Owner to be...

[Pharaoh]

Hi folks!
Firstly I don't have a Pacman just yet, Im still doing the research. I have wanted one since my parents owned a pet store 15 years ago and never got around to making the commitment. So this thread was really just to say hello to you guys and thanks for the advice I have read on here before I registered.
I was thinking of getting the 45x45x45 exo-terra glass terrarium to begin my set up? The rest I am undecided upon yet (not enough knowledge) I would like it to look as natural as possible while still being perfect for the frog! Its the heating and humidity that concerns me most, could anyone suggest the best way to set this up? I like the look of the rain makers and foggers too!
Thanks for any advice you have and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you guys

[DeeDub]

Welcome to the forum! These frogs are really cool. Any idea on what frog you want?

You don't need a real tall enclosure (also a taller enclosure is harder to regulate heat and temp wise).

As I'm sure you've read. The best substrate is coir (ground up coconut fiber). Most people keep it simple, but you can make a very attractive enclosure none the less. Beware of impaction hazards that the frog can get to (Mosses, stones, other substrates that will not pass through the digestive tract with ease etc.)

As far as suggestions for setup:

45 CM tall is pretty tall, and overall dimensions of 45cmx45cmx45cm are good, but that can be pretty large for a tiny frog (if you are getting a froglett). I think it will be fine as long as you set it up before getting your frog, and making sure your temps/humidity are in line.

I recommend a zoomed hydro/thermo temp humidity controller. It heats and humidifies your enclosure automatically. Takes a lot of the guessing out of trying to get your setup right.

Most people will block off all or part of the lid with either plastic/aluminum foil wrapped cardboard, plexiglass, or glass to hold heat and humidity. Make sure you leave enough open to facilitate ventilation (helps mitigate the growth of mold and fungi that will grow in the tank).

I heat with lights primarily. Some people like to heat with a UTH place on the side of an enclosure. With the temp controller, it can take time for a UTH to heat up so IMO it is not optimal as a heating element. You could also use a Ceramic heat emitter (CHE), but i recommend keeping it simple and using a light. I use the Zilla mini dome (halogen) with the red bulb. They are small and attach to the screen lid of you enclosure. The small size makes it nice as you don't need a lot of clearance above your enclosure if you have it on a shelf.

Humidity: I use a Reptifogger in my cornuta enclosure (use distilled water to avoid calified mineral deposits). I would steer clear of the misting systems just because I have heard a few people say they are not that great. I don't have any experience with them and my Reptifogger works well so I don't bother with them. A few other members can tell you how to make your own humidifier/fogger.

Decor: I do use live plants in my enclosures as it helps with air quality. I don't plant them until I see where the frog tends to burrow. I also keep them to the sides of the enclosure to minimize them being dug up. I use live pathos plants, but they can be toxic if ingested (never had a problem thus far). There are several other live options you can use. Fake plants are also attractive as decor in your tank. Just remember, if the frog can ingest it, there is a risk of impaction so stay away from things that can break off and or be ingested when the frog lunges for food.

Okay, hope this helps some. I'm sure I've forgotten a few things, but others can chime in. Again welcome! and hope to see your future posts.

[Lija]

Deedub got you covered!
i would only suggest if you're getting a baby to get smaller enclosure when s/he is little and then upgrade for bigger one, 45x45x45 cm ( 18"x18"x18") cube is perfect for bigger adult, but way too big for a baby, s/he might get scared = refuse to eat= not good. Alternatively you can stack the tank with a lot of stuff to minimize space when s/he is a little and then redo as he grows.
live plants, unless they are handing, didn't work for me, when my big baby ( almost 6" now) poops and moves for her favorite spot she rearrange the whole tank. and in general with the amount of waste they produce i don't think live plants growing from a bottom are a good idea in a tank and you need to take them all out once a month for tank cleaning.

welcome to the forum!

[Heatheranne]

Welcome .

Deedub and Lija did an excellent job of listing the proper husbandry of pacman frogs to get you started. Great posts, guys!

Remember, you'll need dechlorinator if you use tap water for the water bowl and to moisten the substrate. You can mist with distilled water, but it has no minerals which can pull electrolytes out of the frog if used for soaking or substrate. You can also use bottled spring water. Do not use bottled drinking water, it has chlorine in it.

When you get ready to buy your baby, you'll need calcium with vitamin D 3 reptile/amphibian powder and multivitamin powder to dust their food with. Both can be found in the reptile or amphibian section of the pet store.

One extra tip for you is to keep them in a nice quiet area to minimize stress. You can also cover the back and two sides of his home with dark paper or a background. This helps them feel secure. The plants are great for giving them hiding places. Some people use little hides like a cave or half log hide.

We'll be looking forward to seeing your new little one in the future.

