Buried Pacman

[EightLeggedFrea]

My new baby albino pacman frog has completely buried himself now. Any idea why this would be? I know frogs often aestivate when things get, say, too dry for them or too cold but I doubt this is the case.

Humidity levels are always high. Substrate always moist. Warm side of the habitat always at least a little above 80.

I've had him since Friday, and since I got him he had shown no interest in food at all. Why he bury himself without taking meals?

Also I got him from the website Reptile City.

 

[ballpython2]

My new baby albino pacman frog has completely buried himself now. Any idea why this would be? I know frogs often aestivate when things get, say, too dry for them or too cold but I doubt this is the case.

Humidity levels are always high. Substrate always moist. Warm side of the habitat always at least a little above 80.

I've had him since Friday, and since I got him he had shown no interest in food at all. Why he bury himself without taking meals?

Also I got him from the website Reptile City.

pacman frogs are ambush predators so they will hide themselves by choice so they can stay out of sight for any might be passin by food...plus they breathe out their skin so the cool substrate makes them feel good and safe.... they rarely stay out in the open until they reach a certain size.

 

[Bird Man]

I have a pacman and he's never burried himself. Do you have a waterdish he can soak in? I've had one for mine, but have yet to see him use it, unless he does it at night when I'm sleeping. If you've had him since friday then he certinaly should have eaten by now. They are supposed to be fed every 2-3 days as babies, then less often as they age. I give mine 3-4 1/4" crickets every other day and he's doing quite well. Also how much light are you giving it? They need I think a 9-12 hour photo period. I also mist his cage once a day. Sorry I can't be much help.

 

[RoachGirlRen]

I respectfully disagree with the above. Burying is normal behavior; not burying is an abnormal behavior. It is part of their natural behavior and occurs for a variety of reasons; the animal could be cooling down, preparing to shed, preparing to defecate, or simply doing it just because it's a pacman frog and that's what they do as an ambush predator.

Going off food while adjusting to a new environment is also normal. Yes, young pacs should be fed daily, but it is not uncommon for even young pacman frogs who have just been brought to a new environment to refuse food for 1-2 weeks due to stress. As long as you are not observing a loss of body mass, simply continue to offer food; it will eat when it is ready.

You mention that your frog is an albino. What kind of lighting do you have? Albino pacman frogs are very stressed by bright lighting, and it can harm their skin and eyes (esp. UVB). If you have a bright light on to provide a photoperiod, I'd make a fair bet that the burying and refusal to eat is directly related to the lighting. Try a infared heat light if you are currently using white, blue or UVB lighting.

Misting the substrate could also encourage the frog to the surface if you are very worried and want to make sure it is not losing weight. I do not, however, suggest digging it up. Crickets, so long as they are removed after 24 hours if uneaten, can be left in the tank overnight; many pacs bury completely during the day, come out at night to eat, and leave very little evidence that they ever came out to begin with!

 

[kupo969]

I respectfully disagree with the above. Burying is normal behavior; not burying is an abnormal behavior. It is part of their natural behavior and occurs for a variety of reasons; the animal could be cooling down, preparing to shed, preparing to defecate, or simply doing it just because it's a pacman frog and that's what they do as an ambush predator.

Going off food while adjusting to a new environment is also normal. Yes, young pacs should be fed daily, but it is not uncommon for even young pacman frogs who have just been brought to a new environment to refuse food for 1-2 weeks due to stress. As long as you are not observing a loss of body mass, simply continue to offer food; it will eat when it is ready.

You mention that your frog is an albino. What kind of lighting do you have? Albino pacman frogs are very stressed by bright lighting, and it can harm their skin and eyes (esp. UVB). If you have a bright light on to provide a photoperiod, I'd make a fair bet that the burying and refusal to eat is directly related to the lighting. Try a infared heat light if you are currently using white, blue or UVB lighting.

