Sudden death and dessication of our Mateo, Pacman Frog

[AnimalCaregiver]

Ok. Was the coco substrate moist or dry? What was the ambient temperature in the enclosure and/or under the heat lamp. Temperatures in excess of 90 can kill rather quickly and if combined with a dry substrate the body will desiccate quickly. As far as water goes, well water can pose a host of problems in and of itself but using anything other than dechlorinated /purified can also cause problems. In the future I’d advise using bottled water or at the very least a water conditioner that removes chloramine and chlorine from the source. None of this is to say though that any of these factors necessarily contributed to the frog’s death but in the future make sure to eliminate any environmental variables. Sometimes frogs die suddenly and aside from a thorough necropsy there is no easy way to determine the cause.

Thank you again, Dan. Ambient temp was usually 80-85* and we try to keep the substrate as moist as possible. To be honest, it may have dried out between spritzing. Also, we used to use only bottled water (delivered) for the animals but then our well water was supposedly "treated" and was "fine". I am going to use only the bottled water going forward. We'll never know for sure, but I will be much more careful about these issues.

Thanks so much to this forum for access to expert help. FYI I am a wildlife rehabilitator and lead Admin for www.thesquirrelboard.com, a VBulletin forum very similar to this one. I understand now how our new members feel when they come to our forum desperate for help, or saddened by the loss of a beloved animal.

[DanDrobates]

No problem it’s my pleasure. I only wish I could have been more helpful. Good luck with your animals and enjoy the holiday.