Pacman death mystery?

[Ivanator]

So just 20 minutes ago I looked at my frog and he was fat and happy and wiping his face with his little hands and I just looked at him again and it looks like he just peed all the water out of himself cuz now he's just skin and bones and obviously dead. It looks like he was just popped. What caused this to happen to my frog?

[poison123]

I doubt anybody can tell you what happened. Take it to a vet? Sorry for your loss.

[Lankyrob]

We had a red eye tree frog do that couple of years back, checked on him and he was happy, went to bed and in the morning he looked like someone had sucked him dry.

[Ivanator]

We had a red eye tree frog do that couple of years back, checked on him and he was happy, went to bed and in the morning he looked like someone had sucked him dry.

Did you ever get it checked out to see what happened to it? I'm really curious to find out what caused it but I don't really want to spend the money at a vet to see what happened since its already dead and it was the only frog I have.

[smy_749]

What do you use for substrate, I may have an idea of what happened...

[poison123]

I may have an idea of what happened...

What would that be?

[smy_749]

I remember reading more than once, that people who kept pacmans on wet pebbles as substrate, had their frogs 'burst' from ingesting the pebbles. The other thing I was thinking is if there was some sort of contact with a toxin, maybe it wasn't pee but vomit.
Your the frog guy, maybe what I'm saying doesn't make sense, I just remember reading something like that

[Ivanator]

What do you use for substrate, I may have an idea of what happened...

I used ecoearth coco fiber. He was also kept in a small critter keeper cuz he was only about 1 1/2" snout to vent. I did not have a heat source for him, but the room he was kept in stays around 80 degrees during the day and drops to about 75 at night.

[smy_749]

I used ecoearth coco fiber. He was also kept in a small critter keeper cuz he was only about 1 1/2" snout to vent. I did not have a heat source for him, but the room he was kept in stays around 80 degrees during the day and drops to about 75 at night.

I don't have experience with frogs, I think poison is your go to guy. Is it possible that he came in contact with any toxins or something?

[Ivanator]

I don't have experience with frogs, I think poison is your go to guy. Is it possible that he came in contact with any toxins or something?

I don't see how he could. I never touch him and I always treat his water before I mist him.

[CarissaREVV]

My red eyed tree frog dies suddenly to. I bought two from and expo and a week later I woke up to one looking like it was sucked dry other one is fine so I have no clue what happened. Your frog could have been sick when you bought it.

[smy_749]

Did you remove the healthy one and clean out the enclosure? Just incase its contagious?

[CarissaREVV]

Did you remove the healthy one and clean out the enclosure? Just incase its contagious?

No I had not. Now that you mentioned that I should have done that. It's been about a month since the other one died and the healthy one is still doing great

[smy_749]

No I had not. Now that you mentioned that I should have done that. It's been about a month since the other one died and the healthy one is still doing great

This is really strange the way you guys describe it, I want to know what it is now lol

[CarissaREVV]

I am curious too i thought I was the only one. Then I read his post and found out that my frog was not some random fluke in nature

[Ivanator]

I thought I was the only one too cuz I could NOT find anything online about it. I'm kinda relieved that I'm not the only one but its still a bummer that no one knows why it happens.

[CarissaREVV]

I thought I was the only one too cuz I could NOT find anything online about it. I'm kinda relieved that I'm not the only one but its still a bummer that no one knows why it happens.

It's is probably just a rare sickness that happens so little that thy don't have data for it maybe just a genetic thing. Who knows maybe a year from now they will know more

[KORBIN5895]

It's is probably just a rare sickness that happens so little that thy don't have data for it maybe just a genetic thing. Who knows maybe a year from now they will know more

With the red eyes I can almost guarantee it was husbandry issues. One of mine just died like that and the other was fine. The problem was my wife said she hadn't misted them for about two weeks and the pond was dry too. The one that survived was tucked in a corner of the pond on the ground.

[CarissaREVV]

We had the tank set up on a misting system it got misted three times a day. We had to turn it off because it was flooding the other tanks so I mist it about three to four times a day both of the frogs at up on the walls of the tank just one day when I went in I saw the one frog wasn't on the wall when I looked down on the ground of the tank there it was all stretched out and sucked dry

[Lankyrob]

Did you ever get it checked out to see what happened to it? I'm really curious to find out what caused it but I don't really want to spend the money at a vet to see what happened since its already dead and it was the only frog I have.


We never did get it checked.

With the red eyes I can almost guarantee it was husbandry issues. One of mine just died like that and the other was fine. The problem was my wife said she hadn't misted them for about two weeks and the pond was dry too. The one that survived was tucked in a corner of the pond on the ground.

Ours had large water bowl which was still full and His cage was misted twice a day.

[KORBIN5895]

So four of us on this forum were visited by a rare, mysterious and unknown disease? Cool.

[smy_749]

So four of us on this forum were visited by a rare, mysterious and unknown disease? Cool.

Did all four of you see the same 'pee' or vomit that was seen?

