Logistical Problems for experienced keepers!

[Ccarver]

I am thinking of getting a Pacman frog, but wanted to solve some logistical questions before just going out and buying an animal that I am not yet ready to care for.
1. Aquariums/Tanks
Many care sheets or information that I have found suggests starting babies in small tubberware containers first, then move to a 10 gallon aquarium as the baby grows. I am obviously not an avid herp keeper, and don't have extra tanks lying around, so I would like to avoid unnessady buying. What tanks work best? I am on a budget, but would obviously spend the money it takes to care properly for the animal. Just wondering if anyone has discovered any great unknown secrets concerning the perfect, inexpensive home that looks nice!

2. Feeding
What do most owners of a single pacman do; breed crickets or dubias, or buy food each week? I do live with a family that would not enjoy living with those little creatures, but if the pros outweigh the cons might be able to convince them. Any personnel experience breeding them just for one pacman? Does breeding make sense for just one frog or would the numbers outgrow the frogs need as quick as I think?

3. Live Plants
I love plants and would love to add them. Any suggestions for easy to care for plants?

[alane]

1) I just got his adult tank now. Yes, my frog only uses about 5 square inches of this tank. lol. I find the main problem with a big tank is live feeding. Too much space means that the prey rarely goes in front of the frog's danger-feeding zone. A cricket corral made out of a piece of plastic will help constrain the prey during feeding time. Recently, i've figured out tong feeding. I would imagine if you had a whole bunch of babies that need to be kept separate, then tupperware it is. But with a single frog, I would suggest getting his final habitat now and not purchasing intermediate ones unless you have other plans for the smaller enclosures.
You don't really need an 'aquarium'. A 'terrarium' will do. Terrariums are much lighter, with thinner glass. Not designed to hold water. This is what you want.

2) My frog eats, on average, a large cricket and a half per day. No, not worth breeding crickets. I buy an amount every week. But, now that i'm feeding one pellet every three days, crickets have now become an optional food. I still have to get crickets for my FBT tank, as that tank will consume eight large crickets a day. Still not an amount that makes breeding worthwhile. Crickets stink and I want to limit or eliminate my usage of them.
Then there is the Mr. Pickles channel. A youtuber has a big ol' pixie frog who will eat over 100 large crickets in a sitting. Even then, I believe this person buys his crickets, as I heard him complaining about the price. A feeding can easily be over ten dollars. For a pixie frog.
If you can figure out how your frog likes to 'tong feed', then you can avoid crickets entirely. Occasional worm purchases for treats. Pellets as a staple.

3) I'd love to hear folks comments about this as well.

I'm just learning too, you asked for experience keepers. I'm not one of them yet. There are a few on this forum.

[Ccarver]

I was under the impression Pacman frogs needed a staple diet of crickets or other live insects. Can pellets be used as a staple, and if so what brand? Do you still purchase vitamins and calcium powder?


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[alane]

Well, they will only _hunt_ live insects. Movement is what triggers their feeding reflex. Thus the need for live insects or worms.But, if you can figure out how to get them to eat pellets, that's a fine staple as well. It's a trick to get one of these frogs to eat a pellet. You and your frog will have to work it out. Me and my frog? I wait for a shed; the frog opens its mouth, the pellet goes in, he clamps down and swallows. Took me a month to figure that out.I am aware of two brands of PacMan food: I use "Hikari Reptile" 'Pac-Attack'. The other brand I am aware of is Zoo Med. Since Pac-Attack is preformed into pellets, it seems easier for me, at least right now with the size of my frog. Adding vitamin powder to the pellets is unnecessary, as they are already enriched just for this sort of frog.A single pellet is an excellent full meal for him, maybe a part of a second. Once every three days.A week ago, I would have said "My frog hates these things but my cat likes them"With only a week of feeding pellets, two feedings, I feel my frog has swelled quite a bit. If I didn't know before, now I know for sure where the stomach is and where the large intestine is.

[monster]

Properly gutloaded Crickets, nightcrawlers and roaches should behis staple diet. You don't need all 3 any 2 of the above will work, preferably one of the insects and the nightcrawlers. When you start feeding night crawlers you can really see the growth speed up, they are an exellent source of food. Then throw in a pink mouse one a month if you want and you can feed hornworms, butter worms and silkworms etc every once in awhile for treats. For the pellets I'm not sure because I refuse to use them, your frog will appreciate live food and you will get a better feeding response with live food. For the tank question I have always started with a 10 gallon divided into 2 and just moved the divider as they grow.

[monster]

I forgot to mention that when your frog is an adult and big enough instead of pinkies you can give fuzzies. I give prekilled but some people will give alive, I do prekilled just to avoid injury to my frogs and I only give them every once awhile. I don't do the once the month it's more every couple for my guys if that. And this is even if you choose to give them. And when I say I refuse to use the pellets I'm not saying they are bad and not to use them there is people that use them with success, I just prefer to give live food.

[alane]

one thing i'll say about pellets; they are dry (well, moistened) when they go in. But then they soak up water and double in volume. This happens inside the frog. He goes from having a stomach shaped like a pill to being a fat overstuffed looking thing.
This expansion seems to be unlike real food.

i will stick with pellets for a few weeks and see what happens to the weekly PacMan weigh-in.

all of my frogs would love night crawlers, so i need to find some locally. the big pet stores do not have them.