You have to understand that the dietary needs of a baby Pacman frog are different from that of an adult Pacman. They are growing at this stage and hence they need a variety of different kinds of food. During this stage, if they are not eating worms, it means maybe the worm is too big for them or they don't prefer them at all.
A baby Pacman frog has different food preferences than an adult one. You’re doing something wrong if your Pacman isn’t eating, and you should change their diet. It might also be other factors like their environment or temperatures. Either way, there’s a lot to know about feeding a baby Pacman frog. Let’s go over these in detail!
Reasons Why Your Baby Pacman Frog Won’t Eat Worms
Plenty of people struggle with feeding their Pacman pets. They can be rather picky when it comes to food, even more so when they’re a baby. There might be different reasons why your baby Pacman isn’t accepting worms. You need to identify why your baby isn’t eating so that you can take relevant actions to feed it or change its diet.Let’s go over the reasons why your baby Pacman frog might not be eating worms. You can decide for yourself which one suits your situation best, by the process of elimination.
Diet Preferences
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The primary reason why your baby Pacman might not be accepting worms is that they don’t like them. At this age, Pacman frogs can be quite picky with their food and most of them prefer crickets over worms. This is usually because crickets are more active. Try alternating between different foods, and see if they are refusing to eat everything or just worms.
If they eat other things like crickets or locusts, then you might try to feed them with worms in the middle of other food. This way they can learn to recognize worms as food. They might prefer some and reject others. As they grow older, they might begin to eat them more. So keep trying.
Worm Size
A lot of newbies struggle with getting the right size food for their baby Pacman. The worms might be too big for them to comfortably feed on. A good rule of thumb is to approximately measure the distance between their eyes. That’s how big your worm should be.Don’t be tempted to cut it too short either. If your worms are too short, then they might not move at all. The baby frog won’t register them as live food. They need to be wiggling in front of your Pacman so that they take an interest in it.
Worm Type
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The type of worm you are feeding your Pacman also matters. Try to stick to Nightcrawlers, as most frogs like this one the best. You can also alternate between silkworms, earthworms, or hornworms. But don’t feed them any of these daily, as they do contain higher fats.Be wary of feeding your Pacman red wigglers. A lot of people use earthworms interchangeably with red wigglers, so it can get confusing. These excrete a smell that turns frogs and other amphibians away from them. So if you’re using red wigglers, it might be the reason why your baby Pacman isn’t eating them.
Terrarium Temperature / Humidity
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The temperature of your terrarium might also be a reason why your baby Pacman is refusing to eat worms. Baby Pacman frogs need more heat than adult ones do, and so if the temperature is too low, your Pacman might be uncomfortable and refuse to eat. Try to keep temperature at 70-85 Degrees during the day and 60-75 at night. Humidity should be kept at 50 and 80 percent. You also may need to mist terrarium throughout the day to maintain humidity levels
You can use heat mats, or under tanks heaters, or ceramic heat emitters to keep your frogs warm enough. Keep a thermometer in the tank to keep an eye on the temperature. Make sure it doesn’t get too low or high. Once your baby frog is comfortable, it might start to eat again.
New Environment
If you brought in a new baby frog from somewhere, chances are your Pacman will take some time to get used to its new environment. Just like humans, they need a bit of time to settle into a new home and get comfortable with their surroundings.Give it some time, and see what happens. Do try to feed it regularly, even if it isn’t eating. You never know when it will start again. Give it a place to hide, so it feels secure.
How Long Can a Baby Pacman Frog Go Without Eating?
Healthy baby Pacman frogs can go without eating for at least up to a week. It's pretty normal for a new baby Pacman to stop eating for a few days as they adjust to their new environment and surroundings.Adult Pacman frogs can even last up to a month or more without feeding. So you shouldn’t be too concerned about your Pacman frog not eating. Instead, you should spend this time observing and figure out why it isn’t feeding and try to fix that issue. Oftentimes, a little time is all it needs before they are eating properly again.
When Should You See a Veterinarian?
If you notice that their excretion is off somehow, then it is time to go visit a vet. It is much more concerning for an adult frog to suddenly stop feeding because they are usually comfortable and settled into their space and should be eating fine. But a new baby Pacman might have other factors that can cause them to avoid food.
Either way, if you notice runny or discolored stool from your Pacman or no stool at all, then you should take your Pacman to a veterinarian. Other symptoms of diseases include abscesses on its limbs or a film over its eyes. If you notice that it is having trouble latching onto food that can also be a sign that something is wrong.
How Often Should a Baby Pacman Feed?
While the frequency depends on what your baby Pacman prefers, most people recommend feeding them every other day. A baby Pacman will usually have more appetite than an older one, so you should try to feed it at least every other day if not once every day.You can just observe what your little friend prefers, as it will stop eating by itself once it’s full. It’s best to at least try once every day, even if they are not eating. This way it will have food when it’s hungry. Plus, baby Pacman frogs need more nutrients as they are growing in this stage. So, it’s important to feed it properly. Otherwise, it might stop growing.
What Should You Feed Your Baby Pacman Frog?