[DOBERMAN]

Some stuff on the internet about this phenomenon happening in a pond in Germany whereby 1000's of frogs were popping - around 3am seemed to be the peak time.
They had been baffled for a while. One scientist after some study found that, well rather his hypothesis was, the frogs would bloat up due to a defensive reflex and then they would be impaled by crows in search of the tasty livers inside. POP
Now I know you guys wouldn't have any crows harboured in the terrariums, but maybe it would be something sharp in the bedding or logs,stones etc???? ......Hey I don't know a darn thing about frogs but if you guys google -popping frogs Germany- you can read some of the articles and maybe get a nugget of insight for your own theories???.

[CarissaREVV]

Did all four of you see the same 'pee' or vomit that was seen?

I don't recall seeing pee or vomit.

[Ivanator]

So four of us on this forum were visited by a rare, mysterious and unknown disease? Cool.

Apparently so. So far I've found out that it could be caused by having the bedding too moist. I guess it can't be too damp cuz it could cause bacteria to develope. I'm not sure if that's what happened to my frog cuz I misted only a couple times a week but when I did, I did it heavily.

[Ivanator]

Did all four of you see the same 'pee' or vomit that was seen?

I didn't see any vomit. I don't know if I would call it pee, more like its body suddenly deciding to just release every last bit of water from the body.

[KORBIN5895]

Nah. I like the random mysterious death theory. It's not our fault they died.

[smy_749]

The weird part is that you guys say they were "sucked" dry. I don't understand how the water which was in the tissue of the animal could leave that quickly. Dehydration isn't instantaneous. I'm with korbin, I think the angel of frog death came down and sucked out their souls.

[DeadlyDesires]

too bad we dont have a picture, may be able to get a better understanding...

[jennuhkins]

I feel like their is some sort of frog reaper (bare with me) sucking their life away! Every Time I read " looked sucked dry" I get a creepy sensation and the reaper is all I see..

[Starbuck]

I would look at the 'sucked dry' appearance' as more of a symptom than a cause of death.... It could have been separate and distinct causes i.e. disease, husbandry, toxin in each individual death, which all caused a similar presentation after death. I have a text book on amphibian medicine and surgery which i am looking into for you guys.

[smy_749]

I feel like their is some sort of frog reaper (bare with me) sucking their life away! Every Time I read " looked sucked dry" I get a creepy sensation and the reaper is all I see..


The weird part is that you guys say they were "sucked" dry. I don't understand how the water which was in the tissue of the animal could leave that quickly. Dehydration isn't instantaneous. I'm with korbin, I think the angel of frog death came down and sucked out their souls

Im not the only one then lol

[smy_749]

double post Im on my phone..

[KORBIN5895]

I would look at the 'sucked dry' appearance' as more of a symptom than a cause of death.... It could have been separate and distinct causes i.e. disease, husbandry, toxin in each individual death, which all caused a similar presentation after death. I have a text book on amphibian medicine and surgery which i am looking into for you guys.

Don't worry about it. I'm sure there is no logical way to explain how our frogs were chosen by the Lord of the flies exacting revenge for his poor minions.

[Ivanator]

Don't worry about it. I'm sure there is no logical way to explain how our frogs were chosen by the Lord of the flies exacting revenge for his poor minions.

Of course there is! Mine was chosen cuz the emperor of The Lord of the flies was killed in battle and mine just showed great leadership skills so he was chosen to be his replacement. Plus he'll chomp down in flies so he'll set them straight.

[KBHicks2012]

I can relate, I currently down to one American bullfrog. My male died two weeks ago and really unsure of the cause of it. My male is still eating normal, and growing rapidly. I check on them regularly, what still in good ph, moss is fresh, fish&crickets&worms all still look to be good health.....

[Deva]

My sympathies for your loss. My experience is mainly with salamanders (about 10 years) but last weekend my pair of slimy salamanders suddenly died. They are nocturnal, but I checked on them every day and I know they were feeding. They were both dried out and dessicated (one on the side of the water dish!!). There is no telling and I had no idea there was anything wrong with them.

Amphibians are subject to sudden death with no apparent reason.

[AngieT]

I'm no expert but was the frog eating before it died? Just from reading online it seems like sometimes when the frogs are regulating themselves they may not be hungry & potentially the intestines can burst which would cause the leakage and sucked out look.. Idk though sorry for your loss!!! <3

[AngieT]

Also they can live with a condition for some time & seem totally normal so it is possible it was already sick when you brought it home..

[Aaron_S]

Red eyes are dumb.

If you've got some sort of heating element there is a chance it got too close and it died from that. 10 years ago, at a pet store nearby, they had some. They had a low wattage bulb for them that hung in the cool looking specially made reptile tank. They found a frog one morning stuck to it. It obviously hopped on to get warm and dried out and died.

Secondly, I've had a baby pacman flip over and die on me for no reason. I was working at a pet store some time ago and we had a pile of young ones in small deli cups. I was changing the paper towels out and putting new ones in. I had taken one out, put it down next to me and it all of a sudden flipped over and seemingly had a heart attack.

I suppose that was the freak mysterious illness everyone is talking about...