Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had my pacman since July and it has been doing fine up until recently. It hasn't seemed very hungry lately. It won't go after its crickets or eat them when I hold them up to his face. I ended up force feeding one cricket a few days ago because he had gone over a week without eating. The aquarium is just below 85 on one side and between 72 and 74 on the other side. So I don't think there is a problem with the temps. I also mist the aquarium between 3 and 4 times a day. Any ideas?

Thanks!

how old is this frog, what do you dust with? sometimes they go awile without eating, thats just the way they are. dont force feed him that will just stress him out. you can also get a fecal done costs about 15 bucks. if its just been a few days dont sweat it, he will eat trust me. make sure you use herptivite and repcal with d3 and gut load your crickets with quality fish food or comercial sold gut loads, with the calcium fluker cricket quencher. thats what i do for my frogs. keep us posted.

I have only ever experienced horned frogs that wouldn't eat when they were young. These frogs I had to force feed and "teach" how to eat crickets, otherwise they would have died. If your frog has always been an incredible eater and is now not eating, then maybe it is impacted with something. What do you use for a substrate? If it starts to get skinny then force feeding it crickets everyday is a good thing.

noway is it a good thing, if it is impacted force feeding it until it dies is bad bad bad. try soaking the frog in luke warm water to loosen the stool. and like stated what substrate are you using. coco bedding is best by far for injestion purposes. it passes right through, moss can compact them some thats why you hand feed if using moss as your subsrate.

Well my toad has never been an "incredible eater" and I know it isn't impacted because he defecated a few days ago. He did eat a cricket last night from my hand though so I am not too worried at the moment. However, I am still a little concerned with his motivation to eat. When I hand fed him it was as though he just opened his mouth to grab the cricket. He didn't lunge for the cricket like I would expect a toad to do. As far as bedding I am using that reptile dirt that comes in the brick and you have to soak to let it expand and soften. Seems like a good substrate, non abrasive and allows him to easily burrow down. I had used moss but stopped using it because I had to pull some moss out of his mouth after he ate a cricket (he has defecated since then). I probably will have a fecal check done - i work at a vet clinic so it costs me next to nothing to send out a fecal. My toad is maybe the size of two quarters - so how often and how many crickets should he be eating?

thanks

If your frog is the size of two quarters then it is still young and small. Growing horned frogs need to be fed lots, more than adults that are three times the size! Also, growing horned frogs are very very very susceptible to MBD (metabolic bone disease), so you should dust with calcium and vitamin d3 regularly. The d3 helps in the uptake of calcium, so if you are only dusting with calcium and not d3, then it is almost pointless as they need the d3 to actually be able to use the calcium.

I have alot of experience with impaction in horned frogs. I used to keep them on peat moss (which is a definate no no) and on three occasions the frogs ended up ingesting a small twig that was in the peat moss. All three of these frogs refused to eat after becoming impacted. Two of them I just let be, and didn't force feed, and it took them about 3 weeks to starve to death. The other one I force fed crickets everyday (this was about 2 years ago) and it is still alive today! If your frog is really skinny, like to the point where you can see its bones, that means it is on the verge of death. I would definately force some crickets in its mouth. Hint: after you get a cricket in its mouth, close the mouth with your fingers, and then with a damp finger, touch the eyes to induce it to swallow.

Well it is certainly not skinny - in fact it is quite fat! Also, like I said I know it is not impacted because it defecated only a few days ago. I will get some D3 calcium though - I am quite aware of the dangers of MBD, I have lots of experience with lizards and turtles.

Thanks

Lol, its just when giving advice on these forums, you never know the age or experience level of the other members. Has it always been a lethargic eater ever since you first got it?

...or the maturity level of other users, lol.

Thats ok, I understand what you mean... Yes, I would say he has always been a poor eater. He would lunge a little bit when I first got him, but he usually missed and then stopped lunging. I attributed his poor aim to his poor vision caused by being an albino. Are pacmans nocturnal feeders? I've noticed I have better luck feeding him after his lights are out than feeding him during the day.

yes they are night feeders not day, although they may once in awile. i strongly recomend researching some more.

http://www.geocities.com/tozgood/home.html

http://www.geocities.com/rafarndell/husbandry.html

Mine all feed voraciously. Day or night. The very instant I drop in food it is snatched up.

mine seem to feed at night, or the evening into the morning, then burrow for the day to digest thier meals under the heat padded substrate.