Misting the substrate could also encourage the frog to the surface if you are very worried and want to make sure it is not losing weight. I do not, however, suggest digging it up. Crickets, so long as they are removed after 24 hours if uneaten, can be left in the tank overnight; many pacs bury completely during the day, come out at night to eat, and leave very little evidence that they ever came out to begin with!

Great info, except I would not leave in crix for 24 hours, they can nibble on your pac. 10-20 mins is fine. If he/she does not eat them between that time frame then it will not eat.

You should always give your animals a week to relax after ordering online and receiving it. Shipping is very much stressful.

 

[RoachGirlRen]

The frog is burried, hence the suggestion for leaving overnight, as they sometimes emerge only at night when things are dark and still to eat. You are absolutely correct though that under normal circumstances it is best to just pull the crickets after offering if they are not accepted.

 

[EightLeggedFrea]

I respectfully disagree with the above. Burying is normal behavior; not burying is an abnormal behavior. It is part of their natural behavior and occurs for a variety of reasons; the animal could be cooling down, preparing to shed, preparing to defecate, or simply doing it just because it's a pacman frog and that's what they do as an ambush predator.

Going off food while adjusting to a new environment is also normal. Yes, young pacs should be fed daily, but it is not uncommon for even young pacman frogs who have just been brought to a new environment to refuse food for 1-2 weeks due to stress. As long as you are not observing a loss of body mass, simply continue to offer food; it will eat when it is ready.

You mention that your frog is an albino. What kind of lighting do you have? Albino pacman frogs are very stressed by bright lighting, and it can harm their skin and eyes (esp. UVB). If you have a bright light on to provide a photoperiod, I'd make a fair bet that the burying and refusal to eat is directly related to the lighting. Try a infared heat light if you are currently using white, blue or UVB lighting.

Misting the substrate could also encourage the frog to the surface if you are very worried and want to make sure it is not losing weight. I do not, however, suggest digging it up. Crickets, so long as they are removed after 24 hours if uneaten, can be left in the tank overnight; many pacs bury completely during the day, come out at night to eat, and leave very little evidence that they ever came out to begin with!

I use an infrared bulb as a heat source, otherwise there is no light. I always read pac frogs were nocturnal anyway and didn't need light.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

I'm on board with the other advice offered. But I thought I'd offer the suggestion of another food source. Nightcrawlers. They can't escape as quickly as a cricket can. I'm assuming your frog is pretty small, so you might want to make sure you either give it a crawler of appropriate size, or cut one in two. Pacs can inhale amazingly disproportionate food items, but it my understanding that they can be overfed. Naturally, you would still need to wait until your frog resurfaces to try a nightcrawler, they aren't as speedy as crickets, but they still waste no time burrowing into the substrate. So when he finally pops up and if he turns his nose up at crickets, you might want to give a 'crawler a try.

Personally, I will not leave crickets unattended with my frog. But that's just me. Plus I usually tong feed, so it's a moot point anyway.
I remember when I got my baby pac, he ate within an hour of being put in his permanent home. This after all the stress of transporting and transferring. But who knows when he had last ate before I got him?


Lighting-I have a fluorescent bulb designed for plants and aquariums over my tank. No appreciable UVB is emitted from it, according to the specs given for the bulb. The light is filtered by the plants and the sheet of plexiglass I cover part of the tank with to help contain humidity, so it isn't glaringly bright. I keep the light on the recommended 12-hour cycle. For additional warmth at night, I use a red light which creates the need to monitor humidity levels a little more than I ordinarily would have to. I only use it doing the cooler months, though.
So far, I've seen no indication of any negative effects from this lighting setup, he eats and burrows normally, and I've had him two years as of the tenth of this month.

By the way, one rule that I have broken is the water dish one. I had one in with my frog for a year and he never used the dish. I paid close attention, there was no way he could have been using it and getting no substrate into the water. So about this time last year, I removed it altogether. I'm mulling over replacing it, though. It sort of makes me feel somehow guilty, even though I know for a fact that he gets along fine without it.

Finally, I'd follow the advice given above and would not dig him up. It sounds like you've set up the conditions correctly, so there isn't a whole lot you can do besides wait.