Poor Baby Died :( Any Ideas?

[Zehla]

Augh, I'm so sad right now. I was wondering if anybody could help me figure out what I did wrong, if anything. I'm thinking maybe when I bought my new baby pacman, she was already sick - but before I decide to get another one, I want to make very sure that it was either the pet store or my fault, and most importantly make sure I neeeeeever make that mistake again. she was just a baby, I feel horrible.

When I got her she was VERY small, like nickel sized, and oddly skinny for a baby pacman I'd say. I posted before worried because she'd thrown up a tiny hunk of worm I cut for her a few days after I got her, but after a while from that she got very active, would chase crickets, hunt them down, devour them, then dart back into her little burrow. Cutest habits, haha. The one thing I noticed about her that made me suspicious was she'd usually sit with her legs at her sides, not tucked under her (My bigger frog, hah, you can't even SEE her feet).

She would also do this weird thing where she would raise one of her legs above her head and wiggle her toes a little bit, which is one of the reasons for her silly name, Feeties. She did this maybe three times, and I owned her for at least two and a half months. Until now, I thought it was cute, but at the moment am wondering if I missed a big red flag.

Last night was what I regret the most. She was sitting there, legs splayed out, rather motionless, and the skin under her mouth/throat looked very puffed out. Concerned about mouth rot, I checked the area with a gentle physical to find that Feeties seemed to have just puffed her throat out with air, because I felt no masses or anything. I dismissed it as "Maybe she just ate one of her crickets" and let her be.

Tonight, I got a phone call at work from my boyfriend. He found her on her back in her cage, not moving or breathing. . I'm afraid that she may have had metabolic bone disease, and I'm kicking myself for not seeing the signs, because I check my other adult frog once a month for symptoms. I was dusting her crickets generously, keeping her cage clean and moist - it's kind of a shock that, if she did have it, she even managed to get it. I always felt like I was taking good care of her .

Jabba's fat and healthy, and happy, well-fed and currently long-lived - but nonetheless this makes me doubt myself as an aspiring frog owner. I don't want to get another one until I've either learned from my mistake or just accepted the fact I got unlucky with a pet store frog. It's still so sad to me, she was GORGEOUS, bright green with almost tribal looking black spots/stripes. Such a shame.

Edit:

She also didn't grow much since I'd got her. I fed her twice a week and she didn't shed much that I could tell, and she's the same size now as when I got her. Not entirely sure what that could mean.

[Jace]

I am very sorry for your loss. She sounds like she had quite the personality in a small package.

I have not owned a pacman for many years, but from what you have described, it sounds like she had some problems when you brought her home. I doubt if there was anything you could have done differently that would have changed the outcome, unfortunately. Hindsight is always 20/20. However, it is quite obvious you cared for her greatly and provided the best care. Hugs and again, I am very sorry.

[Paul Rust]

That sucks, I'm sorry for the loss of your frog.

[John]

Sorry for your loss. I agree with Jo-Anna - these frogs often come in sick. I hope this doesn't put you off keeping frogs.

[Ebony]

Im very sorry for your loss Zehla. I also agree with Jace.

[Zehla]

Yeah

I am just glad it's not something I did. I doubt it would put me off of frogs forever - I might even hit a more reptile-oriented store next week just to see if there are any that catch my eye. I'll definitely check to see if any potential pets are showing strange symptoms/just don't look healthy in the future instead of picking one instantly and walking out with it.

I really wish general pet stores cared more for their animals. On top of the sickness she had, they were keeping her - and the rest of their pacmans - in moss instead of fiber :C. I switched her out right away, and she did poop a lot so I'm assuming that's not what killed her since her digestion seemed fine enough.

[Kurt]

Sorry about your loss. it sounds like you did have some red flags at the beginning, i.e., vomiting and emaciation. The puffed out throught could be edema, but I cannot say for sure without actually seeing the frog. Good luck with all your future frogs.