Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I have a Pacman Frog who has not eaten in a number of months (he was given to me by a friend). Before he came to me, he would eat live mice. My friend would leave the live mouse in his enclosure for a few days, until it was evident he did not want to eat. However, I am a bit wary to put a live mouse in with the frog, let alone unsupervised for DAYS. I know for snakes it is a big no-no to leave them unattended with live food items, why would it be different with frogs?

However, how would I go about trying to feed him? I have already attempted a dethawed rat pup, and would dangle it infront of him to no avail. He is a large adult frog, so he can handle a good size mouse.

Any input is appreciated!

you could try wiggling it about as though it is alive, might trigger him to eat it.

I tried that, it didn't work.

I could try again though.

I don't know the specifics as far as the age or size of your frog, but I have read several articles (through kingsnake) that suggest thatfeeding your pacman frog large prey(more than 1/3 the size of their mouth) can cause them to grow too fast, shorten their life span, and can eventually cause blindness. Does your frog react to movement in the enclosure at all? They mainly feed by sight and a healthy frog will sometimes go after anything that moves in the tank (including your fingers). It has caused more than one person to turn their pacman frog into a flying pacman frog as they jerk their hands out and sling the frog across the room. They are usually very agressive eaters and should not take too long to eat. You might want to test and see if he/she reacts to movement because a long period of feeding large prey may have caused blindness and therefore the frog cannot see you moving the mouse in front of him. Hope this helps and be careful trying to hand feed. Keep your fingers out of reach and if you do get bitten, be calm and don't fling your frog. Good Luck!