Here is the forum care sheet in case you haven't found it yet...
http://www.frogforum.net/content/pac...-breeding-170/

And here is another great article to keep on hand...
http://www.frogforum.net/content/bas...first-aid-142/

Again, welcome

[GrifTheGreat]

Welcome to Frog Forum

It would appear that DeeDub, Lija, and Heather have you covered.

Any indepth questions feel free to ask.

[Heatheranne]

Grif taught me most of what I know and they're a wealth of knowledge to all thing ceratophrys , AND, they're always here to help .

[GrifTheGreat]

Grif taught me most of what I know and they're a wealth of knowledge to all thing ceratophrys , AND, they're always here to help .

Sometimes I think we are here too much.

[Heatheranne]

Ha ha!!! I know the feeling .

[unkempt1]

Wow, that foil/plastic covered cardboard top is a really good idea! I just use plastic bags, but I like that idea better. I may give that a shot tomorrow.

[Pharaoh]

A massive thanks to all of you that replied to this thread for me. I will follow your advice to the letter and prepare a habitat first making sure my temp/humid levels are spot on before I introduce a pacman to it. I will try and post pictures and keep you guys updated on the progress. Really cant wait to get started, frogs are awesome!!

[Pharaoh]

Hey guys,

I see some of you use a uth and I was thinking the same thing, controlling it with the Zoo med hygro therm humidity and temp controller and also having the Zoo med reptile fogger terrarium humidifier? Would this be a good way to go and what size uth would you recommend for a 45 squared terrarium? Or would it be better to invest in something more expensive like the exo terra lucky reptile super rain system or the exo terra monsoon RS400?

Thanks guys!

[NewFrogDude]

How to make your own humidifier.

1x 10W heater (submersible required)

1x Bowl or container that you can submerge said heater in

1x Bowl or container that you can place said container in that is containing said heater. (WTF does that sentence even mean?)

If placed with out the larger container the Coir will act as an insulator and it will heat to well over 100 degrees. The purpose of the other bowl is to act as a "heat sink" so to speak. This will allow the heater to do its job and evaporate the water and not over heat your substrate. Make sure you put several holes in the top as well for maximum evaporation. This entire set up will do the same thing that a reptifogger can do for 1/4th the price. All you have to do is check the water level when you change your frogs water dish. You can also take packing tape (moving tape) and tape half of the lid to hold in the humidity as well. I use a play mat from an old card game I used to play. I cut it to fit the lid and then cut a hole in it the circumference of the dome light that it is over. Its made of rubber on one side so it wont slide and its black so it absorbs heat as well.

[Lija]

Hey guys,

I see some of you use a uth and I was thinking the same thing, controlling it with the Zoo med hygro therm humidity and temp controller and also having the Zoo med reptile fogger terrarium humidifier? Would this be a good way to go and what size uth would you recommend for a 45 squared terrarium? Or would it be better to invest in something more expensive like the exo terra lucky reptile super rain system or the exo terra monsoon RS400?

Thanks guys!

well i have one zoomed fogger and hate it, would have returned, but i exchanged it 4 times before that, was too lazy to go back to the store that is on the other side of the city. you gotta get distilled water for the fogger. I personally like regular ultrasonic humidifier better, you just get any from a store, silicone the tube it and that's it, it works and it works well with several tanks too. No need to get moonson/mistking/anything expensive. I have misters too, but I'm don't use it for my frogs. I found it is easier to maintain constant humidity with a fogger.

as for heating - I prefer infrared lamp, again it seems to be easier to maintain constant temps, it heats up fast and cools down too, with UTH it takes longer, you can sure use it too ( not from a bottom)

[deeishealthy]

I have the exo terra monsoon RS400 and LOVE it.

[GrifTheGreat]

An 18" cube is a little big. You'll want something smaller for a baby.

A UTH combined with a Hygrotherm and Reptifogger works well. Be sure to use only distilled water in the fogger and you will have no issues. If you place spring water or treated tap water in them the condencer will become covered in calcium deposites and malfunction.

[Pharaoh]

Ok guys thanks for your help again, I feel Im learning a good deal from this forum

Firstly Griff I was thinking about the 45x45x45 because it looks like I cant get the 45x45x30 model in England. The next size model after the 45x45x45 is the 30x30x30, would that be ok as the frog reaches adulthood?

So my initial set up thinking is now this:

Housing

1. Exo Terra terrarium 45x45x45 or 30x30x30 (depending on what you guys think?)
2. Covers for the sides as well as the back.

Heating and Humidity

I seem to have two options here:
Firstly:
1. Infared bulb with the light dome.
2. The Zoo Med Repti Fogger.
3. A thermo/hygrostat

Secondly:
1. An uth (placed on the side of the terrarium)
2. Zoo Med Repti Fogger.
3. A thermo/hygrostat.

