# Frogs & Toads > African Bullfrogs >  Frog is ignoring food

## daltar08

For the past two days my AGBF has been ignoring all sorts of food offered which is completely unlike him, from crickets to dubias to superworms, he refuses to eat, seems a little uncomfortable, almost as if he isnt seeing the food at all. he is active moves around/swims, but the complete lack of interest in food is something i havent seen up until now, should i be concerned/what should i do. Also seems to be burrowing/stirring up dirt way more than usual.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> For the past two days my AGBF has been ignoring all sorts of food offered which is completely unlike him, from crickets to dubias to superworms, he refuses to eat, seems a little uncomfortable, almost as if he isnt seeing the food at all. he is active moves around/swims, but the complete lack of interest in food is something i havent seen up until now, should i be concerned/what should i do. Also seems to be burrowing/stirring up dirt way more than usual.


How old is your frog? Are you using a multivitamin or calcium supplement?

What are the temps and humidity levels?

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## daltar08

frog is about 4-5 months old 4.7" from snout to vent, calcium and multivitamin once a week, temps @ 85-87 f, humitidy around 70-80%, eats most everyday slowly started losing interest in tong feeding, active otherwise.

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## DeeDub

All looks right for your setup/supplementation.  Any skin issues?  No temp drops?  You said he seems like he isnt seeing food.  What lights are you using with him? How does he seem uncomfortable?  Is your water good?  Is it a dish or a water feature with a filtration system?

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## Colleen/Jerrod

Has he been staying burrowed for long periods of time?

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## daltar08

As far as lighting, i am using full spectrum UV tubes, and one red light for night time, for heating i am using adhesive heat mats and ceramic heating elements, as far as burrowing goes i remove him from his burrow after 24 hours for feeding

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> As far as lighting, i am using full spectrum UV tubes, and one red light for night time, for heating i am using adhesive heat mats and ceramic heating elements, as far as burrowing goes i remove him from his burrow after 24 hours for feeding


So he is completely burrowing and not coming out on his own? If so he may be trying to Aestivate. I would lower his temps a little and raise the humidity higher. Probably 85% to 90% for a short time. Only a couple days.

Handling can cause them unnecessary stress and can put them off food. I would just uncover his head so he can see and try and offer food that way. If he isn't Losing weight then there may be no need for concern yet. Lower his temp to low 80°s for a couple days as well as raising the humidity and see if he reacts accordingly.

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## Stumpy

> So he is completely burrowing and not coming out on his own? If so he may be trying to Aestivate. I would lower his temps a little and raise the humidity higher. Probably 85% to 90% for a short time. Only a couple days.
> 
> Handling can cause them necessary stress and can put them off food. I would just uncover his head so he can see and try and offer food that way. If he isn't Lodi g weight then there may be no need for concern yet. Lower his temp to low 80°s for a couple days as well as raising the humidity and see if he reacts accordingly.


Is it ok to aestivate a non- adult frog?

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## Sherry

From what I have heard, it is dangerous to let a juvenile aestivate because they could die.

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## daltar08

i rearranged his cage, is it possible i spooked him this way? also is it possible i overfed him and he just needs a few days to chill out from food?

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## daltar08

occasionally i also feed him superworms forgot to add that

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## DeeDub

He's not going to aestivate/brumate unless it's too dry or your temps are dropping.  I personally think the only thing that is out of the ordinary that could stress him to the point of going off food is digging him up.  Just let him stay down, and as someone said earlier just uncover his eyes at the most to see if he is caccooned (they shed several layers of skin that forms a caccoon to conserve water when brumating).  

If you fed him a lot, some of them like to burrow to digest.  I'd just leave him, let him stay down for a couple days, check to see if he's caccooned (brumating) and if not, leave him be.  When I check on one of my females who always likes to burrow, I just uncover her eyes, mist her a little to get the cocoa fiber off and she will open her eyes.  

If he is brumating, let him. I am not sure if what was said about it being bad for juvi frogs is true, but I know in the wild they eat like hogs after emergence to beat the dry season.  They brumate thier first year in the wild (when the dry season starts, and will usually be a few months old by this point).  Not as 1-2 inch frogletts; they have grown signifigantly by then. But they will go down or die in the wild.  Sometimes the rainy season is only a couple months long and they have to go down.  If your frog is in good weight, and chooses to brumate then I say let him.  Again, they will not typically do this unless temps are too low, or their substrate is dry.  

When you changed the cage around did you change out the cocoa fiber (If you aren't using cocoa fiber (eco earth etc), then you need to be.  moss and pretty much all other substrates other than foam rubber as detailed in Philipe Vasijoli' GABF book, are bad for Pyxies)?  If so, it may be too dry.  I soak it until its completely inundated with water, then ring it out until water doesn't POUR out of it.  You want it wet, but not soupy.  

