picky pacman?

[Lija]

round 2 - pacman vs human here we go! it is unbelievable how such a tiny creature can make me dance around like that
thank you guys!

[Lija]

round 2 - pacman vs human here we go!

and it goes to HUMAN!!!!!!!! so he pooped while soaking, then buried himself up in a tank (pic above) , sat like that for a while, then walked around, made a VERY big poop and went to exact same spot as before. lights were down at 8, I tried to feed him at 10ish and he ate it - a big wiggly night crawler! first pretended it is not food, but then ate! So happy!!!!! the only thing - temp in a tank right now at 70 (warm side), will need to get another bigger UTH tomorrow. what size would you recommend for 12x12x18?

[arielgasca420]

i have always found UTH to be a waste of money because it is hard to gauge the temp with them. I just threw out my UTHs and bought a 100 watt incandescent night bulb. the night bulb doesnt bother their sensitive eyes and the incandescent bulb is compatible with a dimmer switch so that I can gauge the heat to a certain degree. since your enclosure is a wee bit smaller( mine is a 18X18X24) than I would try 50 watt to start with and see how it changes the temp. make sure your thermometer is right above the substrate because the substrate is where they burrow if it is too hot above. my pacman has been eating more ever since i got the new bulb. he is still fiesty but his response is quicker

[Lija]

Exo Terra Heat Glo Infrared - Heating - Reptile - PetSmart

that's what I have - exo terra 75 W heat glo, never tried it with a dimmer, but will try - may be it'll help to get temp of 80 but not more or may be i should get 50W to get lower temp. when I put another UTH this morning on same side of the tank in 2 hours temp didn't change much, still at 70.

is it the same lamp as yours?

i have a feeling that infrared lamp kills the humidity that is very very low in Alberta as it is i also have a feeling that I'm paranoid :lol:

by the way I'm sure that IvoryReptiles was right on a spot suspecting impaction, the frog pooped again this night that is third time since his soaking yesterday, I'm not exactly sure how it is even possible to have so much poop in one little frog.
he was also very active, even went to soak some more in his water dish that he had never done, burrowed in one spot by a heater, but then in the morning i found him in another spot.


guys - do you think i should try another night crawler tonight, or wait until tomorrow to get him more hungry?

[arielgasca420]

I was told that if it does not say incandescent on the box than it will not do well with a dimmer switch. Dimmer switches will kill bulbs in less than a week if they are not the right kind.
if you are using a regular lamp with the bulb you currently have than the dimmer will most likely not raise the temp. I use the dimmer because I have a 100 watt and sometimes it gets a little too hot. the dimmer will help for night time temp though. you can leave the light on day and night (because its infared) and dim the bulb down at night so that you can drop the temp a few degrees to exactly where you want it to be. If you have an infared bulb at night than it wont disturb the frog's photoperiod. I use the reptiglo to help with UVB and photoperiod during the day time. i set my timer to 12 hours on 12 off
I am glad to hear he is pooping so much! what does it look like? did it have chunks of fur in it? I agree that it was impaction. Possibly from the mice?
because he evacuated all his bowels, I would try a few worms just to see if there is a feeding response. He is probably hungry. Keep soaking in warm water at least once a week. I usually do this every other day for my frog, just to make sure he sheds his skin. I usually just gently set him in the water and have him decide if he wants to soak or not.
I dont know if this method works for frogs but I tried it with a leopard gecko. for leopard geckos they advise to use 100 % natural olive oil in their mouths for impaction on top of warm water soaks. just a tiny dab of olive oil because it works as a lubricant. I would research this because even though it worked for the gecko, I dont know what effects it has on frogs.
It seems like you have overcome the obstacle! he should be ok now but nightcrawlers will be better for him than mice, just because of his small size. try going back to a pinky and see if he will eat one. tickle his mouth with the pinky for a few minutes.

[GrifTheGreat]

Ok I'm going to say this once because a lot of people have mixed feelings on how to keep their frogs and their opinions, but I for one use both UTH and Incandescent light bulbs with a lamp that has a dimmer switch.

For safety reasons as to not harm your frog NEVER USE A 100 WATT BULB!!!! That is insanely overkill. You should never go higher than 50 watts for day or night time bulbs. You can seriously harm your frog and most lamps that have a dimmer switch are not to have bulbs higher than 75 watts used in them. There are a few lamps that do go higher, but most are too big.

