Pacman Frog Availability in Colder Months

[LizardMama]

I miss Octavian and I miss owning a frog, when Octavian was around I was very happy, never a dull moment with him. Now I'm wondering about the seasonal changes and Pacman Frog availability. This time I'm going to do things differently, instead of just a heat lamp I'm going to invest in an under tank heater and I'm putting my frog in my bedroom (I like it more room temperature and my bedroom is just that and more). I've done further research and have decided that yes I want another frog. I've got all the stuff for one. Temperature Tape-stat, Humidity Gauge, Eco-Earth, water dish and the 2 trees that were in his cage and of course the food (besides owning Octavian I also own lizards. Been LizardMama for 7 years now).

*I am aware that lizards and frogs are different, no animal/pet is the same as the other (either in personality or habitat).

Would a Pacman Frog be available to purchase in the next 3 months or will I have to wait until next year to get another?

[R3N3G4D3]

Would a Pacman Frog be available to purchase in the next 3 months or will I have to wait until next year to get another?

I know PetSmart usually carries them year round.

[BG]

It shouldn't be a problem getting a pacman. I'm sure about that. The question is what kind. Most common are the cranwell frogs. Then the ornates can only be found online and the shows. If you find a ornate in a store you hit lotto.lol. Once you get everything right it shouldn't affect the frog. I would clean the setup real good.Infectious control is very important. Make sure the temp is 80. Make sure the water bowl is clean. Make sure he eats every day mostly dusted bugs and earth worms. make sure he is on cocofiber. Make sure the soil is moist but not wet. If you get a bunch of soil and put it in your hand it shouldn't drip water. Make sure you get him from a reputable seller. Make sure i get your weekly check.lol Just kidding. Its abound having fun and enjoying the Hobie. You should be fine. Its no joke when you loose a family member. I'm just trying to cheer you up.

[LizardMama]

It shouldn't be a problem getting a pacman. I'm sure about that. The question is what kind. Most common are the cranwell frogs. Then the ornates can only be found online and the shows. If you find a ornate in a store you hit lotto.lol. Once you get everything right it shouldn't affect the frog. I would clean the setup real good.Infectious control is very important. Make sure the temp is 80. Make sure the water bowl is clean. Make sure he eats every day mostly dusted bugs and earth worms. make sure he is on cocofiber. Make sure the soil is moist but not wet. If you get a bunch of soil and put it in your hand it shouldn't drip water. Make sure you get him from a reputable seller. Make sure i get your weekly check.lol Just kidding. Its abound having fun and enjoying the Hobie. You should be fine. Its no joke when you loose a family member. I'm just trying to cheer you up.

I have everything cleaned, all the way to the little trees that were in the cage and the water dish. Temperature-wise I'm going to crank it up to the mid 80's to maybe 86, I'm not going to let the temps fall down past that again. I wish I would have purchased an Ornate while I had the chance, there's a store down here that had 5 Ornate's in 1 tank ($25 for 1 frog). Size-wise they were about 6 months (only problem I had was with their habitat, they were just in water with nothing to climb up to get out of it and no dirt, the last frog the guy sold had pebbles in it )

Ps. is that an Ornate in your profile picture or is that a Cranwelli, BG? He's right unique in color

[BG]

Thats a cranwelli with less brown marks. I got him in a pet store by my house for 12 bucks. He wanted 15 and i said 12. And he was mine. He was the size of a quarter. H e had him in a glass vase with a plastic bunch of flowers and dirt.

[LizardMama]

Thats a cranwelli with less brown marks. I got him in a pet store by my house for 12 bucks. He wanted 15 and i said 12. And he was mine. He was the size of a quarter. H e had him in a glass vase with a plastic bunch of flowers and dirt.

Glad you got him, not only is he pretty but I'm sure he has a better home with you. A glass vase with plastic flowers and dirt is not suffient for a frog

[BG]

Glad you got him, not only is he pretty but I'm sure he has a better home with you. A glass vase with plastic flowers and dirt is not suffient for a frog

Right know i can't see her front legs . You know what that means. DIET. Her name is Munchy.

[IvoryReptiles]

The cranwelli are usually available year round. We stop breeding on November 1st and give our breeders a break until February.
We have frogs available now, but do most of our selling at Expos or locally due to the cost of shipping & weather restrictions.
We will be vending at the up-coming San Antonio Reptile Expo and will have well started juvenile C. cranwelli available in all colors.
October through mid November is the best time weather-wise to ship (not too cold, not too hot) for us.

