Not hungry

[Roseanne]

I've got a pacman frog that I've had for about four months. I'm not sure how old it is but it was about two inches long when I got it and it's grown very little. Pacman frogs have a reputation for their appetites but my frog is not at all agressive and only eats around 3 crickets per week! I've tried to feed her goldfish and worms but shes rejected them every time. She likes wax worms but I can't feed her too many. Roseanne (the frogs name) ate nothing at all this week so I tried to force feed her some earthworms by putting them right up to her mouth and she just ignored them. And I don't think that it's a matter of me not SEEING her eat, as is often the case (though I wish it were). I usually throw 2-3 crickets into the tank every other day and end up finding more than a couple cricket carcasses by the end of the week.

Besides not eating, she looks healthy, and while she seems lazier than the already very lazy majority, I think she's responsive and alert. I keep her in a 10g tank with coco husk and an undertank heating pad and a lamp which keeps the temp right above 70. In addititon to that there are a couple hiding places, so I think that I have a relatively good setup.

On the other hand, I wonder if the noise around the tank stresses her out? I keep her in the main room where I watch TV and listen to music and in addition to that I have two dogs that are excessively yappy.

I guess is what I'm wondering is A) if there is anything I'm not doing to help my pacman eat and grow, and B) if anyone thinks that my frog may be sick.

Sorry for the essay! I'm just worried for Rosie.

[demeteraurion]

Get the heat up to 80-85 and you should see her start to want to eat. I think this is a big issue with a lot of people's pacs not eating. My frog is no exception, I'm having trouble keeping my temp at 80 right now and Im using an undertank heater. If you are using both a UTH and lamp, you should be getting higher temps.

My frog quit eating for awhile and the only way I got him to eat was force feeding, We would open his mouth gently and place a worm chunk in and he'd eventually eat it.

Also all the noise and action might be stressing out the frog like you said. Could you move her somewhere quieter like your bedroom? Wish your frog the best.

[Roseanne]

Yeah, I have a really hard time maintaining the temp in the tank. I have the 'tropical' UTH and the next one up is the desert one, I've held out on trading up cause I thought that would be too hot but maybe I'll give it a try.

[GreenLeader49]

My first ever Pacman I kept without a light or heater for the first couple weeks, so the temperature in the room was around 76-77 degrees during the day. The third week I set up a tank heater on the side of the 20 gallon tank, and that helped raise the temperature to around 80-82 during the day. Almost instantaneously my Pacman's appetite doubled (keep in mind he was already a huge eater to begin with). Its amazing how much 3 or 4 degrees can help!

[frogmike]

there is a good chance that your pac is a male. that would explain the small size. The environment that it is living in is less than healthy though. Pacman frogs of all species will stay small if they are kept in this cold dry environment. The will not eat because they are cold blooded and do not hoave the energy to eat and digest their food. I have seen this problem many time in pet stores. Where there will be one little cold dried out pac in a quarter inch of dry substrate, a water bowl(which they do not use), a ton of moss which causes impaction, and a coulpe of dead crickets in other side of the tank. Month after month I will see the same little thing that has not grown and is darely living. These are not toads! They are designed for hot wet humid places throughout South America. they NEED wet soil, heat, and humidity!

[demeteraurion]

there is a good chance that your pac is a male. that would explain the small size. The environment that it is living in is less than healthy though. Pacman frogs of all species will stay small if they are kept in this cold dry environment. The will not eat because they are cold blooded and do not hoave the energy to eat and digest their food. I have seen this problem many time in pet stores. Where there will be one little cold dried out pac in a quarter inch of dry substrate, a water bowl(which they do not use), a ton of moss which causes impaction, and a coulpe of dead crickets in other side of the tank. Month after month I will see the same little thing that has not grown and is darely living. These are not toads! They are designed for hot wet humid places throughout South America. they NEED wet soil, heat, and humidity!

I'm having a hell of a time keeping it warm enough. I'm hovering at 78-80 with a UTH under the tank, it doesn't warm it at all! I have a space heater I use throughout the day. I can't use lamps because mines an albino so I suppose I must get another heater to use or get a ceramic heat emitter. All of which are expensive.

