Pacman Noob Nightemare - Looking for some Answers!

[SitFrogStay]

First off, Hello. I go by Kay. I am a first time amphibian owner and to be completely honest with you, totally ignorant to it. All my life I've only owned mammals or fish.

I didn't know Pacman frogs even existed until about a year ago. Seen a video on them on YouTube I came across by random browsing. Adored them ever since. I've read about their random facts and care and thought to myself, this is for me!

Well, little did I know.... how little I knew. Lol. After I had made the purchase of Paco, my FIRST Pacman frog, I came home and since then it's been "Oh no I didn't get...", "Oh no I shoulda got...", "Oh no I was supposed to...", "Oh no he needs...", etc etc.

It's only been ONE week today since I've had him, and I'm extremely worried about his well being. He doesn't eat and I'm pretty sure it's because of the conditions I have him in.

I feel guilty for purchasing him before I really knew what I was doing. But what's done is done, he's here now and I'm going to do everything I can do to give him a long healthy life.

However, I need some guidance on how to do that.

I've been a reading son-of-a-gun this past week. I can't count all the web pages and tutorials and YouTube care videos and Yahoo Questions, etc that I've looked over. After looking through all this information, I'm VERY CONFUSED!!!! It's all Red Vs Blue pretty much. While one suggests you do this for your Pacman, another says No don't do that!!! And while I see different answers to some of my questions I haven't found everything I'm
curious about. Some are... kinda silly, but Frogs are alien to me.

I did come across this Forum, however, and so far it seems like my best shot for some accurate answers. It is an all Frog discussion so surely I can get some if not all my answers here and let me tell you, I would appreciate it soooo much. I'm already attached to this thing and I don't want his fate to be fatal because of my mistakes.

I've posted below the "Trouble in the Enclosure" questions. To be honest with you, after answering some of these has left me feeling rather silly. But all in all please, I really need some guidance on what is best for my frog.

I do apologize if the information is a bit choppy and everywhere. I have so many questions they almost all run together. I'll try to give as much detail as possible for accuracy.

1. Size of enclosure
It's a 10 gallon Terrarium.

2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences
No others, just Mr. Paco.

-Okay, before I answer number 3 and 4, something tells me a lot of my problem has to do with the lid on the terrarium, lol. It's a screen cover. I'm going to go ahead and try to explain my issues in detail for the questions anyway and if my lid IS my issue, please direct me on the right thing to-

3. Humidity
This varies. I'm having a difficult time keeping it stable. It goes anywhere from 60% to 80%, normality is 70%ish. I mist it pretty good in the mornings before I go to work, and in the evenings when I come home, and sometimes when needed right before I go to bed - unless I see the humidity is right on 80%. I have two wash rags I laid about two inches on either side of the heating lamp across the top of the cage and it somewhat seems to help but I could really use some pointers on keeping the humidity stable.

4. Temperature
It stays right on the dot of 70 degrees (Now, this is about where the temperature in my room stays). It's been there since I set up the terrarium, hasn't budged in a week. I can't tell if I'm not keeping it warm enough in there or if the temperature gauge is broken, or if all the heat is escaping. The humidity gauge is on the same... gadget, lol, and the humidity part seems to be working just the temperature needle doesn't budge. When I first got it, I ran the heating lamp and a heating pad to get the temp. up.

I do not know what it is about the heating pad but I do-not trust it, both for fire hazard and for my frog. So for the first couple days I had him I ran the heating pad a couple hours at a time and then turned it off. You could see the humidity under the coconut husk from it, but the Temp. gauge never budged with it on - my gut doesn't like the heating pad, it didn't seem to help with temperature so by the third day I disowned it. I read conflicting things on the heating pads - that you should use one for a pacman and I read you shouldn't have one for a pacman. What should I do to get his Temperature higher and WITHOUT using a heat pad. I DO have a heat lamp that sits directly on the screen cover lid of the terrarium. I run it about 8 - 12 hours a day. Regardless the temp still looks the same, I'm worried I'm frying my frog. It's a 60watt bulb.

ALSO on the lighting thing I wanted to ask. I've read that a florescent bulb is much better for a pacman than a heating bulb. Is this true? If that's the case, does the florescent light help with heating the terrarium? If the heating bulb IS okay, am I sitting it too close to my frog?

5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish
K, the tap water where I live is so bad with chlorine it nearly killed my Spider Plant. So I didn't want to fart with using tap so for the first 3 days I had him I was spraying him and using the same water I use for my plant in his water dish. Distilled water. Then I read that distilled water will hurt a pacman frog so I immediately dumped his dish and spray bottle and replaced it with Spring Water.

6. Materials used for substrate
Coco Husk. And there's this thin green turf that came with the terrarium kit that's underneath it all. I just kinda shrugged and laid it down and put the Coco Husk on top.I've recently read in this forum that the Husk is no bueno. :\ I will see about feeding him outside his cage until it's time to replace the Husk and I'll buy the coconut fiber for now on.

7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials.
- How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv.
Um. I'll be posting a crappy pic of my set up for y'all to see. There's two cheap lawn ornament frogs I bought at the Dollar Store, and 3 small Dollar Store fake plants. 4 Large rocks I got from our drive way, and two sticks I got out of our wood pile. And a water dish.

Every item listed I wash thoroughly in the sink, especially the stuff I picked up from our yard lol.

