Hi All, I am new so I apologize if I broke some rules (I did read them, I promise)

I am a new Pac Man owner... okay, okay my 16 year old daughter begged for one for Christmas. She did research and brought it to me and we selected a frog.

I am finding that there is a lot of conflicting information out there about caring for these guys so what we got for a set up might not be the best thing for the frog. As I do more reading, I find out more and more... I feel like I did when I was restoring cars, I am heading to the store every weekend and spending 50 to 100 bucks and still struggling to keep the humidity and heat where it should be (3rd light and heat set up now). I was hoping instead you all might be willing to offer advice.

There are no problems with Muffins (kiddo named it) but I don't like that the tank humidity fluctuates wildly and that it dries out fast. I also am utterly confused with how to regulate the temperature and humidity aside from manually. I know it sounds stupid but I have bought so many things already that I would prefer a suggestion on how the whole thermostat system works. Below is the current set up. I would LOVE any advice on how to keep the frog happy and healthy. BONUS if you can suggest a specific product so I can just buy it on Amazon or whatever, since I no longer have any trust for the local petco (350 bucks so far and counting because they can't be bothered to have knowledgeable staff). I am not opposed to bioactive, or more expensive stuff either so feel free to suggest whatever!


1. Size of enclosure-10 Gal traditional style with mesh lid
2. # of inhabitants - 1 Pac Man
3. Humidity- I try to keep it around 80, but if I keep the tank as hot as I should it dries out during the day, when I return home from work it can dip below 40 or 30%
4. Temperature- Use an UTH mounted on the side, sized for a 10 gal tank. Thermometer reads between 75-80 with a drop of about 5 degrees at night, but I don't trust the one I have, it seems way hotter in there sometimes and it takes a lot for changes to register on thermometer. Any reccomedations on something that works with a thermostat??? I don't understand how these set ups work.
5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish- Bottled Spring water for both
6. Materials used for substrate- Eco Earth-about 2 inches.... stir once ever few days to aerate. I am thinking of upping to 4 inches though
7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials.-Artifical plant, had a bark hide but it got moldy after three days so we tossed it. Eco earth was rehydrated with bottled water. I didn't know enough to clean the plants or water dish with anything. I did wash the tank with very dilluted distilled water and vinegar mixture (I am open to suggestions on cleaning mixtures).
8. Main food source- Crickets (gut loaded with flukers orange and sometimes lettuce), I have gotten muffins to eat a few earthworms but its a battle. My husband refuses to let me bring roaches in the house but I will probably start doing it soon and just not mention it.
9. Vitamins and calcium? Calcium, on probably every other cricket. I didn't know I needed a vitamin too, is there a non powder brand? I cant get stuff to stick to crickets as it is.
10. Lighting- ZooMed Tropical Dual UVB dome with a UVB in one and a 60 watt infrared basking in the other with 12 hour timer. We were using a 60 watt daylight blue but three in a row died after a week of use. We added the dual dome because I couldn't get the tank up over 70 degrees (live in an old drafty house).
11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure- I only have a thermometer. I would love some schooling on a thermostat as I am a little intimidaded. They can range from afforadable to $$$$ and I have no clue which one to get.
12. When is the last time he/she ate- I feed every other day as many crickets as Muffins will eat in 15 minutes (med size crickets half dusted with calcuim). I have gotten it to eat worms but its a struggle and I have to let it go without a few meals before the frog will take a worm, and that makes me nervous.
13. Have you found poop lately- Muffins has been pooping less frequently and doing it in the water which is new, with larger poops. I am not sure if this is because the frog is growing or its too dry. Last night it had a giant poop baby.
14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine)- see below
15. Describe frog's symptoms and/or recent physical changes; to include it's ventral/belly area. No changes aside from the poop thing above. It likes to cover itself during the day and then hang out on top of the substrate all night.
16. How old is the frog- We got it 22 Dec, no clue on age, but it was marked down because it had grown "too big" according to petco. Frog is about silver dollar size now.
17. How long have you owned him/her-A Monthish plus now
18. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred-CB
19. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats- Kinda answered this in 8, but I would like suggestions
20. How often the frog is handled- Don't handle the frog unless cleaning the tank (every two weeks) it gets placed in a tupperware with moist paper towels (no tap water) during cleaning.
21. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area- Kinda half and half... in my kids room but shes in high school but gone frequently (also at her dads half of the week too) so nobody is in there during that time unless its to feed and mist Muffins.
22. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc)-water change daily, ot two days at the most. Feed every other, substrate change and tank scrub every two weeks.


Name: frog setup.jpg Views: 1118 Size: 1.05 MB
What I wasn't anticipating with this lil' guy (well I think its a she) was falling totally in love with it. My husband thinks I am bonkers, but I finally get why frogfolks are well sooo into thier pets (I worked at a vet during college and I used to think herp and frog parents were nutty and now I am one).