Is our Pacman frog sick?

[Frogman1031]

I cannot say for sure but if you can get in touch with an amphibian vet that would be great

[GrifTheGreat]

No, it does not look like redleg. It is normal for their thighs to be a little pink. He does however look bloated. When you feel his sides are they squishy like they are filled with water or harder like a balloon filled with air?

You mentioned that you are using spring water. What type and are you dechlorinating it? Spring water should still be dechlorinated, including any water you use to expand substrate. If you are not dechlorinating then the most likely answer is that the frog is Toxing Out. This accounts for the bloating, listlessness, lack of appetite, and twitching.

Try to get your temperatures up to 76-79 at night and 80-83 during the day and humidity around 80%. You can cover 2/3 of the top of the enclosure with plastic wrap or similar to help maintain heat and humidity. You can also get a UTH and place it on the side of the tank. Those temps will also aid in digestion.

Try nightcrawlers as a staple diet. Crickets are not that nutritious and only have vitamins if you are gutloading them. Either way you will need a vitamin supplement and calcium with D3.

[GrifTheGreat]

We need some more details. Could you post a picture of the enclosure? The substrate you want to use is coco fiber not coco husk, expanded with dechlorinated water.

You mentioned that he isn't pooping. Does he have a hard lump on his right side? Or is not pooping because he hasn't been eating much?

Most likely he will need to go to a vet.

[Mentat]

I'm very sorry your son's frog is not well . 4 weeks ago you asked for initial advice and we provided care article link and information to include feeding and the need for dusting: http://www.frogforum.net/pacman-frog...wner-here.html. Suggest review that thread and stop following your local pet store advice; which is already proven flawed by your frog's condition.

Here are two veterinarian locators: Arav and Herp Vet Connection. Agree with Collen/Jerrod it's not Red Leg. The bloating (specially if concentrated around rear quarters area and move as in jelly/wave like) point to another possibility. Extended exposure to day cold temps (75F average as reported) has damaged the frog's kidneys and lymph hearts. The veterinary can drain the excess fluid out and correcting temps will prevent a recurrance of bloating; but sadly, the organ damage is permanent .

[DVirginiana]

If you're using an analog thermometer for his tank, I'm betting your temps are actually colder than it's saying. Like Mentat said, kidney damage is entirely possible. 75 should be the low range for night-time temps. But with 75 as your avg/high temp you're probably looking at temps getting down in the 60's especially at night. Get a heating pad and place it on the side of the tank in addition to your heat lamp; also make sure the frog is in an area where AC can't blow on him (we keep the vents closed in our reptile room).

If a vet isn't an option (it's the best option, but I know sometimes a herp vet just isn't available), fix the temps immediately and do a soak in lukewarm treated water with several drops of honey mixed into it. This will cause them to pee and poop, eliminating a lot of retained toxins. Depending on the level of organ damage, doing soaks every other day for awhile may help out or it may not. Also, if you're having to assist-feed him anyway, try appropriately sized chunks of nightcrawler dusted with vitamin powder. They are more nutritious and easier to digest than superworms (stop feeding those altogether) and crickets.
I let someone else care for mine for awhile, and when I got her back she was having seizures and not eating; turns out they hadn't been misting, heating when cold, or keeping her cool when it was hot for quite a while. I was pretty sure she was going to die, but that was over two years ago, and she's completely back to normal now. Mainly, don't just assume the frog is going to die, because there is a chance he'll recover. But review what was said in that other thread; frogs are very sensitive, and ignoring correct husbandry can cause problems quickly.

[xghostmakerx]

I'll be going out today and getting vitamin powder and drops to treat the water. I'll also try the honey soak.

I also have been feeding him grubs. Can I keep feeding him those or should I completely switch to earth worms?

When I squeeze him a little on his sides he is squishy.

I am not sure what a UTH is

My cage i covered completely with foil on the top to retain heat except for the place where the heating light comes through. I am pretty sure the analog heating and humidity gauge is not accurate but I've already asked a few times for specific models or brands to purchase for that but came up empty. Looking around at Amazon every one of the items that they sell there gets bad reviews so its hard to know what to choose.

[xghostmakerx]

Just to add some additional information. I went to petsmart this morning and got a digital humidity gauge and temp gauge and I am actually at 80 degrees and 82% humidity. Also got the little guy some water treatment stuff, some vitamin powder and some earth worms. He's currently soaking in a warm bath with some honey in it.

[DVirginiana]

Digital is good. Hopefully he'll come around. Let us know how the night-time temps look with the new thermometers. If your temps have been hovering between 75-80 I think organ damage is a lot less likely. You could be looking at a lack of vitamins instead (can sometimes cause twitching/neuro issues), but that's more easily corrected and the worms sound good.
If by grubs you mean superworms, don't feed those. They have a lot of chitin in the exoskeletons and that can cause impaction.

UTH means Under-Tank-Heater. They come in a bunch of different sizes, and are made to stick to the bottom of the tank. For pacs, they should be put on the side since pacs burrow to cool off and having a heat source beneath them can confuse them. I prefer heat pads to lamps just because they allow the frog to self-regulate more. I like having a room just for the reptiles so I can just keep ambient temp 80-82 and not worry about lamps or UTHs except during winter lol.