A message to new Pac owners

[Jumbo]

Make certain you calibrate and test your thermometers and Hygrometers before you place ANY animal in it's new home, Just spent the last week making my poor friend Jumbo suffer 8 degrees hotter than was needed, and off 10% humidity, a few calibration tests later, everything is reading correctly, granted I have to take the misscalibration into the figures, but at least now they will be reading correctly.

For analog Hygrometers use some table salt, and water, mix just enough water with the salt to make a paste, think wet sand, but no excess water, seal in a bag and wait 8 hours, it should read about 75%, if not then it needs to be tweaked, I don't recall the brand Hygrometer but this seems to be a fairly universal test, as for digital, I don't know sorry.

As for Digital Thermometers, I did a cold test to check it's calibration, Styrophome cup with ice and water left sitting for about 5 minutes, dip the prob into the middle, past the ice, and away from the bottom or sides of the cup, temp should read 32 degrees, anything else, and that's how far off it's reading.

Hope this helps, and prevents someone else from making the same mistake and subjecting their new Compatriots to substandard or ill crafted measurement devices.

[Ivan M]

Personally I don't use hygrometers, if there is condensation on the glass there is plenty of humidity, to check temps nothing beats a temp gun. Glad you got things sorted out before something bad happened to your frog.

[GrifTheGreat]

You can order calibration tests for hygrometers off Amazon.com. I have 3 just incase I need to test calibration.

[BCS275]

Make certain you calibrate and test your thermometers and Hygrometers before you place ANY animal in it's new home, Just spent the last week making my poor friend Jumbo suffer 8 degrees hotter than was needed, and off 10% humidity, a few calibration tests later, everything is reading correctly, granted I have to take the misscalibration into the figures, but at least now they will be reading correctly.

For analog Hygrometers use some table salt, and water, mix just enough water with the salt to make a paste, think wet sand, but no excess water, seal in a bag and wait 8 hours, it should read about 75%, if not then it needs to be tweaked, I don't recall the brand Hygrometer but this seems to be a fairly universal test, as for digital, I don't know sorry.

As for Digital Thermometers, I did a cold test to check it's calibration, Styrophome cup with ice and water left sitting for about 5 minutes, dip the prob into the middle, past the ice, and away from the bottom or sides of the cup, temp should read 32 degrees, anything else, and that's how far off it's reading.

Hope this helps, and prevents someone else from making the same mistake and subjecting their new Compatriots to substandard or ill crafted measurement devices.

Here is another example of why I find this forum to be such a valuable resource. The information and innovations are endless!

The first time I ever saw a horned frog was in the early 1970's at a place called "Wild Cargo". My dad brought me there and I bought a couple of baby oscars with my paper route money. Seems kinda quaint now doesnt it?

Anyway, there were 2 large horned frogs of some type in a 10 gallon with a divider of some sort. They seemed other-worldly to me. Left an impression that is still with me today.

About 10 years later I encountered another one at a small fish shop run by an eccentric old guy that bred huge cichlids in his basement. He had connections in New York and could get all sorts of amazing imports.

He had a single HUGE horned frog, an Ornate I believe, and for a buck you could buy a goldfish and he feed it for you to watch. An impressive sight indeed as these were large (5-6 inch fish)

He was asking and absurd price for the frog, something like $300 or $400....way out of my budget at the time.

Sometime very shortly after that, another local pet shop had a baby horned frog. Still very expensive (for the time) at about 50 bucks if i recall.

I had to have it.

Named it Larry after Larry bird. It was Celtic green after all. Well it turned out Larry was a lady, and an Ornata and she grew enormous on a diet of things you'd all lynch me for giving her.

Wild caught frogs, birds, goldfish, countless mice and small rats and every damn bug I could catch under the spotlight at night.

Her home was an old slate bottomed tank, probably 5 1/2 gallons with a 20 watt bulb over her. An inch of spring water and that was it. Please dont hunt me down and shoot me.

Anyway, she lived 14 years. Her last several years were spend under better care as more information and care sheets became available.

So again, like I said, this place is a valuable resource. Thanks to you all.

[GrifTheGreat]

Here is another example of why I find this forum to be such a valuable resource. The information and innovations are endless!

The first time I ever saw a horned frog was in the early 1970's at a place called "Wild Cargo". My dad brought me there and I bought a couple of baby oscars with my paper route money. Seems kinda quaint now doesnt it?