Good Luck in finding a frog!!

[Sublime]

Octavian will be missed, no doubt... I know it wasn't your fault and just wasn't meant to be. Wish you all the best on finding your next pacman, I know your second time owning one will no doubt be under great care. I would personally look for a cranwelli or ornate, more commonly available and readily novice hands on husbandry for a first time pacman owner or coming back into the hobby. It's not a matter of seasonal times of the year, more because of weather restrictions as Ivory mentioned. Wholesalers, retailers, vendors, breeders will not ship their amphibians due to concerns of weather being a threat to endangering the life of the frogs they are sending out. Should see this under their policy or shipping page.

Definitely hit up a Expo if you can in your area, a lot of great breeders and vendors like Ivory. No doubt you'll have a healthy frog to start right off in raising him or her. Other than that, just a reputable local reptile store should do if you can't get to a convention or buying online isn't an option (Shipping price, weather restrictions, etc.). I would avoid chain pet stores at all costs, I'm sure people have already told you why and you probably already know, but you don't want to risk chances of getting another unhealthy frog even if you save a few bucks on mislabeling . Great that you already have a well thought out game plan for improving. Temperature you're going to have it at is perfect mid 80s with a few drop of degrees at night, George already mentioned all the other details of husbandry. As far as infectious control, 10% bleach diluted solution will cure all. Hope this helps. Take it easy.

[LizardMama]

Isn't it funny that when you are looking for plants your frog they don't have anything good or appropriate in the section that you'd think they would have a large selection in? I've checked Petsmart for plants and all the plants that look good for an aquarium that houses a Pacman Frog are in the fish section. In my area we don't have expo's, if we do they are usually for snakes and are in the roughest of areas where you can expect for either someone to steal or break into your car or stick a gun into your back.

[GrifTheGreat]

I have noticed a lot of pet stores getting baby Cranwellis lately.

[IvoryReptiles]

Isn't it funny that when you are looking for plants your frog they don't have anything good or appropriate in the section that you'd think they would have a large selection in? I've checked Petsmart for plants and all the plants that look good for an aquarium that houses a Pacman Frog are in the fish section. In my area we don't have expo's, if we do they are usually for snakes and are in the roughest of areas where you can expect for either someone to steal or break into your car or stick a gun into your back.

That's not true of all Expos, the ones we vend or attend have never been in areas like you describe. Most reptile expos will have amphibians at the shows as well. Texas expos are usually held at convention centers and such.
As for plants for your Pacman Frog.......we don't bother with them because they are ALWAYS dug up and trashed by our frogs. They are ambush predators and like to dig into their substrate to conceal themselves during daylight hours. We give ours a water bowl & coco fiber and that's it. They are not arboreal, so no climbing. The plants would be strictly for the owner's pleasure and to make the enclosure look more appealing. Does it matter if they are in the fish section?

The advice given so far is good advice. Find a reputable breeder and go from there. Keep in mind that prime shipping time is now before it gets too cold. Also be prepared to pay a good chunk for shipping. FedEx & Ship Your Reptiles (which ship via FedEx anyway) are the only ones in the US to ship live. If you're a true lizard mom, maybe make a trip to an Expo close by......we have traveled up to 6 hours one way to make it to a show just to enjoy it & shop around for animals we are looking for.......the Expos are a great way to find healthy animals from reputable breeders and cut out the shipping costs. Plus it's great fun for animal lovers & kids usually love it too.

Good luck in the search for a frog!!

[LizardMama]

I was mainly talking about plants so when I get another frog he'll have something to hunker down underneath in case he gets scared.

[GrifTheGreat]

I was mainly talking about plants so when I get another frog he'll have something to hunker down underneath in case he gets scared.

You can buy some fake plants which won't die if dug up and you can just rinse them off and whipe them down to clean them. Real plants look nice and I prefer them too but most cost more then the amount of time they live. Its also hard to find the proper plant to go in a pacman environment. Some can cause toxicity within the soil or substrate and harm the frog. You have to be careful what plants you purchase. Research for proper plants for your frogs enclosure.

[LizardMama]

I wouldn't mind putting real plants in (that would be healthy for a frog) but the cost would be too much. I'd much rather purchase fake, plastic plants (from the fish aisle) that look more tropical. The ones in the Reptile aisle just won't suit a Pacman frog, too tall and not hanging down