pac man frog

Question
my pac man wont eat, his eyes dont open anymore and he barely moves. i keep the tank moist and hes got a bowl of water he can get into but doesnt. what could be wrong and how can i fix it.

Answer
Hi Chris, The trick here is to figure out if your frog is in estivation or is actually ill. I have included a couple links that discuss estivation in pac mans for you to look over. Estivation is a period of dormancy that frogs enter, sort of a frog version of hibernation. They usually enter it in dry or cool periods but Pac mans are well known for going into estivation even when the environment has not seemingly changed. The much lower ambient humidity of winter can certainly trigger it as can a change in the amount of light they are exposed to. Estivating frogs tend to bury themselves and don't move except to re-bury themselves if they are disturbed. Often a hard skin casing will form over the frog. You can try to bring them out by warming the tank to the mid 80'sF and giving them a 12 hour on, 12 hour off light cycle, keep the tank moist as usual and keep providing a water dish. This doesn't always work and you may need to just wait it out.

If your frog makes no effort to bury, seems weak and does not keep his legs tucked in then I would suspect illness over estivation. I wish I could tell you how to fix it but the potential causes are just too numerous. Intestinal impaction, bacterial or fungal infections as well as intestinal parasites are all possibilities. A vet is your best option at that point.  


http://www.reptilechannel.com/media/frogs-amphibians/frog-and-toad-care/argentin...

http://www.anapsid.org/ornatacare.html