Frog poops

[houseb]

Okay so now that I've had my ornate for a couple of months (it took forever to get him to eat) and he's settled in, how do I find his poop? I switch his pool water out every other day, and I've gone through the bedding (coco fiber), but I can't seem to find any poop anywhere. He is in a fairly large enclosure (exo terra 18x18x18) and he's about 2 inches in diameter. He's bright and alert, and moves around in his tank a lot (well a lot of a pacman frog). Any ideas? Thanks for any help or advice.

[bshmerlie]

That's strange. Pacman poop is pretty large. They look like little logs. Maybe its getting mixed in with the soil as he buries himself. Mine would poop in the water or right after he got out. My frog was about two inches and his poop was the thickness of my pinkie finger.

[DVirginiana]

How long has it been since he started eating? Pacman poop is really hard to miss, like, it's so large it often doesn't look like it could've come out of the frog. lol, if you're curious to know what it looks like, just search for it on youtube. You'll never be able to delete those videos from your mind.

[berksmike]

Generally mine shift position when they have "unloaded" so if your pacman changes position you'll prob find some in the hole they have just vacated

[houseb]

well he's only been eating consistently for about 2 weeks now. He did poop once when I first got him, but then he went on a pretty lengthy hunger strike. He actually just shifted out of his most recent hiding spot, so I'll have a look there today when I change his water. Thanks for all the replies.....I never thought I'd feel so much anticipation looking for a poop lol.

[GrifTheGreat]

Mine does as Berksmike's does. If he goes in his hole he changes to a new location in the tank and burrows. You could try soaking your frog in luke warm water. This often helps pacmans poop. If your pac isn't very agressive you can also very gently feel the sides of its belly. A small hard spot usually indicates that there is poop in their intestines. The farther back it is the closer it is to coming out. Atleast that's how it works with my pac Grif. You can also gently massage the spot while your frog is soaking and this can help the frog pass the poop. I do this for Grif when his behavior indicates he needs to go.

[Baelari]

Lump only poops once every 2 weeks, and whenever I see him in a new spot there's usually a present left behind in the old one.

[BG]

My pacs also do the same they go ,they move, they go ,they move, they go!!!!!
I then clean up when they go and they move.

[R3N3G4D3]

I am in a situation similar to houseb's. I've had my Pacman Frog for two or three weeks, but I don't see any poop in his terrarium! His temperature and humidity levels remain in the ideal ranges throughout the day, he eats 3 medium crickets daily, and he's very active for a Pacman Frog. I had been feeding him mealworms daily, but I stopped that today after reading they should be a monthly treat. I don't think he's compacted either, his body looks normal and his behavior is perfectly fine.

Am I missing something? He moved from his usual hideout spot earlier this morning, but I checked the old hole and there was nothing. I left for work and when I got back, he had returned to his old spot. Perhaps his feces have been mixing with the Eco Earth substrate I use? I don't know why I haven't seen any, but any insight would be welcomed.

Also, should feces be removed daily? I've been told it can be a monthly chore. Another thing, is it safe to clean my frog's terrarium with tap water? For example, hosing it off in the bath tub? Note: This is my first time owning an animal that wasn't a dog or cat, so I apologize for all the questions.

[Eel Noob]

Remove any feces you see and change out substrate monthly.

If you're worried about frogs not pooping try soaking them in water for 10-15 minutes.

[Greg M]

I'm seeing a theme emerge here. Once they poop, they move! Mine almost seems scared of his ordure (good word, eh?) and sits as far away as possible. Once the offensive matter has been removed, he will often return to his spot...

[BG]

Its a nasty one too. Its strong smelling so you can clean it sooner.

[houseb]

As it turns out, my little pac did the poop and move technique sometime last night. I must say, I'm shocked at the poop to body size ratio, but my frog seems happy and healthy. I'm not sure why, but I was looking for a much smaller poop. I guess it's pretty hard to miss. Thank you guys for all the tips!

[Greg M]

Just to emphasize the point the GrifTheGreat and Eel Noob made - if you are concerned, a soak in warm water will often help the frog defecate. This should be part of any horned frog "bag of tricks"... I have noticed that intervals between bowel movements can be highly individual - it is not unusual for my big female Cranwell's to go three weeks (or more!) between movements. I suspect that feeding schedule is part of this - she is fed only once (or sometimes twice) a week. I also find that some foods (hornworms, nightcrawlers, silkworms) are more conducive to BM's than harder to digest foods like Dubia and mice. This is one reason that nightcrawlers are my favorite food for horned frogs (plus their calcium to phosphorus ratio is great).

PS. I have made a weekly soak in a good depth of water part of my horned frog routine.
PPS. Ralph did a truly GIGANTIC poop last night while soaking ! I swear it was bigger than my male ornate, who's no shrimp.