have the heat pad underneath which sometimes dries up the soil some. I've been talking to my room mate about putting it on the side instead. Would this help? I'll get a humidity gauge this weekend. 8. My crickets were gut loaded with Nature Zone Total Bites for over a year now I use a local Flukers Orange Cube Complete cricket diet. For a while I was using carrot sticks in their diet to, I'll go back to that. My plexiglass lids (fitted sheets) barely fit, I should have accounted for over lap. What should I do to avoid collapse? thank you for your tips!

[Mentat]

1. Current length snout to vent: 2 1/4" 3. How do I get the temp up higher? I have the heat pad underneath which sometimes dries up the soil some. I've been talking to my room mate about putting it on the side instead. Would this help? I'll get a humidity gauge this weekend. 8. My crickets were gut loaded with Nature Zone Total Bites for over a year now I use a local Flukers Orange Cube Complete cricket diet. For a while I was using carrot sticks in their diet to, I'll go back to that. My plexiglass lids (fitted sheets) barely fit, I should have accounted for over lap. What should I do to avoid collapse? thank you for your tips!

Can you provide pics and tell us what kind of enclosure you are utilizing? If a regular 15 gal. tank; then get a screen top for it and a large Fluker's dome with built in dimmer and a 100-150W Ceramic Heat Emitter. Once you get all that, remove (or turn off) the heat pad. Cover the whole top with aluminum foil (tape to edges) and place the dome on it. Locate dome on top with an in. clearance from edge and trace it's outline in the foil with sharpie marker. Then use a scissor to cut the hole out around 1 in. from the traced circle. Then set everything on and turn dimmer around 1/4 way. Watch your thermometer and adjust the dimmer knob until you have the desired temperature. Once done, place that dimmer away from little hands and you are done.

As Dan stated, your frog appears stunted. That could be the partial result of too low temps. You do not need to buy humidifiers right now, just spray twice a day. You need to correct the low temperatures and if in you place, would invest in that first.

Fluker's Orange Cricket cubes have one of the worse feedback rate's I've seen in any product. Feed them fresh food listed in previous response instead.

[danfrog]

UTH should never be under the tank with these frogs. Pacman frogs will dig to cool off. You might end up slow cooking your frog. I use lights for heat. Reptifogger for humidity and both hooked up to a hygrotherm. I used plexiglass for a while but didn't like it. I use tinfoil now for humidity. Sound like your frogs growth has been stunted. He should be much much larger. Only hold your frog when absolutely necessary. I only touch my frogs during enclosure cleanings once a month.

[Baloo]

How can I be sure they won't die from impaction? I had that happen before and with Ted's being sloppy and not the best hopper I'm afraid it will happen sooner or later. Maybe I should though, less handling may be better. I followed Philippe's de Vosjoli's book about under tank heater and spent another $60 on a sheet of plexiglass I had cut and it seems I'm still doing things wrong. This is what I'm using for temp/hum readout. http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Appl...umidity-Gauges But it just readers IN and EX temp it seems. Unless the EX is not external but humidity read. I'm not a big earner, I can look to getting 2 or 3 repti foggers but can't spend much past that so how do I get a good humidity read on a budget? thanks.

[danfrog]

There are many different things that can cause impaction. We use ecoearth because frogs can pass it. I guarantee your frog has eaten a ton of it just from shedding alone. Frogs absorb anything and everything from thier skin. Oil and soap residues, and whatever else that's on your hands will be absorbed. Ill post a link to my frogs setup to kinda give you an idea.

[danfrog]

http://www.frogforum.net/showthread.php?t=24549

[danfrog]

That set up did cost a pretty penny. But I have another setup for my little frog that costs under 30 dollars. Its not very pretty but it keeps everything where it needs to be. Its has a bunch of vent holes drilled. I use the exoterra digital temp/humidity reader.

[danfrog]

I use a 40watt incandescent bulb on a dimmer for heating in the cheap enclosure.

[Baloo]

Thanks for the pictures, that's a nice enclosure. I only have one frog with the problem. The other one is a baby and is doing great. There was a bait shop near me but I have to see if we still have one available for me to go to. The incandescent bulb is an uncertainty to my room mate who's brother had a scorpion and the black one made his carapace glow in the dark and she was worrying on the long terms effects on frogs, especially an albino with sensitive skin and eyes. Regular 15 gallon to my knowledge, was using a mesh screen top for the longest while with the light on top (a 5.0). Pictures and video I will make in the morning when I got more natural lighting. I'm going to review all the data you guys have provided and see what to do.

[danfrog]

The uvb will hurt an albino frog. Same with white light. You need an incandescent bulb or a ceramic heat emitter

[Baloo]

any particular brand of heat emitter, I see one by Fluker's. So these are low enough not to dry out my frog?

[mpmackenna]

any particular brand of heat emitter, I see one by Fluker's. So these are low enough not to dry out my frog?

No at full power they are way too hot. That is why if you go that route you must have a dimmer switch inline to throttle the current and lower the amount of heat they emit.


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[danfrog]

Make sure your lamps have a dimmer switch. Here is an example.