A little bit of background: Yesterday, my boyfriend and I picked up a juvenile Pacman frog and brought him home. He has a chameleon and a bearded dragon, and I have had tree frogs and leopard geckos in the past, so we are both well-versed in the herp department! He’s also a petco employee and has helped me with a lot of the set up. We picked up the Pacman frog from a PetSmart where he was kept in a plastic critter keeper (had no thermometer or hygrometer but you could tell humidity was definitely not up to par). We asked how long they’ve had him for, they said about a month. They don’t know how well he eats, they said they just threw crickets in there.and assumed he ate them.... okay... When they were taking him out to give him to us, my boyfriend noted to me that there were MANY live crickets walking around his habitat despite the fact they said they hadn’t fed him that day.
So, fast forward to today, the next day, and I’ve noticed that he hasn’t moved from his spot since last night. I misted him and added a few plants to his 10 gal terrarium and he was sitting on the edge of his water dish. Today, I wake up and find he is still on the edge of the water dish. Temp is at 82° F, I am constantly misting (couldn’t find a hygrometer), and he ate two waxworms last night within two hours of us bringing him home (must’ve not been into a cricket only diet). I know that Pacman frogs are relatively stationary but I also read that the juveniles are remarkably more active than adults.
**Note: I think it is important to add that he is not burrowing neither. He has ground coconut fiber substrate that we soaked last night, maybe it is packed too densely?
Does he look sick or injured at all? He could just be stressed from moving or maybe the less-than-fantastic conditions at petsmart have something to do with it?
Your temps and humidity seem ok. Does the petsmart were your at have the 14 day return policy? If he doesn't perk up and start to move and become more exited for food within the next few days I would maybe think of returning him and waiting till an expo comes around or get one shipped from a reliable breeder once its warmed up more. Pets mart does not care for there animals very well and he could be sick with something. And if they said they don't know if he eats then they don't know if he was getting his vitamins, crickets can rub that stuff off pretty fast. And at this stage in his life vitamins are crucial for him. And yes you are right that babies and juveniles are pretty active when it comes to food, all of mine would chase there food down when they were young but now they wait till I bring the food right in front of there face. If you cover 3 sides it can help him settle faster, and again if nothing changes in the next few days I would consider returning him. For the fibre being packed down it should be ok, I pack mine good and they can burrow into pretty easily. It almost forms a little mound around were he's burrowed and makes it very easy to spot were he has buried himself.
I'm guessing part of his behavior is connected to being stressed and it's likely compounded by his poor prior conditions. The fact he ate for you is stellar, though. It's possible he's a bad shot when trying to catch things and gives up easily which can explain why he was disinterested in the crickets but gobbled up the waxworms (and they're also kind of like frog junkfood, so who wouldn't like those? lol). One thing that concerns me is if he was kept at a subpar temperature during his time at the pet store. Temperature is critical for proper digestion, so he could very well not be feeling good if this is the case. Keep an eye out for poop and, if you don't see any in a few days, it might be a good idea to make him a warm bath to soak in to "coax" the waste out. You could also take this opportunity to give him some Pedialyte in the soak (I believe it's 1 part Pedialyte/10 parts water) to perk him up a bit. It could be a good idea to take his poop and get a fecal exam done to rule out any parasites or other problems, too.
Another concern is if the employees were dusting his food with proper supplements. Considering what you wrote, it makes me nervous they may have neglected doing this, so it'd be good to nip that in the bud and dust whatever you can get him to eat.
And because it needs to be said...it may not have been a good idea to get this baby pacman. I know how difficult it is to see an animal in trouble and want to save it, but it only encourages the establishment to buy more animals to put into the same bad conditions. You're also taking the risk of putting a lot of time/money into an animal who could have a lot of issues. I don't want to discourage you by any means and the fact he's eating is fantastic, but it's something to keep in mind for the future. I really hope he's okay and PetSmart didn't mess him up too bad
EDIT: Whoops, monster beat me to it (and frankly has better advice). That's what I get for getting distracted in the middle of typing, lol.
Thank you for your reply! Your response is appreciated and you’re right, it does encourage the corporation to keep buying them. My bf and I originally planned to get an adult Pacman frog at a petco but he was gone when we came back, unfortunately. I will take your advice and hopefully see an improvement in his condition! If not, I will get a fecal done and return him if t gets to that point
If you think he may be suffering from long-term dehydration you can do a brief soak of (treated) water mixed with room-temp unflavored pedialyte (I think it's something like 50/50) which I've found can bring a sluggish baby back to life.
I would also suggest feeding a small f/t pinky mouse once you think he can handle it. It seems like a number of supplements contain beta carotene as opposed to directly containing fat-soluble vitamin A, so it isn't super available to pacman frogs. I personally supplement with Repashy Vitamin A powder along with other supplements, but you have to be sure to follow the dosing instructions for that one. If you can get him tong trained, you can probably also feed him zoomed pacman food mixed with your supplement powder, which is what I use to deliver supplements because it can't rub off like with worms and crickets.
The above is how I got one of my calcium-deficient babies back to health, but I admit it's a matter of persistence and luck as well.
To be honest, I don't know if you have a baby or a juvenile. You make reference to both. Before I got my PacMan, I did a lot of research and Printed out many "Care Sheets" from various websites and Vendors. I've spoken on the phone to Vendors. Most did not recommend "dusting" crickets with vitamins, or "gut-loading" crickets with vitamins. PetSmart appears to be negligent in the sense that no one really has a sound history of the care this frog has received while in their care. I think this frog needs some time to adjust to his new home. He was in a Critter Keeper, and had MANY live Crickets walking around this Critter Keeper. So, is this frog a baby or a juvenile? If the Crickets were walking around the Critter Keeper, than this frog is not hungry. You put him in a 10-gallon enclosure and were "constantly" misting but you had no Hygrometer. And you had a Temperature of 82-degrees, which I personally think is a little to warm. Why did you "pack down" the substrate? There is no need to do that. Just put the substrate into the enclosure and mist it. You don't need to "soak it". How can this frog be dehydrated when you are constantly misting the enclosure? Frogs absorb moisture through their skin.
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