New pacman, diet and defecation concerns

[Feesh]

Hey all, first time posting on this forum. I'm a new frog owner, though experienced with other exotics, and I have some concerns with my new pacman. I bought him 4 weeks ago from the pet store I work in, and unless I somehow missed it he has yet to defecate. He has eaten about twice a week, and is offered food every time he surfaces from the earth. I've tried earthworms, pinkies, and super worms, but all he will eat is crickets and samurai pacman food. I'm worried at this point that he might be impacted. He's refusing food more lately, and still no poop. He was on sphagnum for a short while, and I fear he may have ingested some. I'm preparing to bring him to a vet if need be. Below is the specs of his habitat. Thanks in advance for any advice!


1. Size of enclosure: 10 gal
2. # of inhabitants - 1
3. Humidity: 60 - 80% (working on keeping it up)
4. Temperature- 75-80
5. Water - spring water spritz 2-3 times a day
6. Materials used for substrate: Eco earth
7. Enclosure set up: log for hiding, live pothos, fake vines
8. Main food source: crickets and samurai pacman food
9. Vitamins and calcium? Calcium dusted on all crickets
10. Lighting: low wat halogen bulb
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure: Heat mat with rheostat
12. When is the last time he/she ate: over 5days ago
13. Have you found poop lately: no

16. How old is the frog: roughly 8 months
17. How long have you owned him/her: 4 weeks
18. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred: cb
19. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats: he only accepts crickets and samurai pacman food twice a week
20. How often the frog is handled: less than 1x a week
21. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area:low
22. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc): spot clean daily, stir dirt weekly change entire thing monthly

[DVirginiana]

If you haven't already removed all the moss, you should go ahead and do so. If it's there, they'll find some way to eat it.

Other than that, your husbandry seems spot on, so you may be looking at an impaction. Either way, the treatment for impaction doesn't harm them.
Feel the frog's right side gently, if you can feel a lump that may be an impaction.

Fill a container with treated water up to the frog's chin-level, and mix in 5-7 drops of honey. Let the frog soak for 10-20 minutes. You can massage the lump gently to help the frog pass it. You can do this once a day until the frog passes it.

[Feesh]

Wow, thanks so much for your quick reply! I know my question was a rather boring one, so i didn't expect a fast reply, lol.

I'll definitely give him a good soak then! I would have already been doing more warm soaks if I wasn't so afraid I'd stress him. Poor guy hates being disturbed. As soon as he passes it I'm going to my vet for a fecal exam, so here's hoping he passes it soon!!


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[Feesh]

So I did his first soak today, and felt him for any bumps, and everything feels normal to me except his weight. He seems quite thin, with most of his bulk being water weight. After he returned to his tank, I let him rest then offered food. He did eat 4 crickets, thankfully. When I tried to get him to eat the pacman food however, he showed no interest at first, then after some coaxing he finally lunged at it, and crunched the tongs. After that he wouldn't eat the food, even going so far as to spit out the ball he caught in his mouth. I'm worried he's put off of packaged pacman food, and possibly tongs now. Any suggestions? I'm really having trouble getting this little guy to eat.

[DVirginiana]

It's fairly normal for them to be mostly water weight, so I wouldn't worry about that unless you start to see him really looking too thin.

In the future, try angling the tip of the tongs away from his face while he eats. That way if he lunges at them too hard his nose will still hit the tongs and he'll probably get the food, but he won't be able to get them in his mouth.
I doubt that put him off pacman food or tongs for good, just give it a day or two and try again.

[Feesh]

Thanks! I really appreciate the advice! This frog is sure giving me every excuse to worry!


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