Abf always buried, shedding skin

[stinax182]

Is it normal for my adult abf to be buried 24/7? I have to dig him up twice a week to feed, then i put him in his pond but he's always buried within a couple hours. The last two times I've dug him up, he's been shedding. How long does it take to shed normally?

His enclosure temps are 76f-85f day and night with humidity of 70%. I feed him home bred dubia roaches, earthworms, superworms and crickets and alternate between supplements. I use reptisafe to treat the water i pour into his substrate and his pond is RO water with no filter but i change it biweekly.

Also, I've been debating removing his pond as it's 1/3 of his enclosure and he's never in it. I do see waste in it but that's probably from when i put him in it. Could i just give him a bath after feeding him and offer a smaller wash dish?

Any advice, critique or tips?

[Thevacantface]

If he has spent any time in his water, it should be changed within the day. Get a water testing kit from the pet store/aquarium supply and see how bad it gets after he is in there for just a few minutes. If he is burying himself that much, his dirt may be too dry, even if the air is high enough humidity, he will always want to burrow, and if the soil is pulling moisture from him, he will think it's time to aestivate

[stinax182]

Thank you. I will remove the pond and bathe him regularly. I pour water into his substrate every couple of days.... It's never dry underneath but just wet enough that you can clump it into a ball. Should I keep the substrate more wet?

[Thevacantface]

The soil sounds fine, just make sure you switch it out about once a month. You can bring the tank humidity up to about 80%, I would recommend digital gauges if you don't have them, analog type are notoriously inaccurate.
My frog loved her water feature, but after losing her to what was most likely toxic water that looked very clean and was fresh and treated just three days prior, I highly recommend being diligent about the water and testing daily if you are going to have a water feature.

[stinax182]

It makes sense. Amphibians are different than reptiles, I have to remember that. I'm thinking of just bathing him after feeding him and not offering a water dish. And I don't change the substrate.... He's in a rather large enclosure with like 10" of substrate.... Should I change this?

[Thevacantface]

That amount of substrate seems a little excessive, but regardless of quantity, it still needs changed regularly. They poop and pee in the dirt and then absorb moisture and anything else in the soil back into them. So then you have nitrate and ammonia buildup as well as bacteria and fungus finding the warm, moist, loose, organic soil the perfect breeding ground.

As for why he is deciding to bury, they just like to. Especially as an adult, they can go a while between feeding and will come out when truly hungry. Being frightened or stressed could be making him want to hide. Make him feel secure by covering 3 sides or the enclosure, keeping it in a low traffic area, handling the frog as little as possible, and being quiet and gentle any time you have to do something in the enclosure.

[stinax182]

Okay. I took the pond out and replaced it with a dish that I will only fill up after feeding him and I'll place him in it, then clean. His enclosure is wooden so he cannot see out and I only handle him to feed him. Thank you