Substrate:

1. Coco husk
2. Are there any other types I can use like a moss etc (that wont cause impaction?).

Decoration:

1. Plastic hanging plants.
2. Plastic ground plants.
3. Some plastic vines.

Water:

1. Medium sized exo terra water dish.
2. Appropriate water conditioner (distilled for the fogger)

Food:

1. I believe earthworms (you guys call them night crawlers I think lol), crickets, locusts and even mice can be given.
2. Appropriate supplements for dusting.

Could you guys let me know what you think of this and what potential problems/plus points I might find with this choice?
Also I think Newfrogdudes idea of making a fogger is awesome, but I have a few spare £/$'s and Im not sure I would trust myself to not burn my house down, Im not the best at DIY lol, but thanks for the idea!
Sorry to be such a pain with the questions but we all want the frogs to live happily dont we?
Anyway I made my first purchase and bought a keepers handbook, so I guess my adventure starts here!

[GrifTheGreat]

Ok guys thanks for your help again, I feel Im learning a good deal from this forum

Firstly Griff I was thinking about the 45x45x45 because it looks like I cant get the 45x45x30 model in England. The next size model after the 45x45x45 is the 30x30x30, would that be ok as the frog reaches adulthood?

So my initial set up thinking is now this:

Housing

1. Exo Terra terrarium 45x45x45 or 30x30x30 (depending on what you guys think?)
2. Covers for the sides as well as the back.

Heating and Humidity

I seem to have two options here:
Firstly:
1. Infared bulb with the light dome.
2. The Zoo Med Repti Fogger.
3. A thermo/hygrostat

Secondly:
1. An uth (placed on the side of the terrarium)
2. Zoo Med Repti Fogger.
3. A thermo/hygrostat.

Substrate:

1. Coco husk
2. Are there any other types I can use like a moss etc (that wont cause impaction?).

Decoration:

1. Plastic hanging plants.
2. Plastic ground plants.
3. Some plastic vines.

Water:

1. Medium sized exo terra water dish.
2. Appropriate water conditioner (distilled for the fogger)

Food:

1. I believe earthworms (you guys call them night crawlers I think lol), crickets, locusts and even mice can be given.
2. Appropriate supplements for dusting.

Could you guys let me know what you think of this and what potential problems/plus points I might find with this choice?
Also I think Newfrogdudes idea of making a fogger is awesome, but I have a few spare £/$'s and Im not sure I would trust myself to not burn my house down, Im not the best at DIY lol, but thanks for the idea!
Sorry to be such a pain with the questions but we all want the frogs to live happily dont we?
Anyway I made my first purchase and bought a keepers handbook, so I guess my adventure starts here!

Sounds good. A 30cm cube isn't bad at all for a young frog, but consider that the larger the enclosure the harder it will be for the frog to catch it's food if not tong trained. Plus there would be more places for the food to hide. Crickets hide anywhere even going as far as burrowing into the coconut fiber.

Keep in mind that Coconut Husk is not the same product as Cocont Fiber. Coconut Husk is not finely ground like the Fiber is and can cause impaction. Get Coconut Fiber. Mosses are all an impaction risk for large species of frog with voracious appetites so be careful.

Your heating units combined with a Zoo Med Hygrotherm and Reptifogger will work well, but if you find yourself needing more heat just use both the UTH and Lamp together. Make sure the lamp you buy has a dimmer swith so you can dial down the amount of light and heat produced by the bulb. The Hygrotherm will assist greatly in maintaining your frog's climate.

A variety is best when feeding your frog. It is healthier and keeps them from getting bored with a particular food item.
Please note that mice are only treats and should only be offered as Pinky Mice and Fuzzy Mice to prevent risk of impaction. They also should be dusted before offering them to the frog once a month. Also note that the frog must be at least 2.5"(10cm) SVL(Snout to Vent Length) before offering the frog it's first Pinky Mouse.

[Pharaoh]

Thanks Griff!

Ill make sure I get the fiber and not husk, Ill also leave the moss well alone!
Just one more thing, What size lamp/heatmat will I need for both size terrariums (though I think ill en up with the 30sq one now)?

[GrifTheGreat]

Thanks Griff!

Ill make sure I get the fiber and not husk, Ill also leave the moss well alone!
Just one more thing, What size lamp/heatmat will I need for both size terrariums (though I think ill en up with the 30sq one now)?

5.5 inch Fluker's Clamp Lamp with Dimmer. Use 50 watt bulb or less. 6"x8" Zoo Med UTH and make sure you place it on the side. Water dish should be placed on the opposite side from the UTH to have a warm side and cool side. Place the sensor for the hygrotherm in the lower center of the back wall 1 inch to 1.5 inches above the substrate.

[Pharaoh]

Thanks a million everybody! Us new starters really do appreciate all the time and help you give us, even it is seems like we ask the same questions over and over lol!

Thanks again