So I'll preface this by saying that I work at one of those dreaded P stores. I know that I have a lot to learn, and I actually do want to work on acquiring knowledge so that I can tell people the right stuff! So with that being said, please don't give me a hard time about not knowing things or the store doing things incorrectly... I can only do so much to work on improving the habitats...
1. Size of enclosure - about 16x16x12 (I know this is smaller than it ought to be, like I said though, I can't really change that, and we have him to sell, not keep in there forever)
2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences - lone pacman, about 3 inches
3. Humidity - 65 (I know that this is really low, I only noticed it today, and I'm going to have my team work on raising it. I figure this is likely the reason for him not being green, but will he go back to being green with time? Or should I push to take him to the vet). I told one of the girls today to give him a soak in water that was conditioned. I was really hoping that would help.
4. Temperature - Shoot, I forgot to look for this when I checked the humidity.
5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish - water with repti-safe added
6. Materials used for substrate- coconut fiber
7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials. - artificial plants
8. Main food source - crickets
9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often) - calcium with vit d. He does not get vitamins added (I also realize this is bad and will change this
10. Lighting - overhead led light, I'm also unsure what the specifics of the light are
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure - overhead light
12. When is the last time he/she ate - today
13. Have you found poop lately - not too sure about that to be honest, I'm not the one that cleans the habitat
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. - He's brown and beige on the top, but green on the bottom. I think it's because the bottom is covered with substrate which does have moisture in it
16. How old is the frog - about 6 months (how often do you think we should feed him and about how much?)
17. How long have you owned him/her
18. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred - ugh, I'm also not sure where we get them from, I think captive bred though
19. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats - we feed him about every other day I believe, he gets a defrosted mouse maybe once a month and a goldfish once a month (I also read about the parasites so I'm going to try to get the girls to stop doing that too)
20. How often the frog is handled - only really when he gets his hab changed.
21. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area - high traffic flow
22. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc) - water changed once daily, substrate changed weekly and enclosure cleaned out at the same time.
Ok, so I know that we've already been making some mistakes. I'm in a leader position so I can push to make a few changes, but it may be hard to enforce them. I'm going to try to make a feeding schedule, to include vitamins and calcium, to only feed him a mouse once a month, and to not feed him goldfish. Can you also suggest a feeding schedule regarding how often/how many crickets I should feed him? Like I said he's about 6 months, and about 3 inches.
I'm also going to look into what types of lights we have. The set-up won't allow for a heat pad on the side, it has to be from a light up top (which is on for about 12 hours). From what I gather he doesn't need UVB so I'll make sure that he doesn't have any. Also I've been wondering, does the heating pad on the side crack the glass?
I'm also definitely going to make sure he gets more humidity throughout the day. Clearly he's stressing out, but do you think with a bath and increased humidity added, that he'll go back to being his normal self, or should I push to get him to a vet?
Once again, please don't flame me for working in a pet store. The people genuinely do care about animals, we're just responsible for so many different types of animals, that our knowledge gets spread a little too thin. I really want to know and to pass my knowledge on to other associates and to the customers.
Lastly about how often do you think he should be pooping?
(PS. I've just taken to calling him a male, but it's really just a guess). I would really appreciate help on this, thanks for taking the time to read my post.
(Edited for clarification)
Are you able to get a picture of him? Sometimes they change colour for various reasons but is generally nothing to worry about. The only thing I would be concerned about would be if he's doing it because he's too dry/cold and has started to estivate and covered himself in dry layers of skin, which lightens their colour a bit.
This is the same frog about a week apart!
As for the questions (sorry if I miss any!)
The heat pad wont crack the glass if it is thermostatted (im not sure thats really a word...o.O lol) so it doesn't get too hot.
At 6 months I feed them every other/every 3rd day usually as much as they will eat. I don't really give mine rodents so can't comment on the frequency of those but i'd definitely drop the goldfish completely. Calcium and D3 I give once a week, vitamin powder every other feed should be enough. This was posted in a thread a little bit further down from this one which seems to be a good guide http://www.frogforum.net/showthread.php?t=26121 as for pooping, it generally depends on how much and what they're eating. Mine go once every 3 weeks/ a month at around 6 months old, my adults go a little longer.
Hope that helps a bit!
Last edited by Drayvan; September 12th, 2015 at 05:33 PM. Reason: Forgot the link! lol
Eep, I went back to the store to get something for my mice and the pacman's temp is at 100 degrees. What type of light bulb would you suggest I use?
Holy, you guys are going to cook the poor thing. You could use like a 40 watt red bulb hooked to a dimmer, and you want the tank to be around 82f during the day and drop a couple degrees at night. Get that humidity up to around 75%, it should be around the 70-80% range. Is the frog in a terrarium that he can see everybody walking by during the day? if so cover I would cover all the sides and if someone asks to see it just remove the front cover. If he is displayed so he can see everything he is going to be stressed to the max and this will lower his immune system and make him ill then the person that buys this frog is going to have a sick frog. Oh and for the heating you could put the heat source over to one side so there is little temperature gradient, this way he can move around to were he is comfortable.
I can change the type of light bulb, but not it's position (it's in a built in shelving unit that's three tanks long). Thanks for the tip about the 40 watt red bulb though. Also covering all sides really won't float unfortunately since at the end of the day it is retail.
I'm definitely going to make sure the humidity and temp get under control.
Ya I was thinking the same thing about covering the sides after I typed it but it was worth a shot. They don't see the red, you could even keep the leds there for his daytime light if that's the way he will get the most daytime light. And the temp gradient thing I don't think everybody does, so as long it isn't to hot he should be fine. Aim for around 82f and you will happy frog heat wise.
Sorry to double post but are the leds were the heat is comeing from or is heat separate? If the leds are were the heat is comeing from you could go down in wattage on those if possible.
I would guess from your responses, he's too hot and dry. The LED lights shouldn't be putting out enough heat to affect anything, but obviously there is heat coming from somewhere and it needs to be lowered. I know it's retail and you need the frog to be visible, but he would be significantly happier with enough substrate to bury in and fake plants to hide under. I do have a sick frog at the moment who has an infection and his color is a bit lighter than normal.
I will definitely work on the heat (and also check how the other habs are doing...) and the humidity. I will also work on making a feeding schedule that will work for him and the staff (including the vit and calcium).
Thanks for being really encouraging guys. I was really worried that I would get flamed for my ignorance and for the improper way the store is doing things.
Edited to add: he also has a decent amount of substrate to bury in. Judging from other pictures, I believe it to be enough. When he's down all the way, just the top part is visible (sorry if that's unclear, not sure how else to describe it)
Last edited by codud2112; September 13th, 2015 at 12:27 AM.
The forum is generally nice, and most of us were or are at the same point as you, unsure of what all these guys need, but want to do right by them. Can't get upset with someone for ignorance unless it's intentional and they are simply looking for agreement to justify the improper care. I hope the frog does better with the adjustments, and hopefully someone who will care for him properly takes him home soon. When he does get sold, guide them here for advice and to read the care article.
I'm actually trying to talk my husband around that we need another pet because I like him
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