Introduction/Some questions

[Jptalon]

Hey guys. Just picked up my first pacman frog friday however ive been lurking here for a month or two. I just had a few questions to ask to make sure im taking care of him properly, but first heres a pic of him




My first question is about the tank humidity. From what ive researched 80% humidity is ideal, however i cant seem to keep it there for more than 10-15 minutes without it dropping down to 60% or so. I have plastic wrap covering about 2/3 of the screen on top. I have a mister but it seems the only way to keep the humidity at 80% is to mist atleast once every 45 minutes or so. I also have a repti fogger that i have hooked up to a timer to go off everyone 2 hours for 15 minutes. I am planning on betting the hygrotherm controller later this week so that should keep the humidity at a constant percentage but i still feel like its dropping abnormally fast for some reason.

My second question is about burrowing. My frog stays burrowed all day unless i dig him out to feed him and i was wondering if thats normal and if its ok to dig him out? also how deep should my substrate be?

So far hes been doing great besides staying burrowed all the time. He eats two medium sized crickets a night.

My tank includes:
Eco earth coco fiber substrate
medium sized water dish
1 fake plant
1 hollowed log
an exo terra infared 50 watt bulb for nighttime heat which i try to keep at 75-80
an exo terra intense basking spot for day time heat around 80-82
a repti fogger hooked up to a timer
terranium background on 3 sides of the tank
plastic wrap on 2/3 of screen

also im using distilled water in the mister and spring water in the fogger and water dish.

[GrifTheGreat]

First off Welcome to the forum.

On to your questions. Heat lights burn off humidity so it will drop as the temp rises. Misting a little more often helps and needs to be done , but too much will water log the substrate. You say you have a Reptifogger hooked to a timer. So just have the fogger timed to turn on every 30 to 45 minutes for 3 to 4 minutes at a time. 15 minutes at full blast will raise the humidity to 100% which you don't want because this will also cause water buildup in the substrate. Investing in a Hygrotherm is a good idea. I use one for both my frogs and it works great.

Pacman frogs are nocturnal and will burrow all day and emerge at night to feed. You should be feeding him at night. They have to have a 12 hour day/night cycle. So like daylight from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and night 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. if you're using a heat lamp you need one that has a dimmer switch so you can accurately control the amount of light and heat output of the bulb. 50 watts is fine just don't go any higher.

You should have a UTH (under tank heater) placed on the side of the tank to help with temps so you don't have to dial the light up as high to maintain temps. For babies daytime temps should be 80 to 82 no higher and night time 75 to 79, but try to stay around 77 or 78 at night.

Substrate can be 2 inches deep for a baby.

Don't unbury him/her all the time so he/she will come when ready. If he/she doesn't come out all you should have to do is unbury just the head and he/she should respond to food being in the tank.

Babies should be fed daily and dust his/her food with calcium dust every other feeding and with a multivitamin once a week. Don't dust with both at the same time because they will be less affective.

You have done some research so that's good. I'm glad you learned about your frog before getting him/her.

[helm96]

One recommendation I would have would be to use distilled water for the fogger as well. It will help to extend the life of the fogger by cutting down on the mineral buildup inside the unit.

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[Jptalon]

Thanks alot for the advice guys! I now have a UTH on the side of his tank and i dialed down the light and that seems to have helped alot with the humidity problem; still waiting on the hygrotherm. I have also switched from spring water in the fogger to distilled. Lou is doing great so far. I have noticed that when its feeding time he doesnt really hunt down his food, he just waits for the crickets to walk in fornt of him or for me to move them there and i was wondering if this is normal? I suppose he could be slightly uninterested in them as he does eat alot and maybe hes just not very hungry? When i first got him i made the mistake of giving him large crickets and ive learned that their legs could cause impaction, i have switched to small crickets. I dont think hes impacted as he is still eating but im just concerned that hes not very active and i havent seen him poop yet. I have led him to his waterbowl for him to poop but after a minute or two he hops out.

Overall hes doing great besides his inactivity. Ive had him for 1 week and hes gotten noticebly bigger. Just wondering if inactivity during feeding time is normal and if i should be concerned about possible impaction. Thanks guys!

[GrifTheGreat]

Thanks alot for the advice guys! I now have a UTH on the side of his tank and i dialed down the light and that seems to have helped alot with the humidity problem; still waiting on the hygrotherm. I have also switched from spring water in the fogger to distilled. Lou is doing great so far. I have noticed that when its feeding time he doesnt really hunt down his food, he just waits for the crickets to walk in fornt of him or for me to move them there and i was wondering if this is normal? I suppose he could be slightly uninterested in them as he does eat alot and maybe hes just not very hungry? When i first got him i made the mistake of giving him large crickets and ive learned that their legs could cause impaction, i have switched to small crickets. I dont think hes impacted as he is still eating but im just concerned that hes not very active and i havent seen him poop yet. I have led him to his waterbowl for him to poop but after a minute or two he hops out.

Overall hes doing great besides his inactivity. Ive had him for 1 week and hes gotten noticebly bigger. Just wondering if inactivity during feeding time is normal and if i should be concerned about possible impaction. Thanks guys!

These are ambush predators so sitting and waiting on food is waht they do. Sometimes they don't want to wait and will get out of their hole and chase down prey, but for the most part they just wait.

Check his hole for poop. Sometimes they will go in their hole and either change holes after or smash it into the substrate in their hole.

Keep an eye on him and keep us updated on his status.

[Jptalon]

He just pooped! It was a big one too, almost the length of his body!

[Jptalon]

Heres a better picture of him.