pac man wont eat!!

Okay, so I have this pacu man frog that I got as a pet earlier this year. It was no bigger than a quarter when I got it. Not sure of the gender, but I don't know if that may help in determining why this thing won't eat. It used to be the best eater in my collection! Now it just seems uninterested in food...like at all. Won't eat a thing I put in there. Just wondering if anyone might be able to help me figure out how to get my puk-puk eating again!

Thanks for any info!

How long has it been? Have there been temp or humidity changes in your room (like heating/ac) These guys can go off food for a lot of reasons. Of course they eat like pigs when they're growing. But too cold/hot/dry can also cause them to dig in and cocoon. They develop a skin-like waxy covering and just shut down for a bit. Make sure the little guy has a bowl off warm (room temp) water to soak in, about 3/4 of his body deep. Plop him in there and leave him alone. He may sit in there for 2-3 days, or 2-3 seconds. Try food once a week. No pacman frog is going to starve. They can go months!

Noelle

This has been going on since like July. The last time he ate was 3 weeks ago. But before that it was the beginning of July that he had eaten. At first I wasn't really worried about his health. It looks healthy, but I am noticing a bit of weight loss, it just bugs me when things don't stick to a routine feeding schedule. I have noticed the waxy skin coating quite a bit. I always use warm water in the cage, and it's a land/water cage. There is a 2% uvb bulb in there that is helping the plants grow, and that throws out a little bit of heat for him. (The cage is a 12x12x18 exo terra cage) It just bothers me because every wednesday like clockwork the feed response was great, and now I just can't get it to eat...

He is estivating. Estivation is a response to what they perceive to be negative changes to their environment. Often, for cool weather amphibians, it's a sort of 'summer hibernation'. Unlike true hibernation, it does not harm the animal to gently bring him out of it. He is, after all, just trying to live through a hardship which you are now going to remove. Here's what you can try: First, even though a pacman doesn't move for days on end, they like to have the option. Put him in a ten gallon tank (or larger), with a large shallow water dish. Make sure the rest of the soil stays clean and damp, like a squeezed out sponge, deep enough to bury himself if he chooses. Next, frogs don't like light, and a pacman doesn't need or want plants. In a 12 inch square that he has to share with plants and a light, he's probably very uncomfortable as he gets larger. So, 10 gallon with moist, deep peat and a water dish. Now, you can bring him out of estivation by holding him over the sink and letting room-temp water slowly run over him. After a few minutes, very gently rub the cocoon away, especially from his eyes. It will be gooey. Next, put him in his water dish in his new tank. Whenever he gets out, try to feed him. If he doesn't eat, try again in a few days. Amphibians are tremendously sensitive to their environment; you're probably never going to get him on a schedule. Keep us posted!

Noelle

Originally Posted by rcarichter

He is estivating. Estivation is a response to what they perceive to be negative changes to their environment. Often, for cool weather amphibians, it's a sort of 'summer hibernation'. Unlike true hibernation, it does not harm the animal to gently bring him out of it. He is, after all, just trying to live through a hardship which you are now going to remove. Here's what you can try: First, even though a pacman doesn't move for days on end, they like to have the option. Put him in a ten gallon tank (or larger), with a large shallow water dish. Make sure the rest of the soil stays clean and damp, like a squeezed out sponge, deep enough to bury himself if he chooses. Next, frogs don't like light, and a pacman doesn't need or want plants. In a 12 inch square that he has to share with plants and a light, he's probably very uncomfortable as he gets larger. So, 10 gallon with moist, deep peat and a water dish. Now, you can bring him out of estivation by holding him over the sink and letting room-temp water slowly run over him. After a few minutes, very gently rub the cocoon away, especially from his eyes. It will be gooey. Next, put him in his water dish in his new tank. Whenever he gets out, try to feed him. If he doesn't eat, try again in a few days. Amphibians are tremendously sensitive to their environment; you're probably never going to get him on a schedule. Keep us posted!

Noelle

Christine, very informative.

My thoughts were perhaps he is impacted? I would soak him in warm water (slightly warmer than room remp), switch him to a very fine substrate such as eco earth (my preferance) and keep his temp at around 82-84. I also recommend removing the light from the situation.

Well, either way it does not matter anymore. Puk-puk passed on 2 days ago. I made the switch, I actually used Eco earth because it was all I had at the time, and put a small heating pad on him with a
t-stat set to 82 degrees. I gave him a warm water soak, put warm water in his bowl, and left him to be. I tried feeding him after a couple of days in his new habitat and he still wasn't interested in food. Im not sure what it was.

Michael, if he was impacted would he still be able to pass stools? Because I know that he had eaten about a month ago, and a few days later he had pooped. I'm just not sure what the heck happened. I know amphibians are really sensitive but i didnt think they were this sensitive.

He or she (never knew gender) will be greatly missed. Every time I walked by I could see puk-puk smiling at me, and every now and then would wink at me. He was also the easiest of my collection to clean up after. Lol

Thanks for all your help guys. I just wish I coulda gotten him help sooner. Maybe he would still be here if I had..