[Roseanne]

there is a good chance that your pac is a male. that would explain the small size. The environment that it is living in is less than healthy though. Pacman frogs of all species will stay small if they are kept in this cold dry environment. The will not eat because they are cold blooded and do not hoave the energy to eat and digest their food. I have seen this problem many time in pet stores. Where there will be one little cold dried out pac in a quarter inch of dry substrate, a water bowl(which they do not use), a ton of moss which causes impaction, and a coulpe of dead crickets in other side of the tank. Month after month I will see the same little thing that has not grown and is darely living. These are not toads! They are designed for hot wet humid places throughout South America. they NEED wet soil, heat, and humidity!

I have no problem at all maintaining the humidity, and there is much more substrate than a quarter inch... I'm thinking I need a way to keep the heat inside the tank more efficiently, maybe the usual metal grated lid is letting too much heat escape.

[Roseanne]

And maybe you're having the same problem, demeteraurion?

[DonLisk]

I read a lot about under tank heaters and temps in the tank.

Under tank heaters will heat the substrate but would have to transmit a lot of heat to make it into the tank's air space. The substrate is like an insulator which is between your heater and the air space inside the tank where you temp gauge is reading.

Placing the heater on the side will surely raise the air space temp but since I'm not a pacman owner I do not know what the substrate temps should reach.

Is there a temp reading for the substrate?
Just wondering.

[demeteraurion]

My heater is under one side of the tank and I have about 2 inches of cocofiber in the aquarium and my temp. gauge is about 1.5-2 inches above the substrate and I get about 79 degrees. Sometimes the cocofiber feels warm, other times it doesnt. I'm seriously considering a ceramic heat emitter because this UTH sucks.

[Roseanne]

Ok, I covered half the lid with a towel and now the temperature is 80! Hopefully she eats today.

[demeteraurion]

I have my lid covered about 85% with aluminum foil, it helps the humidity, Idk about the heat. But I'm picking up a flourescent light today and I hope it will help Probably end up moving the uth to the side to see if it changes anything.

[Roseanne]

Ugh, no improvement! I see ONE of 3 crickets missing from her tank, but it might just be hiding. Also tried to feed her a pinky which was turned down...
I'm still having a rough time maintaining 80 degrees, its more like 74-78. Any tips? I might try to force feed her tomorrow if she still doesnt eat.

[demeteraurion]

Maybe you should try and get a Ceramic Heat emitter. I have dubia roaches for my frog but as soon as they hit the dirt they burry under it. If you have a mat and lamp though you should be able to get it warmer. How are they positioned, can you post pics of your setup? I just rearranged my tank and sealed of the top almost completely and I'm finally at 85 on the warm side! I'm using a small heat mat on the side with a 25w blue bulb on top. There is also some foliage for shade depending on if Rupert wants to hide or bask.

[Roseanne]

On the warm side, I have my lamp with a 50 watt bulb and a UTH on the bottom, on the other side I've got a little log hiding place and a plant. The top is just a regular metal screen top that I've put a towel over half of to try to trap some heat inside. Since putting the towel on the top the temp has gone from 70 to 75-78 degrees, which is an improvement but maybe I'll try tinfoil out.

[demeteraurion]

I don't know if its how I rearranged the tank or if its because I sealed off the lid aside from a hole for the lamp and some ventilation holes, but I'm at the perfect temperature finally. Do you have the lamp right on top of the screen lid or is further away? Maybe you should try the heat mat on the side.

[Roseanne]

It's right on the screen lid... HMMM!
I think I've got to give her another day to acclimate. I messed around with the tank and was poking at her face with food a whole bunch so I'll leave her alone for a bit :P. She's actually on the cooler side of the tank now so maybe she feels the difference. It's kinda funny, the petstore and everything I've read online told me that 70 degrees was ideal. No wonder it's so common for Pacmans to go without eating.

[Roseanne]

Oh! And she pooped today! Haha! So thats a good sign, at least.

[Capojames]

I see alot of people using soil as bedding. I think its the worsted as well as coco husk. I highly recommend Sphagnum moss. To it's the best for pac's with humidity.