Worried

[DaFrog]

Hey guys the past 3 weeks my 6 inch male pixie frog has not been eating. He has had great color and no sign of disease. The side of him that hass his stomach tend to make his right side float in the water.So I was just wondering if anything is wrong with him.

1. Size of enclosure? 10 gallon

2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences? 1

3. Humidity? 80% do not have a hydrometer in there afraid frog might eat it.

4. Temperature? 80 has a 50 watt light about 12 inches away

5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish? Well water with water conditioner called Prime for soaking. Distilled water for spraying.

6. Materials used for substrate? Eco Earth

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? just water dish plus dirt

8. Main food source? Was hissing cockroaches and rats but I will no longer feed him rats.

9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often?)Herptivite with Beta Carotin. About once week during feeding.

10. Lighting? 50 watt heat light.

11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure? Light

12. When is the last time he/she ate? 3 weeks.

13. Have you found poop lately? Yes about week ago.

14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine) Enclosure is 5 inches of Eco earth on on side and a big corner dish on the other.

15. Describe frog's symptoms and/or recent physical changes; to include it's ventral/belly area. Just not eating

16. How old is the frog? 1 year

17. How long have you owned him/her? 1 year

18. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred? Captive Bred

19. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats? Every 3 days Discods and crickets. Just recently getting to more diverse feeders. Will not touch night crawlers.

20. How often the frog is handled? Once a week

21. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area? Low

22. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc) Water changes every day if water is dirty. If not every other day. 2 hour soaking every Friday.

[GrifTheGreat]

If you don't have a Hygrometer then I assume you don't have a temp gauge either. How do you know what the cliamte is if you don't have any way of reading it??

Recomend you get them ASAP. Buy digital either in separate devices or in a combo unit.

[DaFrog]

I do have a temperature gauge but I will not keep it in there all the time. I mean is the heat bulb to much? I have plenty of eating pads I can stick to the side of his tank. I just want to know if he is all right. When it come to humidty I make sure the soil is not to dry but, not soaking wet at the same time.

[Robbo]

Have you been using the treated well water since you have had him?

What type of bulb are you using for heat?

[DaFrog]

Yes but I will fill up a gallon jug of water then I will apply the stuff that removes the chlorine, chloramine, and ammonia. It is Called Prime by Seachem. I use a 50 watt intense basking spot by ExoTerra. But I never put it directly over him, always on the cooler side. The reason for this is because of the single digit temperature drops we had this winter. I thought the heating pads would not work out for a frog of his size.

[DaFrog]

Please is everything all right with Ju Jamba? I really do not want to lose him. Is he just not hungry?

[Robbo]

Can you post a picture of the enclosure including light placement as I'm a little confused as you say you put it over the cooler side. As Grifthegreat stated you need to know exactly what the temperatures are. Have you changed anything recently that could have affected his appetite? Cleaned the enclosure, different substrate, moved the enclosure etc...

With my guy if the enclosure perimeters are good and he's hungry he'll eat. You could try a rat if that's what you were giving him just to see if you can get a feeding response. They're not known for being picky usually.

Good luck.

[DaFrog]

I apologize about all of the confusion. When I mean cool side I mean the side the heat lamp is not over.The temperature reading is around 85 degrees. Is this to warm for him? I gave him the light about 6 weeks ago. But I have not changed any thing else recently. Should I switch back to the heating pad?

[Jimifrog]

How does he get heat when the light is off? I find that my frogs like a little bit of dark time. Maybe you could try a ceramic bulb for heat?

[DaFrog]

He does do not receive heat during the night. I thought that pyxes like a drop in temperature at night. Just to play it safe I switched back to the heating pad to see what will happen, It is on the side of his enclosure.

[GrifTheGreat]

You need to keep his day temp high. Low to mid 80°s and night time drop should only be a few degrees. If it drops too much your frog can become ill. Keep him at 80° constant for a day or so then try to feed him. To do this you will need to use a night time bulb. Either a ceramic heat emitter like Jimmi mentioned or an Infrared bulb. 50 or 60 watts is fine. Leave the heat pad on.

I also see that you don't have any sort of background on the tank. Cover 3 sides of the tank with some kind of terrarium background so he feels more secure. Substrate should only be deep enough so that he can cover himself not so you cant't find him easily.

Get a Hygrometer that is digital with a probe. Buy an Exo Terra dual combo. It has both Thermometer and Hygrometer built in. The probe goes in the tank and the gauge stays out.

[Mentat]

How long is your frog from snout to vent? From pics it appears to me a 10G tank is too small for it and would recommend a 20L/29G tank minimum. You need to provide heat during day to maintain that 80F stable through day with a few drops at night. Myself would not let temps drop below 75F (if day is 80F) and would actually raise day temps to 84F.

You need a source of heat that can be regulated and used 24 hours a day. Also need a digital thermometer/hygrometer to monitor and adjust enclosure parameters. For heat myself recommend using a ceramic heat emitter in a Fluker's dome with dimmer or any dome with a controller. Another option is to use cheaper red bulbs; but the emitters will outlast many bulbs.

Ensure the shredded coco is mixed with dechlorinated tap water until slightly damp and clumps in fist without dripping water out. 3 weeks of non-feeding is not normal. Also, there is no need to give a frog a bath unless impacted (honey bath) or sick (medicine and/or Pedialyte bath). Good luck !

[DaFrog]

I took out some dirt and I placed a cage cover on the enclosure. What I still do not get is why he is not eating whenever the rest of my frogs are all eating with gusto.

[GrifTheGreat]

I took out some dirt and I placed a cage cover on the enclosure. What I still do not get is why he is not eating whenever the rest of my frogs are all eating with gusto.

He is not eating because he is stressed.

[DaFrog]

Alright Guys I went out and got a 30 gallon aquarium and a cover for the back along with a humidity gauge. I will set it up with a heating pad on the side of the aquarium along with the basking light to ensure that the temperature stays adequate. I will also be putting a hide in for him. How long should I wait to feed him?

[GrifTheGreat]

Give him a day then offer food.

[DaFrog]

Good news he ate about 6 crickets out of a dozen last night.

[DaFrog]

He is still no eating even after 2 days of being left alone in his new cage. He showed brief interest in a hisser but he never went in for the kill. Should I just wait, he has great color and I feel no lumps in his intestinal area so is he just not hungry?

[DaFrog]

Guys I really need some help. I have been to many websites and top of the line reptile stores asking for information regarding my frog. I am applying everything you guys said about care and he will show interest for only a second and then he just will sit there and the prey will get away. I have a rat in there with him right know and I am watching to make sure nothing will go wrong. But I am getting tired of looking for what may be wrong with him. It has been 4 weeks of stress and I really do not want to lose him. Should I just leave him alone for a week and then try to feed him?

[GrifTheGreat]

Guys I really need some help. I have been to many websites and top of the line reptile stores asking for information regarding my frog. I am applying everything you guys said about care and he will show interest for only a second and then he just will sit there and the prey will get away. I have a rat in there with him right know and I am watching to make sure nothing will go wrong. But I am getting tired of looking for what may be wrong with him. It has been 4 weeks of stress and I really do not want to lose him. Should I just leave him alone for a week and then try to feed him?

You said its winter and cold out right? Frogs can sense the changing seasons and when they sense winter has set in they usually slow way down in their appetite. You must be patient. It can take up to a full week for a frog to adjust to new surroundings too.