You should feed your baby Pacman frog a variety of nutrition and foods so that it gets everything it needs to build up tissues and bones properly. Its diet will be pretty different than the diet of an adult Pacman. Along with different insects, you should also include dietary supplements.Insects to feed your baby Pacman
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There’s a lot of different things you can feed your baby Pacman, and you should store a variety of them. Ensure that you aren’t just feeding them the same thing every single day. Like human babies, they need lots of nutrients from different sources.You can use a routine or an app to keep track of what you are feeding them. For instance, if you fed them Crickets on Sunday, try to go for locusts or roaches on Monday. Cycle through different insects throughout the week.
And apart from your staple insects, you should also give them weekly or monthly treats now and then. Things like mealworms or wax worms or even platies. It's important not to feed them with these worms regularly because they contain high fats, so it's not too good for them.
While feeding crickets, try to opt for softer ones and try not to feed them too much of it. Crickets have a hard exoskeleton, which baby frogs might have a tough time digesting. You can even separate the crickets’ heads before feeding them to your Pacman.
As for things to avoid, stay away from rodents, shrimp, smaller frogs, lizards, and crablets while your Pacman is a baby. Only when they are older can you start experimenting with these.
Now that we've gone over the do's and don'ts of feeding your baby Pacman, here's a diet chart to help you make your routine.
| Feed these Regularly | Food Every Once in Awhile | These are special treats, only once a week or two |
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Dietary supplements for your baby Pacman
You should feed your baby Pacman Calcium with vitamin D3 with each feeding on any day. Without vitamin D3, the Pacman can’t absorb the Calcium. So make sure that D3 is present and that it is also phosphorus-free.
There’s no need to feed them Calcium every day. Alternate between vitamins and Calcium. You should also keep 2-3 days off feeding day. Make a routine of this as well to accompany your diet routine, so you don’t forget or overdose on anything. It’s important to keep track of what your Pacman frog is eating. Most problems usually arise from their food and nutrition.
Feeding Techniques You Can Try to Get Your Pacman to Eat
Whether your baby Pacman Frog is refusing to eat worms or refusing to eat at all, there are a few techniques you can try to get them to eat. Tong feeding is a great technique to get your frogs to recognize new items. You can also try to introduce them to hunting, by leaving them live food in their tank. The main incentive is to get them interested in their food.
Here are a few things you can try to get your baby Pacman to eat.
Feed them at night
Pacman frogs are nocturnal. So they are more active during the night. You could try feeding them during the night, instead of the day, to see if it works.Though this doesn’t always work if the frog is bred indoors. They might not recognize night and day properly at that early age anyway.
Tong feed them
Tong-feeding is a great technique that seems to work with a lot of different Pacman owners. Try switching to tongs and place your food inside the frog’s mouth. Just place them in the front and don’t force them too much; otherwise, you might end up choking them.
If your baby Pacman frog is eating other things, then you can feed them worms in between. For example, if you are feeding them crickets, you could feed them one cricket, then one worm then a cricket again. This way, they can learn to recognize the worm as food. Once they take a bite, they’ll figure the rest out and usually accept worms in the future.
Cut your food into small pieces
You have to be careful about the size of what you feed your baby frog. Since they are still pretty small, they can choke if the food is too big. Whether you are feeding them worms or crickets, try to cut them down to 1.5-2-inch pieces.
When it comes to worms, try not to cut them so small that they stop moving entirely. Baby Pacman frogs love to eat live prey. So if their prey is moving about, they will easily notice it. Try to feed them with more moving insects.
Let them hunt
The opposite of tong-feeding, you can let the baby Pacman learn how to hunt. Leave live prey inside their tanks, and they might take an interest in it.
Start with food items they already like, then throw in a few worms here and there. Try to use hornworms, instead of nightcrawlers as these will bury down quickly. They might eventually experiment and eat it on their own.
Use a separate container for feeding
You can leave a separate container inside your baby Pacman frog’s tank or somewhere outside as well. Every time you feed them, use the container.
This way your baby Pacman frog will associate feeding with that container. So it’ll be easier for them to understand its feeding time when you take them there. It also decreases the risk of impaction.
Change the supplement
Sometimes your frogs might not like the taste of the supplement you’re feeding them with their food. So they refuse to eat altogether.
Try to change the supplement and see if it works. A little difference in taste and smell might lure them into eating it.
The Last Resort: Force-Feeding
If nothing else is working, you can attempt to force-feed your baby Pacman frog. Things don’t usually get to this stage, but if it does be careful. It’s best to use two people to do this. One person can hold your baby Pacman and you can feed it. Hold them to make them feel secure.
Be very gentle and push the worm into the frog’s mouth. They might spit it out, and that’s fine. You have to be very persistent and slow. Try not to force too much as they might choke. Don’t hurt your frog.
Remember that this is the last resort, and you shouldn’t do this if your baby Pacman is eating other things except for worms. If they are only avoiding worms, you can just wait it out until they grow older. There’s no need to force them to eat worms.
Conclusion
Even if your baby Pacman frog won’t eat worms, it’s not any reason to panic. There are a lot of different reasons as to why they are doing so, and you should observe and find out. If your baby Pacman is refusing all kinds of food, not just worms, then you have more reason to get worried.
If you see any symptoms of disease, as I’ve mentioned, then you should go to the vet. Otherwise, you can just wait it out and try different techniques to get them to eat worms.
