Force Feeding was a FAIL. (PICS) Esme seems to be shedding??

[mchell43]

Thank you all for helping and responding. Seriously!


I don't think she has ever been dropped, not that I know of! I fixed her substrate, now it is much more moist. I think I was unintentionally letting it dry out too much. Because it was cold I guess I figured I'd rather her be a little on the dry side and cold than wet and cold.

For the record, I have a tall oil filled, radiator heater on HIGH sitting as close to her terrarium (4 inches away) as safely possible. I have her heat light on 24/7 now and the temp has hit 80 but not over. I know it's because it's winter.. but I can't get her temps any higher! This is Northern BC! I don't even know how the pet store did it! All they had for her was a bright fluorescent bulb facing at her probably all the time or at least all day.

I tried feeding her again tonight and she refused it. I will defrost her last mouse tomorrow and try that. Though it grosses me out terribly. Maybe I defrosted it wrong last time, and that's why she didn't like it? Anyone have defrosting tips?


Sorry for seeming like I'm panicked.. I just want her to go back to normal, eating and pooping like a normal frog. lol

Hi again, bulbs will tend to dry out her inviroment too much, can you get a heat mat to put under her tank? best to get those temps up a little

[GrifTheGreat]

Do not place a heat pad under the tank. They burrow to cool off and placing a heat mat under the tank will harm the frog.

[Mentat]

Agree with Colleen/Jerrod; heat mats or heat tape should only be placed in a frog's enclosure sides. Recommended enclosure temperatures are air temperatures taken close to substrate for a ground frog. An enclosure with a bottom installed heat pad, could have substrate a few degrees warmer than the recommended air temperature .

[mchell43]

Im in the UK and If I put my heat mat on the side it would do no good temp wise. I have had mine under my Exo terra glass tank on thermostat, for over a year and it has never harmed my frog. Most the time I move it when he moves, so its not all the way under him anyway. There is a gap between heat mat and viv ,as its not a flat viv anyway. Im checking all my rep temps 3 times+ a day as it is.So sometimes it is needed in cold climates as long as you check temps , no issue .

[Louis Charles Bruckner]

For a heat source under the enclosure the only way I do it is with a zoomed mini heat pad stuck to a large ceramic tile.
And not the bottom glass of the enclosure.
I also use a separate temperature controller to keep the temps no higher than 70F.
It is just like Griff and Carlos mentioned the frog burrows for many reasons.
To feel secure. Conceal its self from prey. Stay moist and cool.

To be honest feeding mice more than once or twice a month is kind of excessive for the frog.
A varied diet is the best.

Crickets gut loaded and dusted with either calcium or multivitamin powder. (crickets fed fresh veg 24 to 48 hrs prior to feeding to the frog)

Night crawlers can be dusted with the calcium+D3 ( Dusting with multivitamin will cause the worm to excrete a lot of mucus and get real messy.)


Here is a good dusting schedule by Heatheranne

"My adult pacmans only eat every 2-3 days.
Monday - MVI
Tuesday - none
Wednesday or Thursday - Ca++/D3
Friday or Saturday - Ca++/D3
Sunday -none"

Since I travel 90% for my job and my wife is so prissy she will only mist the substrate if it looks like it is getting too dry.
But I do have a lot of automation on the enclosure.

It is a Exo terra enclosure with a medium zoo med heat pad on the left side.
75W infrared ceramic heat element in a zoo med mini deep dome light fixture on the top front right.
and a Zoomed repti fogger.
Both connected to a zoo med hygrotherm HT-10 controller set to 85F during the day and 75F at night ( the controller has a light sensor so it can do a night time temp drop.)
Since my wife likes to keep the house cold 66F I have a extra heat pad mentioned above on a separate thermostat set to 70
Under the tank but not attached to the glass. ( I don't want to burn my babies bottom. )
Lastly and probably the most importantly I have a eco terra CFL hood with just one 15K white 60W cfl bulb (two of them is too bright.)
on a timer from 7am to 5pm. I have the hygrotherm control head set so the light from the enclosure will activate the day time mode.

When you get your temp and substrate moist enough the dry skin problem will go away.

as a part of my husbandry regimen,
Every 3 weeks or earlier depending on if the substrate starts to gets stinky.
I take my frog out and soak him in a plastic bin with plain dechlorinated water at 80F covered with a towel.
I cover with a towel for many reasons.
To keep the water from cooling down too quickly, and to keep the frog clam, and 90% of the time he will have a BM.
During the summer I didn't cover the bin and he never had a BM. I guess he wanted a bit of privacy .
And if there is any skin that was too dry to shed it comes right off.

I use a small shop vac to clean out the old substrate and the night before I use a 5 gallon bucket filled with 1 gallon of
warm dechlorinated water and put in a single brick of eco earth coco fiber.
By the morning it has rehydrated and I have found that 1 gallon perfectly hydrates the soil.

I put the new substrate in and smooth it out. Replace any ornaments.
and put my frog back in and he will hoop about a few min and finds a new place to burrow down and he's happy.

Hope this helps.

As for the bump on you babies back,
can you take a picture of it when your baby has finished a soak and post it.
is it soft to the touch?
does it feel like air or fluid.
if you can't post a picture, is the area round the bump discolored? ( a picture would be best.)

good luck with you baby. and happy holidays!

Writing this in a airport sky lounge waiting on my flight home.
Caio!

[WalkerBait]

UPDATE: Esme still has not eaten, but I am currently giving her a pedialyte soak in warm water and I'm hoping it perks her up.
I freaked myself out though, because I have a few small cuts on my hand (from dry winter weather) and I scooped her up without thinking of it. Now I remember the guy at the pet store specifically told me to never ever do that. I washed my hands really well immediately and will handle her with some gloves when I put her back, but hopefully I don't die. Anyway, I will update with the results of said bath afterward!

[Louis Charles Bruckner]

Well it is more for the frogs protection than yours.
The oils and what ever else you may have on you hands, lotion , perfume ect ect can harm your frog,

Now the risk of infection to your cuts is moderate but if you washed your hands well and keep them covered I.E gloves you should be ok.
if you use any kind of neosprorin or any kind of lotion do wear gloves.

[GrifTheGreat]

UPDATE: Esme still has not eaten, but I am currently giving her a pedialyte soak in warm water and I'm hoping it perks her up.
I freaked myself out though, because I have a few small cuts on my hand (from dry winter weather) and I scooped her up without thinking of it. Now I remember the guy at the pet store specifically told me to never ever do that. I washed my hands really well immediately and will handle her with some gloves when I put her back, but hopefully I don't die. Anyway, I will update with the results of said bath afterward!

Louis is right. Most amphibian skin secretions only irritate the eyes or skin. Some are deadly, but that is not the case with Pacman frogs. The main thing to look out for is disease. Reptiles and amphibians carry a wide array of bacteria on their skin naturally. Salmonella is the main risk you run by handling you frog so just be sure to wash your hands very well before and after handling the frog with a very mild cleansor and dry them completely. Just make sure to handle the frog with wet hand or gloves saturated with dechlorinated water to reduce friction on the frog's mucus layer. This layer protects the frog's skin.