New Pac Man Frog Owner!

[pansie]

here is a pic of Pancake.
he's a cutie =)

[pansie]

I've been finding that i am getting such conflicting info from the locals! The expo that my husband bought him from for me, EVERYONE was recommending superworms as the staple in the diet. I've read not to use a lamp because it will dry them out, and not to use an UTH because it can burn them, but nobody mentioned putting one on the side like you guys have! This place seems to be very rich with valid info!

[MeTree]

I've been finding that i am getting such conflicting info from the locals! The expo that my husband bought him from for me, EVERYONE was recommending superworms as the staple in the diet. I've read not to use a lamp because it will dry them out, and not to use an UTH because it can burn them, but nobody mentioned putting one on the side like you guys have! This place seems to be very rich with valid info!

No problem! Glad we can help.

[GrifTheGreat]

I've been finding that i am getting such conflicting info from the locals! The expo that my husband bought him from for me, EVERYONE was recommending superworms as the staple in the diet. I've read not to use a lamp because it will dry them out, and not to use an UTH because it can burn them, but nobody mentioned putting one on the side like you guys have! This place seems to be very rich with valid info!

Despite what was said about lamps I can honestly say that this is not entirely true. Lamps do burn off humidity and can dry the soil slightly IF you have a bulb that is too many watts. 25 to 50 watts is the minimum and maximum. When using a lamp be sure to purchase one that has a dimmer swithch so you can accurately control the amount of light and heat being produced by the bulb. I use lamps and have the entire time. Mist the enclosure as needed for spikes in humidity and to moisten the soil. Not feeding superworms and meal worms is great advice as the chitin that their exoskeleton is made from is difficult for the frogs to digest and can cause impaction. The bite of the superworm is bad and has in very rare occations the superworms have been known to chew through the stomach of the frog. Always smash the heads of the superworm before giving it to the frog. As was said above they are to be given as a treat not a staple. Night crawlers are an excellent staple. Crickets are good as long as you gut load them and dust them appropriately. Don't let anyone say lamps are bad because of used apprpriately there is no issue to be had. As for the UTH it should be placed on the side of the tank opposite the side with the water dish so the frog has a temp gradient and can decide whether it wants to be warm or cool. When using a lamp in combination with a UTH place the lamp over the center of the enclosure. Provide a fake plant or two for cover. And cover 3 sides of your frogs tank with some sort of background so he/she feels more secure. Makes sure you use de-chlorinated water. the frog will become ill and die if exsposed to the chemicals in tap water. Please note that boiling does not remove all chemicals and heavy metals from the water so be sure to buy a water conditioner to treat and de-chlorinate the water.

Congrats on your new little Pac. He/she is very cute. Read the care article as MeTree has said take the advice given and don't hesitate to ask questions. Welcome to the forum.

[Poly]

Despite what was said about lamps I can honestly say that this is not entirely true. Lamps do burn off humidity and can dry the soil slightly IF you have a bulb that is too many watts. 25 to 50 watts is the minimum and maximum. When using a lamp be sure to purchase one that has a dimmer swithch so you can accurately control the amount of light and heat being produced by the bulb. I use lamps and have the entire time. Mist the enclosure as needed for spikes in humidity and to moisten the soil. Not feeding superworms and meal worms is great advice as the chitin that their exoskeleton is made from is difficult for the frogs to digest and can cause impaction. The bite of the superworm is bad and has in very rare occations the superworms have been known to chew through the stomach of the frog. Always smash the heads of the superworm before giving it to the frog. As was said above they are to be given as a treat not a staple. Night crawlers are an excellent staple. Crickets are good as long as you gut load them and dust them appropriately. Don't let anyone say lamps are bad because of used apprpriately there is no issue to be had. As for the UTH it should be placed on the side of the tank opposite the side with the water dish so the frog has a temp gradient and can decide whether it wants to be warm or cool. When using a lamp in combination with a UTH place the lamp over the center of the enclosure. Provide a fake plant or two for cover. And cover 3 sides of your frogs tank with some sort of background so he/she feels more secure. Makes sure you use de-chlorinated water. the frog will become ill and die if exsposed to the chemicals in tap water. Please note that boiling does not remove all chemicals and heavy metals from the water so be sure to buy a water conditioner to treat and de-chlorinate the water.

