Pacman not eating :(

[Clair]

Hey,
I've got an albino pacman called Elaine. I got her in March she hasn't really grown much since i got her ( shes 2") and now she has completely stopped eating and is looking awfully skinny. Getting worried and wondered if anyone had any advice.
I also got her out the other day and she went all stiff and sunk her eyes in (obviously I thought she had died) until i put her in her bowl of water.

She has heat, places to hide/burrow, fresh de chlorinated water, I try and feed her every day, i dust the crickets, i don't handle her often. Don't really know what else to do

[Kerry1968]

I'm no expert with frogs, but have you tried offering her different foods? I've heard waxworms are good to tempt many frogs to eat.

Has there been a temperature change lately, perhaps this is the cause of her not wanting to eat?

I'm sure somebody with more experience will be along soon to offer advice, good luck with her.

[Kurt]

I think you are looking at a trip to the vet.

[John]

Yes I agree with Kurt - not eating (and it sounds like she hasn't eaten in a long time) as well as being very skinny are a very serious combination for a frog. I fully expect the frog has bacterial septicaemia. The fact that she hasn't grown at all makes me think that she wasn't in good shape to begin with. Sorry to give you bad news, but welcome to the forum.

[Bluez3023]

My pacman also isnt eating, the first week I got him/her it ate a few crickets and a nightcrawler, then she didnt eat for 3 weeks until I got her a small frozen mouse which she gobbled up, and now its back to not eating. I'm dangling the worm in front of it but it doesnt seem that interested

[John]

Are you keeping the frog warm? These frogs should be kept at at least 80F (later 20s Celsius).

[Bluez3023]

yeah 80 temp around 75 humidity, 11 hours or florescent light, plenty of substrate, plenty of hiding spots.

It's weird he lunged at the frozen mouse, but he really doesnt move much for the worm. I think I need to just try and go back to crickets or something. I don't see roaches available in NY (at least not dubai lol)

[John]

Sometimes they get picky over their food - you can either try something else or give them a few days without food - hunger often brings them to their senses.

[Bluez3023]

Hopefully that will be soon, how long can they wait without eating? Here are pics from the tank and the last time he ate

[Kerry1968]

Ewww! *shudder*

I guess when you've got big frogs that are big eaters it's something you deal with, but I'm so glad that the largest prey mine has to deal with is crickets, not something warm and furry.

[John]

A young pac man like this will find it hard to resist anything you put in front of him after 4 or 5 days without food. If he won't take it then, don't leave him longer - get him to a vet (and if he's been this way for a while don't wait at all - go straight to the vet).

[ShiftingStarlight]

Ah, I'm afraid I have a depressing reply to this topic, that is somewhat related. It's also a question to all the horned frog owners out there; Recent months ago I bought two baby ornates, just about the same size and from two different locations. I had them for only a few months. Things were fine at first, then during a feeding time I noticed one of my babies go after a cricket and abruptly start to SEIZURE. I was extremely worried but from witnessing my boyfriend and my dog having seizures before (this brought back horrible anxiety), I was sure that it would come around again. It did after a bit, but I'm sure the conclusion I'm drawing to is obvious by now, the poor little one would seizure nearly every time it got excited in any way, and eventually starved to death despite my extreme efforts to feed it. I even opened its mouth a few times to put small crickets in, and I'd mist it frequently during the day since it couldn't move to it's pool.

I have no idea what triggered this at all since it seemed to be doing so well for nearly a month. And even more sadly, the exact thing started happening to the remaining baby. I went through the same routine until it too, died. I never had this problem with my first ornate, nor the one I've had for nearly a year now. Hopefully someone can shed some light on this business, because I have never seen a frog have seizures before. Genetic from inbreeding possibly?

[Mattiez]

I'm not sure about that, considering they came from different locations. Maybe they did come from the same breeder though. Perhaps some sort of infection that affects the nervous system? Either way, I'm terribly sorry you had to go through that.

[ShiftingStarlight]

I'm not sure about that, considering they came from different locations. Maybe they did come from the same breeder though. Perhaps some sort of infection that affects the nervous system? Either way, I'm terribly sorry you had to go through that.

I think it's a VERY good possibility that they came from the same breeder- I heard from a petstore owner that I talk to that pretty much all the frogs in this area come from some breeders in Texas. I don't know about ALL frogs, but Ornates is what she said. So that could definitely be a contributing factor.

[Bluez3023]

well just an update, I got some crickets and he just luned after them like he was starving. I'm thinking maybe the worms werent moving enough or were too big.

[Mattiez]

That's great news! Make sure they're being well gut-loaded as well as coated in vitamins every so often.

[Kurt]

It could be enviromental as well. Perhaps there is a toxin involved here. A toxin found in both their enclosures. I am not a vet nor have I had any experience with this, so I can't say for sure

[ShiftingStarlight]

It could be enviromental as well. Perhaps there is a toxin involved here. A toxin found in both their enclosures. I am not a vet nor have I had any experience with this, so I can't say for sure

I guess that could be possible, but I had them in a 20 long tank with a divider down the middle, my older and still living pacman on one side, and the babies on the other. There was a divider between them also. The coconut fiber was out of the same bag as what I'd been using for the older frog. He's never had any problems either. I guess I may never know.

[Bluez3023]

random question, does anyone feed their pacman dubia? if so how many should be given daily?

[John]

These cockroaches (Blaptica dubia) are an excellent food for frogs like Pacman frogs and African Bullfrogs. I tend to employ the 15 minute rule - give them as much as they will eat in 15 minutes. For young frogs I would feed them every 1-2 days if they are being maintained at a warm temperature - adults every 3-5 days. Those are just guidelines. Cockroaches are not a fattening food so don't be afraid to give more.