A UTH is not useless as it helps keep a temp gradient within the enclosure as well as allowing you to use bulbs that have concentrated beams of light that can warm the ambient air within the enclosure to the exact temp you need without turning the bulb up so high that it is dangerous for the frog. There is no exception for 100 watt bulbs they are too Powerful.

All of my frogs are kept in an enclosure that uses a UTH and Incandescent heat lamps with a dimmer switch and all bulbs are 50 watts NO higher. No matter what heat lamps will burn off humidity as the temp rises within the enclosure so you will need to solve this problem by covering 3/4 of the mesh lid with plexiglass or Sarah Wrap. DO NOT set the lamp on the Sarah Wrap. Covering the lid this way helps hold humidity and heat, but humidity will still drop so keep an eye on it. If you want to use lights and keep humidity exactly where you desire it to be then buy a Reptifogger and a Zoo Med Hygrotherm and hook the dogged up to it. The Hygrotherm will control heat and humidity units per your settings and maintain them for you. I have 3 Hygrotherm and six foggers and all my enclosures are spot on. I hope this helps to give you some ideas of what you can and should nog do when it comes to maintain your Pacman Frog's climate.

[arielgasca420]

Ok I'm going to say this once because a lot of people have mixed feelings on how to keep their frogs and their opinions, but I for one use both UTH and Incandescent light bulbs with a lamp that has a dimmer switch.

For safety reasons as to not harm your frog NEVER USE A 100 WATT BULB!!!! That is insanely overkill. You should never go higher than 50 watts for day or night time bulbs. You can seriously harm your frog and most lamps that have a dimmer switch are not to have bulbs higher than 75 watts used in them. There are a few lamps that do go higher, but most are too big.

A UTH is not useless as it helps keep a temp gradient within the enclosure as well as allowing you to use bulbs that have concentrated beams of light that can warm the ambient air within the enclosure to the exact temp you need without turning the bulb up so high that it is dangerous for the frog. There is no exception for 100 watt bulbs they are too Powerful.

All of my frogs are kept in an enclosure that uses a UTH and Incandescent heat lamps with a dimmer switch and all bulbs are 50 watts NO higher. No matter what heat lamps will burn off humidity as the temp rises within the enclosure so you will need to solve this problem by covering 3/4 of the mesh lid with plexiglass or Sarah Wrap. DO NOT set the lamp on the Sarah Wrap. Covering the lid this way helps hold humidity and heat, but humidity will still drop so keep an eye on it. If you want to use lights and keep humidity exactly where you desire it to be then buy a Reptifogger and a Zoo Med Hygrotherm and hook the dogged up to it. The Hygrotherm will control heat and humidity units per your settings and maintain them for you. I have 3 Hygrotherm and six foggers and all my enclosures are spot on. I hope this helps to give you some ideas of what you can and should nog do when it comes to maintain your Pacman Frog's climate.

To start I have heard of people having mixed reviews for UTH and bulbs. it sometimes gets overwhelming when people go back and forth but I agree that everyone has their own opinions and personal likes from experience. My dimmer switch can withstand 125watt.
I have heard a few people say do not go over 50 watt and some people say it doesnt matter as long as you have the right bulb. What is wrong with a 100 watt if it is 20" above the frog and keeps the ambient air at 82-83 degrees? what damage would it do to the frog (if it is a night time heat bulb)
What I am getting at is people keep saying dont do this but I still dont know why I shouldnt do it. is it bad for their eyes? their skin?
My 100 watt has kept the humidity very high and the substrate is still very moist after 4 days. i also use a blanket on certain parts of the tank to keep some of the heat and moisture inside, but still let it ventilate.
I dont use UTH because it will melt the styrofoam backgroud I have in my tank and possibly cause a fire or toxic fumes if melted.
P.S. I have my 100 watt as far away as possible from the styrofoam and there has been no melting or fumes.
I personally dont use UTH because they are not appealing to the tank I spend a lot of money on and they warp after a year and lose their adhesive properties. That has been my personal experience with UTH. Im sure others love them on their rubbermaids but for now my frog is fine with the setup i have now. sometimes you have to trial and error and see what works. watch your frog's behavior carefully when you change something to the setup.