Keeping amphibians like the frog is fun and cool, but sometimes problems might arise which could make you sad and anxious. You will agree with me if you happen to wake up one day and see your Pacman frog bloated. One of the problems of frogs is they bloat due to some factors. Bloating in frogs simply means the frog’s inner body and internal organs get filled up with water, and the frog getting unnaturally fat and round. Bloating could be deadly so, if you happen to see your Pacman frog bloat, you might be wondering why. This article will help you to know the possible causes and also what you could do about it.
Why is my Pacman frog bloated? Pacman frogs will bloat when the inner body and the internal organs are filled with water.
All frogs could get bloated, including Pacman frogs too.
This is one of the main problems of keeping frogs, and it is being suffered by many frog keepers.
Imagine waking up one morning, only to see that your precious frog is bloated, you did be surprised and sad at the same time.
The most important question now is, what are the possible causes and what are the possible ways to prevent it from happening or cure it.
Causes Of Bloat In Frogs
Frogs getting bloated is bad, and could kill your frog if it’s not taken care of and cured. So, some factors that could cause this are:
Red Leg Syndrome
Redleg syndrome is one of the most common infections that affect frogs.
Redleg syndrome is popularly known for reddening under the legs and abdomen of frogs, combined with lethargy, weight loss, bloating, etc.
Redleg syndrome is caused by bacterial pathogens, often found in newly purchased amphibians that were housed in poor quality conditions.
Once you notice that your Pacman frog or any other frog you have has been infected by this disease, I suggest you call the attention of a vet for proper medication and medical advice.
Dropsy
Dropsy is in of the factors that will make frogs bloat.
It is mainly caused by poor or bad diets.
Some of the signs of Dropsy are, that some parts of the body will start to swell up, such as the abdomen, and legs and the frog might start vomiting and sometimes it will eat greedily, etc.
There are a few methods of treating this disease such as a salt bath, honey bath, or inserting needles in the abdomen in order to relieve the frog.
Honestly, I don’t advise you to do any of these unless you are a veterinarian doctor.
Obesity
Obesity is one of the most common reasons why frogs may bloat.
Pacman frogs are greedy eaters and lazy in nature, they will eat anything that could enter their mouth, no matter what.
Being able to eat a lot and almost all, the foods will sometimes turn to fat instead of muscles, etc and the frog will start to swell up and get very fat.
Again, Obesity could affect Pacman frogs as a result of the type of food they take and not necessarily the quantity.
Temperature
You might be surprised hearing this, but temperature matters a lot in the lives of every living thing, including amphibians like the Pacman frog.
The ideal temperature for the Pacman frog is 80-82°F in the daytime and 78-80°F at the night.
In order to maintain a normal temperature, you must get a heater so, a heater is very necessary for the Pacman frog and other amphibians too.
I know you are wondering why temperature could cause bloat in a Pacman frog and other frogs, okay here is why: Did you know that amphibians such as frogs use temperature to digest their foods?
Yes, when they are in their ideal temperature, their body organs will function exceptionally well, and they could digest any food they take, but when they are in a cold temperature, their organs might seize to work normally or even become frozen.
At this stage, the animal involved couldn’t be able to digest some of their foods, thereby causing them to bloat.
Impaction
This simply means that the frog has swallowed something and it is blocking its stomach or esophagus.
We all know that Pacman frogs are pigs when it comes to eating, and they could eat almost anything they see eatable.
As a result of eating anything they can, they might swallow some gravel while eating foods at the bottom of the tank.
I mean Pacman frogs being big could easily swallow some substrates in the process of eating, and this could be a very big problem.
This could be very deadly to it unless the attention of a vet is called for a proper medical solution.
This is why it is very important to use bigger gravel as a substrate in frog tanks because they can’t easily swallow bigger gravels.
Poor Diet
Although Pacman frogs are pigs and could eat anything eatable, the fact is, that some diets are not good for them, and will infect them with some bacteria that could make them bloat.
Avoid expired foods, poor quality foods, and also some foods like goldfish, etc.
Goldfish and some other animals are known to carry some bacterias which could easily infect them and make them bloat.
Again, check your tank’s level of chemicals and also your substrates too, and avoid smaller gravels.
What Does Bloated Pacman Frog Look Like?
You may be wondering what they look like when they bloat.
Your frog’s body should be round and as wide as it is long.
These frogs can grow between 4 to 7 inches in length and width.
Their legs, abdomen, and even their whole body might swell up and many times the frog might be sluggish and weak.
These are some of the common reasons why a Pacman frog could bloat so, if you see yours do that, kindly explain to a vet and get a piece of advice or even treatment for your frog.
Can You Overfeed A Pacman Frog?
Sometimes you might think your Pacman frog is bloated just because you overfeed him. The question is, can you overfeed a Pacman frog? and how.
Can you overfeed a Pacman frog? Pacman frogs could be overfed when excess foods are being provided to them.
We all know that this frog eats like pig and will eat anything it is being provided, and also they don’t know their limit.
This is why they will eat to a stupor when they see excess foods so, leaving excess foods for them is overfeeding.
Normally, they should be fed less often, like once in two days, and they will still be very okay.
Frogs don’t easily starve so, skipping a day or 2 could not harm them.
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