Anyway, there were 2 large horned frogs of some type in a 10 gallon with a divider of some sort. They seemed other-worldly to me. Left an impression that is still with me today.

About 10 years later I encountered another one at a small fish shop run by an eccentric old guy that bred huge cichlids in his basement. He had connections in New York and could get all sorts of amazing imports.

He had a single HUGE horned frog, an Ornate I believe, and for a buck you could buy a goldfish and he feed it for you to watch. An impressive sight indeed as these were large (5-6 inch fish)

He was asking and absurd price for the frog, something like $300 or $400....way out of my budget at the time.

Sometime very shortly after that, another local pet shop had a baby horned frog. Still very expensive (for the time) at about 50 bucks if i recall.

I had to have it.

Named it Larry after Larry bird. It was Celtic green after all. Well it turned out Larry was a lady, and an Ornata and she grew enormous on a diet of things you'd all lynch me for giving her.

Wild caught frogs, birds, goldfish, countless mice and small rats and every damn bug I could catch under the spotlight at night.

Her home was an old slate bottomed tank, probably 5 1/2 gallons with a 20 watt bulb over her. An inch of spring water and that was it. Please dont hunt me down and shoot me.

Anyway, she lived 14 years. Her last several years were spend under better care as more information and care sheets became available.

So again, like I said, this place is a valuable resource. Thanks to you all.

Very nice story

[Ra]

Named it Larry after Larry bird. It was Celtic green after all. Well it turned out Larry was a lady, and an Ornata and she grew enormous on a diet of things you'd all lynch me for giving her.

Wild caught frogs, birds, goldfish, countless mice and small rats and every damn bug I could catch under the spotlight at night.

Her home was an old slate bottomed tank, probably 5 1/2 gallons with a 20 watt bulb over her. An inch of spring water and that was it. Please dont hunt me down and shoot me.

Anyway, she lived 14 years. Her last several years were spend under better care as more information and care sheets became available.

So again, like I said, this place is a valuable resource. Thanks to you all.

Criticize all they want, your frog lived 14 years! Simpler times maybe?

[BCS275]

Criticize all they want, your frog lived 14 years! Simpler times maybe?

Simpler times indeed, but pehaps a hardier frog than we find now?

I say that Larry was an Ornate, but all I have is an old Polaroid (who took pictures of their frogs back then? I was the only person I knew that had a horned frog) Larry didnt look quite like any of the frogs I see today. Was he a hybrid? Dont know. Did hybrids exist circa 1983?

I have an old zoology book that has a picture of what they called a Ceratophrys Varia....that frog looks very much like I recall Larry to look like.

Larry was probably 7 inches long or perhaps a bit more. Just as wide. Big as my hand anyway, and I have big hands. Large triangular horns. A bit of yellow in the armpit area. Yellow eyes. Large "teeth". More of a sloping snout than I see in our frogs today. An endless appetite and he was very mean. Bit me twice and one of the times was quite painful.

I guess I'll never be quite sure exactly what that frog was, but it was obviously one tough critter.

For the knowledge of the time I was fastidious in the frogs care. Always kept warm, water changed every day, or more. Lots and lots of live food.

I guess it worked, but it isnt pretty compared to todays standards.

[GrifTheGreat]

Simpler times indeed, but pehaps a hardier frog than we find now?

I say that Larry was an Ornate, but all I have is an old Polaroid (who took pictures of their frogs back then? I was the only person I knew that had a horned frog) Larry didnt look quite like any of the frogs I see today. Was he a hybrid? Dont know. Did hybrids exist circa 1983?

I have an old zoology book that has a picture of what they called a Ceratophrys Varia....that frog looks very much like I recall Larry to look like.

Larry was probably 7 inches long or perhaps a bit more. Just as wide. Big as my hand anyway, and I have big hands. Large triangular horns. A bit of yellow in the armpit area. Yellow eyes. Large "teeth". More of a sloping snout than I see in our frogs today. An endless appetite and he was very mean. Bit me twice and one of the times was quite painful.

I guess I'll never be quite sure exactly what that frog was, but it was obviously one tough critter.

For the knowledge of the time I was fastidious in the frogs care. Always kept warm, water changed every day, or more. Lots and lots of live food.

I guess it worked, but it isnt pretty compared to todays standards.

I've never heard of that species of Ceratophrys. Maybe an Aurita??! Just the classification has changed now. C. Aurita is what is called the giant Horned Frog so perhaps that was what Larry was