Congrats on your new little Pac. He/she is very cute. Read the care article as MeTree has said take the advice given and don't hesitate to ask questions. Welcome to the forum.

I said never use a "heat" lamp, not a normal 25-50 watt lamp. I use a 11 watt CFL for my pac, and it actually throws a bit of heat.

[GrifTheGreat]

I said never use a "heat" lamp, not a normal 25-50 watt lamp. I use a 11 watt CFL for my pac, and it actually throws a bit of heat.

I'm not bashing on your methods Royce. You can use heat lamps they are fine as long as you have a dimmer switch on the lamp. I use basking lamps with a concentrated beam of light during the day and infrared heat lamps at night. Fluorescents are bad for the frogs eyes because they are always bright and cannot be used with a dimmer switch. As long as you keep the soil moist and mist daily there will be no issue. Since they stay burrowed during the day they will not be harmed by the light. Especially if you have live plants or fake plants for cover. The instinctually will burrow away from the light. Although occationally they will burrow between the cool side and where the light shines down. And vice versa with the warm side and where the light shines. The frog will decide where it wants to be and whether it wants warmth or cool. As long as ther is a gradient all will be well. Plus it has the advantage of false sun light to help with their day night cycle.

[Poly]

I'm not bashing on your methods Royce. You can use heat lamps they are fine as long as you have a dimmer switch on the lamp. I use basking lamps with a concentrated beam of light during the day and infrared heat lamps at night. Fluorescents are bad for the frogs eyes because they are always bright and cannot be used with a dimmer switch. As long as you keep the soil moist and mist daily there will be no issue. Since they stay burrowed during the day they will not be harmed by the light. Especially if you have live plants or fake plants for cover. The instinctually will burrow away from the light. Although occationally they will burrow between the cool side and where the light shines down. And vice versa with the warm side and where the light shines. The frog will decide where it wants to be and whether it wants warmth or cool. As long as ther is a gradient all will be well. Plus it has the advantage of false sun light to help with their day night cycle.

That's what I mainly use my CFL's for, day & night cycle, and plant growth, but no one told me they could harm my frog's eyes!? I give them lots of plant cover, almost a canopy type thing, but the fact that CFL's may harm my frog has be a bit uneasy now. Can you recommend a good, low wattage incondescent? Can you get incondescent bulbs that will also stimulate plant growth? I'm currently using twin Sylvania 6500K CFL's.

Thanks for the info!

EDIT: I use 6500K's for my painted frog, pacman frog, toads, and soon to be tree frogs, hmm...

[GrifTheGreat]

That's what I mainly use my CFL's for, day & night cycle, and plant growth, but no one told me they could harm my frog's eyes!? I give them lots of plant cover, almost a canopy type thing, but the fact that CFL's may harm my frog has be a bit uneasy now. Can you recommend a good, low wattage incondescent? Can you get incondescent bulbs that will also stimulate plant growth? I'm currently using twin Sylvania 6500K CFL's.

Thanks for the info!

EDIT: I use 6500K's for my painted frog, pacman frog, toads, and soon to be tree frogs, hmm...

With a lot of shaded cover the lights probably won't do any harm. Fluorescents are always so bright especially those meant for plant growth. There are daylight blue bulbs available in incandescents. Exo terra makes one and I believe they also make a natural bulb. Ofcourse these are all UVA bulbs. A lot of people believe that its the UVA and UVB rays that damage the frogs eyes which is quite possible in much stronger brighter bulbs. If you are able to adjust the amount of light output coming from the bulb then there will be no issue. That's what hurts their eyes bulbs that are too bright. I don't have any links to post but I may be able to get names I believe the daylight bulb is actually called Daylight blue and the other is nature sun. I believe these both work well with plants. Ofcourse when it comes to plants fluorescents tend to do a better job. The daylight blue bulb does emmit farely decent heat as well as light. Its a white light. Stimulates plant growth. Look them up and see what one best suits you. Also its wouldn't hurt to buy a lamp with a dimmer switch as these bulbs release more heat than fluorescents and if you aren't having trouble keeping your frogs warm enough then these may make them too hot.