Possible feeding problem...?

[sunnymarcie]

My Pac-man frog "Bubba" usually eats once a month.
I recently moved it to a new tank. (about 2 weeks ago)
Its been over a month since she ate last. I tried to feed
her and she was not interested at all She usually just grabs her food with no problems, but not today

What temperature should she be kept at?
I currently have her at room temp @ 70F
She may be a little cooler.(I need to get a thermometer)
Or could she be getting ready to hibernate?

 

[Wade]

IME they seem to do better at warmer temps than many other amphibians. I usually shoot for mid 70's to low 80's.

Wade

 

[Phillip]

I would have to agree with Wade bump the heat up a few degrees and unless something is wrong with it illness wise it should eat.

Phil

 

[sunnymarcie]

Thanks guys, that's what I thought

This frog was given to me by my oldest son.
He said that he just let the tank dry out from
the end of November to mid January. (hibernation,aestivation?)
Does this sound ok?
I've never had an animal that was treated like this, so its strange
to me. I just want to make sure I do things the right way

Any ideas? Anything else I should do for her?

I need to get a heating mat and a thermometer
and see if I can get this beast to eat, then I should be ok

 

[Wade]

Although the drying out period is a normal part of their life cycle in the wild, doing it in captivity is a bit trickier than just letting them dry out. In the wild, they would burrow down and seal themselves in a sort of mucus cocoon. Unless you have a really deep substrate, the frog will be at serious dessication risk.

I keep mine on sphagnum moss that is kept somewhat moist all the time with a water bowl always available. I don't attempt to duplicate seasonal changes. I don't think it's needed unless you are seriously trying to breed them.

Wade

 

[sunnymarcie]

Unless you have a really deep substrate, the frog will be at serious dessication risk.~Wade

Everything that I have read says that but, my son always just lets the tank dry out for a few months and the frog is fine :?

She is in the most simple set up. A tank with medium gravel
and water, with a screen top.

Well, I went to the shop for a mouse and a heat mat.
While I was getting the mat set up she snapped at me
So, I tried the mouse and she took it. I think she may have just still been upset about the tank change:?

Here's a picture, you can just see the mouses tail

 

[Wade]

Is the heat pad going underneath a tank with water in it? I ask because that can result in a cracked aquarium bottom. I've found with these fat terrestrial frogs it's easier to just offer a bowl of water. It's easier to change, and no problem with heating devices.

Also, I defintately would NOT let the frog get dry with the heat pad in opperation. It might be OK at room temp like that, but the pad will dry the tank further. Also, watch the temp, although they do like a little warmer than average room temp, they don't like the high basking temps preffered by many snakes and lizards. I've used lamp dimmers to control heat pads when needed.

Wade

 

[sunnymarcie]

lamp dimmers to control heat pads

I have a few set up like this
I agree it is a lot easier to control the temp this way.

The set up will end up getting changed around in some way.
I'll probably do it next payday.
How will the frog be affected by the drastic change?
It has spent its entire life in this type of setup. (4 years)

Steven tried using a heat lamp, but he stopped.
Should I use something else, like a ceramic heat emitter?
What do you think is the best way to heat a frog tank?
Somedays it is unusually cold in my sons room and I need something to keep her warm. I really do not have any other
place to put her either.

 

[Wade]

Well, if the frog has been on this type of temp fluctuation for 4 years, then maybe it's fine without the heat, but it may go off feed until it warms up. As long as the frog maintains good body weight and is otherwise healthy, no problem. The way your son was keeping the frog was somewhat unconventional, but apparently it was working. The dryness would concern me, but the coolness is probably OK provided the frog has warm enough temps the rest of the year to feed and properly digest.

As far as raising the temperature is concerned, we're only talking about bumping it up a few degrees. Sometimes, just moving the position of the cage in the room is enough to make a difference, such as putting it on a higher shelf.

To use the pad, you could just drain the tank and use a wide but shallow water dish instead, with the pad (dimmed to a very low setting, you only want it to be 5, or 10 at the most, degrees higher) underneath on the opposite side. A cople of flat, thin strips of wood under the tank to give some distance above the pad wouldn't be a bad idea either. I assume it's a small pad, you want to be real careful with heating devices and frogs. Because of thier permeable skins, descication is always a potential problem.

Annother method is to use a small submersable aquarium heater inside a large jar of water and put the whole jar in the tank. The only problem is that you must remember to fill the jar daily because the water evaporates quickly. Also, that would mean spending more money, which I don't think is really needed here.

Wade

 

[sunnymarcie]

I picked up the small mat (zoomed 1 to 5 gallon)
I never put the mats on the glass, they are always
underneath unless they would work out better on the
side of a tank.
The tank is too small to use a submersable heater in a jar.
It looks like I'm going to have to drain the tank, and go with
a large water tray instead. Another weekend project

Since I'm draining the tank, what should I use for substrate?
Is peat ok? Or the long firber moss? both?

 

[Wade]

I use the long fiber sphagnum moss, kept slightly moist, at a depth of about 2-3".

I try to keep frog set ups as simple as possible, since cleaning is always so imortant.

Wade

 

[sunnymarcie]

I'll probably make the changes this weekend. I have tons
of things to get done today

Thanks for your help