For now, just let him be for 3 or 4 days.  If he burrows, just let him be.  Check him on day three as prescribed above, and then leave him be.


Hope this helps.  Wish you luck
DW

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## DeeDub

Oh ya, I was asking about lighting earlier.  Someone may be able to back me up here or correct me if I'm wrong.  The red lights for your frogs are no good.  They can damage thier eyes.  I know this to be true for most lizards.  I'll see if I can find the link and post it up if that's allowed here.  It's from another forum.  

That is why I asked about the lights.  I would not use a red light and as for the other lights, you gotta be careful about damaging your frogs eyes.

DW

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## Lija

> Oh ya, I was asking about lighting earlier.  Someone may be able to back me up here or correct me if I'm wrong.  The red lights for your frogs are no good.  They can damage thier eyes.  I know this to be true for most lizards.  I'll see if I can find the link and post it up if that's allowed here.  It's from another forum.  
> 
> That is why I asked about the lights.  I would not use a red light and as for the other lights, you gotta be careful about damaging your frogs eyes.
> 
> DW


 you are mixing red and UVB lights, infrared and ceramic ones are the best for heating, they don't disturb natural day/night cycle and are safe to use for frogs and reptiles, but UVB might damage sensitive eyes, you gotta be careful with those.

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## Lija

> Is it ok to aestivate a non- adult frog?


 no, it is not ok,  it is dangerous even for adult frog.

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## Jaxon Hardy

> For the past two days my AGBF has been ignoring all sorts of food offered which is completely unlike him, from crickets to dubias to superworms, he refuses to eat, seems a little uncomfortable, almost as if he isnt seeing the food at all. he is active moves around/swims, but the complete lack of interest in food is something i havent seen up until now, should i be concerned/what should i do. Also seems to be burrowing/stirring up dirt way more than usual.


i have had the same problems with my two big bells, i got them from a private owner yesterday arvo and they still wont eat their crickets , could it be stress from moving ? also my female is screaming randomly, not croaking, a loud scream does anyone know what to do ? cheers

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## DeeDub

Screaming?  What is happening when she screams?  Sounds like shes in distress.  Are you cohabitating them?  If so, were they cohabitated with the prior owner?  When they go off food, more often than not its due to stress.  Yours just had a stress filled day.  Watch their weight, dont mess with them, and just let them settle in.  Offer food in a couple days.  Make sure your temps and humidity are good. 80-87 F, 70-80% on Humid.  Make sure they can hide (Deep substrate/Foliage/some type of hide).  Theyll feel more secure.  BTW, we are talking about GABF right?

DW

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## Jaxon Hardy

im talking about  green and golden bell frogs, they have fke plants, slate and a plastic platform at top of tank they sit in. its around 26 degrees celsius and i dont have a hygrometer  but what i have done is made like an upside down table out of foil and put underneath light shiny side to light with a bit of extra water on alfoil to steam  up and make it more humid, the sides are covered in condensation so it sgould be fine. it sounds like a really highpitched two stroke motorbike revving its that loud.

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## DeeDub

No idea about those frogs.

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## daltar08

could the full spectrum uv lights possibly hurt my frogs vision?he is able to navigate through his enclosure no problem, he seems somewhat lethargic this morning and did not move from his area he was last night which would be perched on the rocks next to his pond.

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## daltar08

Day 3 and he is still ignoring food starting to really worry

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Day 3 and he is still ignoring food starting to really worry


When was the last time he had a bowel movement?

Go ahead and give your frog a Pedialyte soak. Buy some UNFLAVORED PEDIALYTE and make a bath at a 10 to 1 ration. So for every 10 ounces of Luke warm de-chlorinated water add 1 ounce of the Pedialyte. Soak him until the water begins to cool then prepare a second bath of just plain de-chlorinated water and soak until the water cools. Both baths should be only chin deep or a little less. Then return your frog home.

This will provide a slight energy boost as well as providing some electrolytes and nutrients.

Try this and keep me posted.

EDIT; If he hasn't had a bowel movement in a while you can use a honey bath. Just prepare a de-chlorinated bath the same depth and temp as the Pedialyte bath only add 4 drops of honey and dissolve the honey in the bath by stirring and then soak the frog for the same duration as mentioned above. Prepare a second bath like I mentioned above of just Luke warm de-chlorinated water and soak until it cools.

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## Jaxon Hardy

yes, they can damage the frgs eyes so be careful. i use a special white and red fluro that warms the tank and provides uv. they love it

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## daltar08

Alright, i gave him a honey bath, returned him to his cage, and waiting, though i do not believe impaction is the problem, waiting for a bowel movement, still completely uninterested in food, burrowed today with his head exposed. considering calling a herp specialist vet.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Alright, i gave him a honey bath, returned him to his cage, and waiting, though i do not believe impaction is the problem, waiting for a bowel movement, still completely uninterested in food, burrowed today with his head exposed. considering calling a herp specialist vet.


