Hello! Last spring a student gave my science teacher a frog and she quickly bequeathed him to me. I wasn't planning on a pet frog but I looked up the species, read a care book, and have tried to accommodate him. I named him Dumpy and moved him to a new cage at my home. I brought him to college with me this fall. This past month it has been a chore to get him to eat and I am hoping that I can receive some advice.

Cage --> His cage is 12in x 12in. It has a 4 in. area below the doors to allow for substrate and 12 in of room for him to move. Dumpy usually liked to rest on the back wall of the cage and occasionally soak, though, generally he doesn't move very much. Lately he has been unhappy with the cage (it seems) and the other day he was constantly moving as if to escape. I have a piece of driftwood that he uses and a water bowl that I try to keep clean. I have rocks on the bottom of the cage followed by potting soil. I had three plants in the cage and Dumpy's favorite spots were well-covered, but now one of the plants' root system's became moldy and died. He has a tropical UV light but no heat light. He lives at room temp. :/


Feeding History --> When I first got him I tried to feed him live crickets and he rejected them. I spent 30 minutes a night trying to get the meal and the diner to cooperate and neither one wanted to. :/ So since getting him about 9 months ago I've fed him pre-killed refrigerated crickets. He generally would eat one once a day, which is surprising to me since other sources have reported that White's eat voraciously.

Current Problems --> Dumpy has become increasingly difficult to feed despite no change to the content of the diet. He looks about the same as he always has but seems less happy and lively than he used to.

Possible Culprits so far as I can tell-->

1. Substrate/Humidity. Dumpy has lived in a cage with real plants for about 4 months now and he showed no signs of dislike. Lately, however, the ground has become too soggy. I have seen elaborate designs to make a false bottom in the cage but I'm concerned that my cage is too small to make such a false bottom. Cage upkeep is a challenge in college but lately I've tried to keep fresh coats of soil present. I have some wood chips of an appropriate type but I didn't bring them to college sadly.
2. Heat. The temp Dumpy is exposed to is room temp. When his cage was in my room, all the heat lamps of the other species made it rather warm. Since moving him to college the temp has been in the 70's.
3. College. Dumpy had to go to college with me and I'm afraid that simple travel has made him stressed out. I don't know how to remedy this factor though...
4. Winter. I read that they become more dormant over the winter months. I hope that is the problem with Dumpy.

Please help! I'm heading home for a month very soon and I can make tank adjustments there. I do not know how to make his cage drain better and be warmer with the size tank he is in. If I get a larger one I doubt I will be able to accommodate him in a college dorm room. :/