Before anyone freaks about the rock cave I made him, trust me - if an earthquake comes them dudes are not budging. I have no intentions on smashing my frog. :|

8. Main food source
Crickets when I first got him. I bought a dozen from PetSmart the same day I bought my frog. I didn't want to get an over abundance until I knew how he was going to eat. I didn't want to clean up a million crickets out of his cage everyday. And I'm glad I did, because he only ate 3.

I recently bought some earthworms, because they're closer available than crickets. He hasn't ate one yet. I've been cutting them up in thirds to make them cricket sized but he doesn't seem to have anything to do with them. He hasn't eaten since the 3nd day I've had him. So today it's been 4 days.

Yesterday I got a little desperate to see if he'd eat something besides a worm, so I caught a little grasshopper just a tiny bit bigger than the crickets he was eating. Paco hadn't any interest.

9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often)
Shame on me, I do not have anything. I didn't learn of how important this step was until after coming home with him. I planning to order what I need online to-day. I wanted to ask what you guys would suggest first. Is there anything I can buy all in one or are the vitamins and calcium separate? I "dust" his food every other feeding.... correct?

10. Lighting
I think I pretty much summed this up in questions 3 and 4. Night time he doesn't have any lighting.

11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure
I think I summed this up in questions 3 and 4 as well.

12. When is the last time he/she ate
4 days ago.

13. Have you found poop lately
No, I haven't. To be honest with you... I'm not 100% positive yet on what their poop really looks like. As silly as it sounds, I've just been picking out what looks like shouldn't be in there. >>;;

14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine)


15. How old is the frog
The young man helping me at PetSmart told me around 1 year old. His accuracy, I'm not too sure of. To be honest with ya he had to think a bit before answering my questions lol. I'd say he's about the size of a half dollar, give or take just a little bit.

16. How long have you owned him/her
One week of madness and confusion. I'm not positive if it's a he or she. I just assume it's a him. I suppose I'll find out if it ever croaks or not? Only males croak correct?

17. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred
I assume captive bred since I bought him at a pet store.

18. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats
Um. What do you give them as treats? And how often?

19. How often the frog is handled
Almost never. I can't bring myself to aggravate him. I will not let his food he won't eat sit there and aggravate him either. When I got his terrarium set up the day I brought him home I set his little go cup thing they put him in the pet store inside the terrarium and kinda slowly tilted him out. I was going to let him get out on his own but he was more than content where he was and my patience got the best of me. Two days after that I picked him up with my fingers for the first and last time to set him in his water dish because I wanted him to know where it was. He chilled in there quite a bit before getting out. He hasn't been in it since. He just sits in his cave. Which now I think of it I probably need to scoot him out in a bit to clean his spot. I doubt there's any feces.. he hasn't ate. But they still urinate correct? Is it bad to let them sit in one spot for a very long time because of their waste or does it necessarily matter?

20. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area
Low. He is close to my bedroom door - inside my bedroom - but only me and my boyfriend come in here and we're generally gone most of the day working. I'm the most traffic.

21. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc)
Well, like I've said I'll pick out what seems like shouldn't be in there. I cleaned his water dish out once. The time after he got in it (which was the same time I read distilled water was bad for them). It was dirty after he gotten out. Since I've changed it - it appears nothing's been in it. There's no evidence left behind. Should I still change it out everyday regardless? I know drinking water gets kinda stale tasting if you leave it out in your cup for too long and it's kinda nasty... can frogs tell the difference as well?



Somemore Questions:

1)Cleaning: Please, what is the proper and easiest ways to keep his home clean? How often does his "bedding" need to be completely changed out? Is all the decoration I have in it unessisary?

2)"Force Feeding" - When is this necessary to do and how do you guys do it? The only thing I've ever force fed in my life are pills to dogs. Is it pretty much the same way? Shove it in their throat and their reflexes do the rest? How long do they go without eating before you force feed them?

3)Feeding - When I get my frogs conditions right, which I'm sure they're not, will he eat on a feeding schedule like I've read other people's frogs do? Or does this depend on the frog? Do you guys buy crickets and keep them in a separate place and feed em to em one at a time rather than putting them all in there with him orrr what's a better way to do it?

4)The CORRECT Humidity and Temperature? I've ready all kinds of different numbers but the most common I've seen is both on 80?

5)Life Expectancy? Some say 5 years max, some say 15 years max, some say 20+ years?

6)How big can he get? I've read anywhere from 5-8inches?

7)When I mist his cage, I mist him too. I'm afraid he's going to sit there and dry himself out. Is this necessary for me to do? When can I tell when he needs to soak and isn't doing it? I'm kinda wondering if he doesn't get in his water dish because I'm doing it for him lol.

8)Shedding, what are the signs?

9)POOP, what does it look like? I picked up a couple things that looked like cricket body form kinda but black and well, poopy looking kinda. I feel so stupid lol. I've never had an amphibian before so I don't know if they have turds or their stuff comes out like it goes in. I absolutely hate not knowing what I'm doing.

9)Any extra information or facts or anything about Pacmans you think I should know? Even if it's not really important blab it out to me. I wanna know.


I'm very sorry for the excessive post, but I really appreciate your time and help. I realize I can't fix it in a day but I know I definitely need to start fixing it! Thank you so much!!!!