That's a good idea.

Keep me posted.

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## daltar08

Alright taking him to a highly rated exotic reptile and amphibian specialist Vet, wish me luck all and pray for rumper

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## ejh805

> Alright taking him to a highly rated exotic reptile and amphibian specialist Vet, wish me luck all and pray for rumper


Good call. I hope he's all right. Let us know what you find out.

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## daltar08

alright he is currently at the vets, after weigh in (291g) they brought him back for an Xray, at which the vet noted that there appears to be a small amount of excess air in his intestines, so he proceeded to give him a tracer orally, and in a few hours they will take another Xray and see whats going on with the tracer, they also noted that his gums were inflamed which would hint at an infection of sorts. i also provided them with a substrate sample.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> alright he is currently at the vets, after weigh in (291g) they brought him back for an Xray, at which the vet noted that there appears to be a small amount of excess air in his intestines, so he proceeded to give him a tracer orally, and in a few hours they will take another Xray and see whats going on with the tracer, they also noted that his gums were inflamed which would hint at an infection of sorts. i also provided them with a substrate sample.


I'm glad you decided to take him in. Keep us posted on his condition.

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## daltar08

the tracer made it into the small intestines and i have recieved my frog back, his gums were inflamed and i am supposed to clean them daily, they also gave me some food to liquify and force feed although i do not know how easy that is going to be, he is also much paler than when i brought him in, no doubt from the stress, i may or may not bring him back in tommorow to see if the tracer made it out of his system, what are your thoughts?

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## Lija

if that vet is experienced with frogs as you said you should do exactly as you were told, although i would expect antibiotics to be prescribes if they say it is an infection, hm....

 FF pixie is a very interesting experience may I say  :Smile:

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## daltar08

He gave an antiseptic to apply to the inflamed area of the gums

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## daltar08

another update, his color has returned, still has energy, looks like he hasnt lost any weight, but still refusing food

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> another update, his color has returned, still has energy, looks like he hasnt lost any weight, but still refusing food


He probably doesn't feel well from the infection. Keep trying and force feed if necessary, but only as a last resort.

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## daltar08

how long should i wait before starting to force feed, its been 4 days

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## daltar08

Here is the xray today, 24 hours after the barium tracer was given orally, as you can see the dye is all in one area, going again tommorow to see if it moves

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Here is the xray today, 24 hours after the barium tracer was given orally, as you can see the dye is all in one area, going again tommorow to see if it moves


Hopefully there are no blockages. If you begin to notice any weight loss you should force feed. Otherwise anything after 8 days you may want to go ahead. Pick up some Fluker's Repta-Aid(Repta-Boost) as well.

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## daltar08

update number i lost track: dye has not moved, so it looks like it is impaction, the vet injected a mixture of food and mineral oil directly into the stomach to attempt to loosten things up and aid in a bowel movement, i will call him on monday to schedule yet another xray as well as visually observe for a stool.

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## daltar08

newest update, yesterday i came home to a layer of oil on the surface of the water in his swimming area which means that he passed the mineral oil laxative or at least the oil made it through his system, he also jumped once at a cricket but then didnt try again. getting another xray on monday to see if the barium tracer passed through his system.

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## daltar08

UPDATE GOODNEWS!!!

HE just pooped! the water was all merky with some roach and cricket bits floating on top, so impaction is most likely ruled out, still refusing food, what do i do next???

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## daltar08

day 8, he is still not eating, doesnt seems to care for anything from crickets to dubias, i made a bowel movement yesterday, he has lost 2 grams in the last 8 days which is barely anything.

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## DeeDub

Is he moving around? Staying in one spot? Burrowing?

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## daltar08

moves around, land to water, swims around, soaks alot and was shedding like crazy got him to let me force feed him some repti-boost today, how often should i do this?

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> moves around, land to water, swims around, soaks alot and was shedding like crazy got him to let me force feed him some repti-boost today, how often should i do this?


There should be instructions with the Supplement that states how often it can be given. You could give it to him daily or every other day.

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## daltar08

yes it stated this, but i wasnt sure if the needs of the Pyxicephalus Adspersus differed from that of a bearded dragon or tortoise

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## Lija

> yes it stated this, but i wasnt sure if the needs of the Pyxicephalus Adspersus differed from that of a bearded dragon or tortoise


 you go by weight, doesn't matter the species

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## daltar08

ok so today i dropped in some crickets and immediately he turned and struck twice at them, maybe even consumed one, but then after that as usual he just ignored the rest of them as they ran around him.

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## daltar08

Ok new UPDATE: took him to the vet this morning to see if all the barium tracer left his body, the answer is yes, also his weight is up 4 grams from a week ago, however he still seems uninterested in food, in addition, he made a bowel movement on the way to the vet which contained chitin meaning he is eating something lol, seems to be getting better, any suggestions, hes going to need vitamins soon and im not sure how to give them him, can vitamins be absorbed through the skin?

