What's Wrong with Bowser?

[KasaraWolf]

1. Size of enclosure- 10 Gallon Tank
2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences- Just the PacMan
3. Humidity- Not sure
4. Temperature- Not Sure (But I am guessing it's somewhere around 80, because I have a really hot/humid room because I have tropical fish in the same room as well)
5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish- Declorified Water
6. Materials used for substrate- Zoo Med Sphagnum Moss, Zoo Med Eco Earth
7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials.- A flat stone, A half hollow log to hide in.
- How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv. -New soil placed in tank
8. Main food source Crickets
9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often) None yet, a friend was coming by with some today
10. Lighting -Heat Lamp? Natural light that comes into room
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure Room is closed at all times (I was going to go out and buy a heating pad to keep the tank the same temp)
12. When is the last time he/she ate About an hour or two ago
13. Have you found poop lately Yes in his water dish
14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine)
15. Describe frog's symptoms and/or recent physical changes; to include it's ventral/belly area.
16. How old is the frog Baby
17. How long have you owned him/her 4 Days
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 Just crickets at the moment, doesn't seem interested in other bugs.
20. How often the frog is handled Not often, he doesn't like it much
21. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area Low traffic
22. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc) Well, since I've just got him, I have not done much. I have changed his water once.

[KasaraWolf]

Here are some photos

[cjbage]

My advice, I am only a novice with these guys is this, first read Frog Forum - Pacman and Horned Frogs - Ceratophrys - Care and Breeding has a lot of good info in there.

Second is what I am finding out is simpler is better with these guys, they need temperature ranges of 82-84° during the day and drop at night of about 5°. and humidity lvl of 60-80% mine is most active and comes out more at around 65% some like it more humid then that, and they need a day/night cycle

1.5- 2 inches of moist ( not wet ) eco earth.. no rocks no bark no nothing mixed in for substrate. Should be made with declorinated tap water and moist, no dripping water when you pick it up and should clump when you squeeze it.. no water drips

a shallow dish with declorinated tap water or spring water.. not distilled or R/O water

a nice silk plant or hide

I have read that sphagnum moss is an impaction risk as are rocks that can fit in is mouth, since these guys love to burrow I would get rid of any of the rocks in the substrate, maybe keep the large on if he likes to sit on it or something.

Also as babies they like a bit smaller enclosure something about the size of a medium critter keeper w/substrate, bowl n plant in it and cover up 3 of the 4 tank sides to help lessen stress.

Like I said I am a novice at this but this is what I am learning first hand and by reading the forum and care sheet. There are many people that will be on soon and can be of more help. Also you may want to do some checking for an exotic vet in your area, always good to find one early in case of emergencies.

[Mentat]

Hello and welcome to FF. Your frog could have an injury or health issue from the store and if within return period my recommendation would be to return it. If you decide not to, be aware that if frog has a broken leg; although it will probably heal, it could remain handicapped and become a special needs frog. A worse scenario it's that the cause of balance problems could be neurological issues due to lack of CA/D3 in it's diet or improper/unclean water. Without knowing how it was cared for in store it's hard to tell. Wrote some recommendations below and hope this helps you, good luck !

1. Size of enclosure- 10 Gallon Tank
A large enclosure will stress out a small frog. You can keep it in a medium size critter keeper (I like the ExoTerra Medium Breeding Box) with subtrate, water dish, and small silk plant. Once frog reaches around 3.5 in. you can release in 10G. To control heat and humidity you can place the whole plastic enclosure inside the 10 gal. and control the parameters of the tank.

3. Humidity- Not sure
You need to get a gauge so you can monitor and adjust humidity between 70-80%. Lower or higher than that can lead to health issues. Recommend a digital combo gauge like the ExoTerra one.

4. Temperature- Not Sure (But I am guessing it's somewhere around 80, because I have a really hot/humid room because I have tropical fish in the same room as well)
See no. 3. Need to adjust the temperature so it is 82F during the day with a couple degree drop at night. Pacman frogs kept too cold can suffer permanent damage to their kidneys and lymph hearts leading to edema. Recommend a 60W ceramic heat emitter in a Fluker's dome with built in dimmer. Can lay dome straight on the tank's screen top and cover the rest with aluminum foil to help keep heat and humidity in. An option is to use a large heat pad on the side outside the tank (can not place under tank); but be aware they loose a lot of heat to the environment and will need a manual rheostat or auto thermostat to control them.

5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish- Declorified Water
Make sure dechlorinator is within expiration date.

6. Materials used for substrate- Zoo Med Sphagnum Moss, Zoo Med Eco Earth
Get rid of the moss, it's an impaction hazard. EcoEarth should be mixed with dechlorinated water only.

8. Main food source Crickets
Crickets should be same size as distance between frog's eyes and gut loaded with carrots, lettuce, and crushed cherios/oats.

9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often) None yet, a friend was coming by with some today
Need to use supplements. CA/D3 is very important if a led is fractured. Here are some sample schedules: http://www.frogforum.net/food-feeder...schedules.html.

10. Lighting -Heat Lamp? Natural light that comes into room
That is fine as long as you use other forms of temperature control.

11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure Room is closed at all times (I was going to go out and buy a heating pad to keep the tank the same temp)
See no. 4.

19. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats Just crickets at the moment, doesn't seem interested in other bugs.
Get some not dyed Night Crawlers at Walmart or local bait shop. Cut from pointy end in mouth size pieces for babies and body length size for juveniles. 3 in. frogs can handle whole worms. Can try to offer from tongs or drop them in front of frog mouth. Do not use Red Wrigglers!

22. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc) Well, since I've just got him, I have not done much. I have changed his water once.
Water dish should be cleaned daily. Substrate can be spot cleaned as required and changed once a month.

[Tongue Flicker]

i thought u were referring to the actual browser haha! everyone above me pretty much got you covered.

welcome aboard!

[WorldClassFrogCoddler]

My frog Bubba had similar problems. I was ignorant of vitamins and minerals which the frog needed. I fed him only crickets. He got sick because I had over saturated his substrate with water. Everything was wrong for the little guy and he got sick and nearly died. I fixed his cage up but he acted like his legs didn't work. For Bubba it seemed like both his front legs were useless. I quickly got some multivitamin dust and calcium with d3, and cut a European Nightcrawler into thirds, put them in a bag with the dust inside, shook it up, and force fed the sick little guy some worm bits. Well, by the next day, he was looking healthier! He was standing up again. And a day after that he was frisky again, able to jump and walk and burrow and struggle when picked up! So I would recommend you get some of that stuff as quick as you can and get some in your frog. I don't know specifically what's wrong with your frog but it sure helped mine. Bowser is a real cutie, I hope he pulls through this! Keep us updated and if Bowser doesn't make it please don't blame yourself, many frogs are improperly cared for at big pet store chains. It doesn't seem like you got a healthy frog to begin with. But it's great that you won't give up on him! I didn't give up on Bubba and now he's growing and healthy and strong. I hope you try your very hardest and Bowser can make it. Thanks for giving Bowser a chance! =)