Hello, I have had my male, giant pixie frog for about 2 years now. Quite a while ago, he went into aestivation and is refusing to come out. This has been going on for quite a while on and off, for the past year. He used to eat occasionally, but for the past month or so, he wont. I find if I give him a bath, which I try to do once a month, he will snap out of it for a day or two and then go back. I have absolutely ran out of ideas for him, I've tried making the coconut fiber in his tank almost soaking (which did work once for a few days), more misting, more daylight from a bulb, along with frequent baths.

I thought I knew what I was doing, but now I am out of options. I originally had hopes that the barometric pressure in the air could have something to do with it, and he would snap out of it come summer, but its now the end of august and nothing has happened. So that is definitely out of the question. At this point I am getting very worried about him, he has been like this for too long and I don't know how much longer he can go. He does move and turn around every day but I am definitely getting worried. Hopefully there will be something you all can help with, as you have done for me in the past.

I was thinking an all water tank would be a good option for him but I do not know how I would set this up, as I know pixie frogs like to burrow in the ground. Thats about what I see as the best option, but I am up for anything. Just anything to help him get better really and back to being himself. I will try and get a picture of his tank tomorrow for you all to look at, but for now here is the answers to the questions list.

1. Size of enclosure? 20 gallons

2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences? Only the one frog

3. Humidity? Anywhere from 75-85. I try and keep it close to 80 as much as possible

4. Temperature? 80-90, really depends on how the weather is. I do have a ceramic heat emitter and rheostat to control how much heat he has, along with a heat pad which helps a bit. Mounted on the side of the tank.

5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish? Well water, a little high in iron but no chemicals added.

6. Materials used for substrate? Coconut fiber

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? I will post a picture tomorrow. The coconut fiber was stirred in water until damp but not so wet I could squeeze water out with my hands. The plants were basically just put in.

8. Main food source? Nightcrawlers when he eats

9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often?) Once a week, using the Repashy calcium+ which has both. Supposedly works for both, even though I know it is said not to do that. I've read a lot of confusing things on whether this stuff is good or not.

10. Lighting? Light shining through the window, normally creating 12 hours of light daylight for him.

11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure? Ceramic heat emitter with rheostat.

12. When is the last time he/she ate? Gotta be at least 3 months ago. I've been trying to get him to come out of this himself but it isn't working.

13. Have you found poop lately? Not at all.

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. I will post a picture of him tomorrow also to better show it.

16. How old is the frog? 2 years

17. How long have you owned him/her? 2 years

18. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred? Wild caught I believe

19. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats? Nightcrawlers as a staple, hornworms as treats whenever available and mice every 2 months. This used to be his feeding schedule anyways, not so much now.

20. How often the frog is handled? Only when required for baths or cleaning his tank.

21. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area? Fairly low traffic, usually only me around or the odd person coming in and out.

22. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc) Water is topped up to keep it from fully evaporating, I figured cleaning hasn't been extremely needed. Frequently putting more water in the dirt and stirring everything around but there is no smell and it all looks good, so I haven't worried about it. Not exactly sure if this is right though

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it!