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Ok new UPDATE: took him to the vet this morning to see if all the barium tracer left his body, the answer is yes, also his weight is up 4 grams from a week ago, however he still seems uninterested in food, in addition, he made a bowel movement on the way to the vet which contained chitin meaning he is eating something lol, seems to be getting better, any suggestions, hes going to need vitamins soon and im not sure how to give them him, can vitamins be absorbed through the skin?


Calcium can and so can vitamins, but the vitamins will irritate his skin. You may need to force feed him. You can buy liquid calcium to add to his water. The chitin was probably constipating him and left over from his last meal.

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## DeeDub

The not eating is a big problem for intaking vitamins.  Force feeding is a great idea, but can be difficult with the Pyxies (especially if they have any size, be careful or you'll find out about the teeth you can't see on the top jaw.  I would suggest Sticky tongue farms 'Vit-all' as a great supplement.  Repashy makes a calcium +D3 that also has vitamins I believe...not sure though.

Why do you say he'll need vitamins soon?  I'd say leave him be.  Don't stress him just when he's doing better.  Force feeding is pretty stressful....just sayin.

What is he eating?  You said he's eating something.  What is it?  What was the chitin from?  If he's eating, just put the vitamin on the food.

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## DeeDub

One more thing.  Get a couple hopper mice (I'd suggest live).  Get thier heads slightly wet, then dip into the vitamin supplement of your choice (take it easy, don't get a huge amount).  Tong feed it, or put it near him in the cage  If he won't eat the hoppers, I'd be surprised.

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## Lija

Ff pixie is a nightmare, but I suggest to give him repti aid and continue with soaks

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> One more thing.  Get a couple hopper mice (I'd suggest live).  Get thier heads slightly wet, then dip into the vitamin supplement of your choice (take it easy, don't get a huge amount).  Tong feed it, or put it near him in the cage  If he won't eat the hoppers, I'd be surprised.


Don't dip the head dip the rump. Dipping the head causes the mouse to inhale the vitamins/calcium which is inhumane and causes the mouse to suffer by suffication.

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## daltar08

ok will do, what do i do with the mouse if he doesnt eat it lol

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> ok will do, what do i do with the mouse if he doesnt eat it lol


I guess you'll have a pet Lol!

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## daltar08

my 10" Scolopendra Subspinipes will probably eat it, though a very painful death that would be :/

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> my 10" Scolopendra Subspinipes will probably eat it, though a very painful death that would be :/


Yeah I don't think their venom causes paralysis.

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## daltar08

excruciating pain, loss of brain function as well as internal bleeding is something nothing should go through  :Frown:  but my apology for getting off topic. 
.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> excruciating pain, loss of brain function as well as internal bleeding is something nothing should go through  but my apology for getting off topic. 
> .


It's basically still on topic since the mouse not being eaten by the frog and what to do with it as in question. So all good.

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## daltar08

OK, so new update, still ignoring food as far as i can tell, but he is also 287 grams up from 281 at the lowest and down from 291 when he stopped eating, he seems a bit sluggish but overall fat and green as usual, i know its not impaction and he did eat 2 crickets a few days ago at least those are the only two i witnessed he still seems to have a lack of interest in the food almost like he doesnt care, like he is too lazy to go after it, is it possible the changes in weather are causing this even if humidity is high and his temp never drops below 78?

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## daltar08

SO its been about a month and he is not losing weight as of a few days ago, i dont understand whats wrong, he isnt impacted, temps are stable, but he continues to lack interest in his food.

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## Pheathers

My Pyxie has lost interest in food as well. Though he did eat some horn worms the other week (but not with much gusto). I wonder if they just go off food for a long time and then start to eat again. My pacman frog did that last year (also this time of year). He went about 3 months without eating anything, didn't lose much weight, then started eating again.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

So far I haven't had this problem with a Pacman. I don't own a Pyxi, but the behavior is odd. Could have some sort of dificiency or maybe its the seasonal change affecting him. Have you had a fecal sample tested?

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## Lija

that all thing sounds like something I was going though with mine, right now after 4 months he is doing better, just started to eat and grow again!  keeping my fingers crossed it is over.
have you had fecal exam done for him? how his poop looks like?

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## daltar08

HE STARTED EATING AGAIN TODAY! nearly 2 months later and he just ate 8 crickets and a dubia! omg so damn relieved!

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## deeishealthy

Thank goodness!  Sounds like quite a journey.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

Thank you for keeping us updated. Glad he's recovered.  :Smile:

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## Lija

so happy for you and your frog, hope it is all over!

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## daltar08

yup it is all over, 4 days straight of him eating, seems to be droing great! THANK you all for your support

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