Topics Forums Frogs – Pixies, Pacmans, & More! Pixie frog wont eat

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    • #32428

      brendenanderson04
      Participant

      Hello,I have made a big mistake with my pixie frog,he ate and ate and ate,everything I out in front of him,but I gave him super worms for awhile and didn’t change up the diet much,and one day he had pooped in his water dish and there were whole exoskeletons in his poo,scince that day he wont eat,he was 422 grams and now he is
      380-390 grams and getting skinny,he dosen’t look like anything other than his weight is a problem,he isn’t acting lethargic at all,the enclosure is usually mid to low 60’s,and I have felt both his sides and stomach and feel no blockage or anything hard,he seems like a squishy frog who just wont eat,when I offer him food he turn his head down or away and hides his eyes,when he first did this I gave him a week to just do his thing but he still hasn’t done anything,he is soaking in his water dish more often now,but I don’t know what to do,do I have to think about force feeding him small or soft bodied food like wax worms as there high in fat cuase letting him alone to do his thing isnt going to work hes just going to starve himself,I have seen things like honey baths but I don’t know if that is what he needs,if anyone could give me any ideas that would be great,I haven’t tried much other than keeping his wate clean and trying to feed him every few days but the reaction is always the same,I got this frog knowing that I could raise him right and I did it wrong still,and I know they have a very long lifespan so I want to get him better and give him a good life,he is in what id call a 20 gallon exo terra right now,I believe its 18x18x12,and he will get a 40 gallon with live plants in the future but I got a set of rescue geckos who need a real enclosure and is being built right now,any advice would be great

    • #32503

      Zoodulcis
      Moderator

      Since he pooped well and you know he isn’t constipated, a honey bath won’t do much. Instead, to keep him going until he regains his appetite, try this…Plain, clear, unflavored pedialyte mixed to a 1:10 part ratio with luke warm dechlorinated water. Soak for 30 minutes. If you’ve never used it, it is sold in the infant section of any Walmart or Kmart, etc. and in the kids medicine section at any grocery store.

      Do this only once a day. Empty the solution out and refill the dish with dechlorinated tap water. Why tap water? Because it has critical trace elements and minerals to help him with his metabolism and osmotic balance. This should buy you time for another week. If he still refuses even a morsel you may need to force-feed him an insect mush using a syringe in a week’s time. Some keepers have had good luck force-feeding herptivite every couple of days. A frog in good condition originally should be able to go for a month with no food if they are soaked in pedialyte daily.

      And of course, the advice no forum member ever wants to hear, a trip to the vet may be necessary.

      • #32535

        brendenanderson04
        Participant

        Thank you for being understanding,and giving advice,I’ll look into the pedialyte tonight and or tomorrow, I got some powder force feeding diet online that’s sopost to stimulate appetite and boost energy,I figured that if something was wrong with him internally a liquid would be the easiest thing for his body to digest,my biggest concern with the vet is that we pay all this money and the only advice they give us is to put him down,I haven’t found a reputable vet who takes reptiles/ herps in Virginia,last few times we have done vets trips the only advice we got was to euthanize them because they weren’t cats or dogs so they couldn’t do much,should I try the force feeding supplement separately or at the same time as the pedialyte,I’m a little bit concerned about the giving him different things because amphibians are a good deal more sensitive than say a snake or turtle

        • #32580

          Zoodulcis
          Moderator

          A shame about the vets in your area. I have had that same experience with some vets, but not others.

          Just to be clear, I am a zoologist and not a vet, so this advice may be different from what a medical professional might offer.

          It is impossible to know whether or not you should administer the supplement and the Pedialyte simultaneously without knowing the ingredients of the supplement. To be on the safe side, I would soak him for only 15 minutes in the Pedialyte on any day that the supplement is administered. Also, I would not dose him with the supplement daily, but rather every other day. Force-feeding, even of a liquid, is going to be super stressful for him. Stress itself can greatly lower the immune system, so if it was me I would do it every other day to give him a full 48 hours to decompress.

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