Intro & a couple questions

[TeeRiddle]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and would just like to introduce myself and ask a couple quick pac man questions, if I may.

My name is Tee and I'll be getting a new Pac Man frog (a Fantasy frog to be exact) this weekend. I had an albino Pac (along with day geckos, fire bellied toads & newts, and a bearded dragon) about ten years ago, but got out of keeping amphibs and reptiles for a few years until now. Like any addiction, it's hard to stay away for too long

I'm in the process of setting up his/her habitat and have a quick question. First off, I have a 12x12x12 Exo Terra terrarium with about 2-1/2 - 3 inches of Eco Earth as substrate and a couple fake plants and vines. I'll also provide a shallow water bowl in case he/she needs a quick dip. I wish the terrarium was a bit bigger width-wise, but since Pacs don't need much room hopefully it will suffice.

My question is - down the road I was planning on adding a couple live plants (pothos, a fern, and maybe a bromeliad) to the terrarium and ditch the fake plants. My concern is with the live plants I should probably use a drainage layer of hydroton with a substrate divider and then Eco Earth for substrate.

Is this advisable to use with a Pac since they like to burrow? Will the Pac burrow into the substrate divider and basically cause a big mess? Has anyone used this substrate method successfully with a Pac, or should I just stick with coco fiber and forget about the hydroton/substrate diver, etc?

It's great to be aboard and I really appreciate anyone's input - thanks!

[Ivan M]

First welcome aboard, you have come to a great place for pacs. There are some very knowledgable folk here, including MIKESFROGS, GRIFFTHEGREAT, and IVORYREPTILES just to name a few. These folk really know their pacs. I am fairly new around here but have had succes keeping pacs and love em. My advice is to just keep it simple. They will burrow and make a mess anyway with live plants. I use Ecco earth and a small hide and that's it. I like to feed my pacs out of their enclosure as it keeps things neat. I just got back from a reptile expo where I saw how a PAC breeder keeps all of his frogs, and he has over 35 pacs. Please post pics when you get your new PAC. Bet it won't be your only one.

[GrifTheGreat]

You have to be careful using any kind of screen under the substrate where the Pac might get its feet caught. You could use Terrarium carpet and place the Hydroton/Hydroballs under it creating a drainage layer. Use Eco Earth as the substrate and just keep the live plants in small pots to prevent the frog from tearing them up. No the problem with live plants is that they need plant lighting which is bright and doesn't put off much heat, but in such a small enclosure may create a buildup of heat and will be too close to the frog and possibly burn or blind it. A 12"x12"x18" would be better for such lighting because it keeps it away from the frog height wise. I use these and they work well for Males, but females need more room when the y get older. A 10 gallon is perfect size for an adult female. A adult male can also use a 10, but can live their entire life happily in a 5 gallon.

Check out the care sheet for some basic care info. Anything in depth questions just ask.

Welcome to Frog Forum

[TeeRiddle]

You have to be careful using any kind of screen under the substrate where the Pac might get its feet caught. You could use Terrarium carpet and place the Hydroton/Hydroballs under it creating a drainage layer. Use Eco Earth as the substrate and just keep the live plants in small pots to prevent the frog from tearing them up. No the problem with live plants is that they need plant lighting which is bright and doesn't put off much heat, but in such a small enclosure may create a buildup of heat and will be too close to the frog and possibly burn or blind it. A 12"x12"x18" would be better for such lighting because it keeps it away from the frog height wise. I use these and they work well for Males, but females need more room when the y get older. A 10 gallon is perfect size for an adult female. A adult male can also use a 10, but can live their entire life happily in a 5 gallon.

Check out the care sheet for some basic care info. Anything in depth questions just ask.

Welcome to Frog Forum

Hi GrifTheGreat, thank you for the welcome and the great advice!

I'm thinking I'll ditch the live plant idea and just stick with Eco Earth, a good hide, small water dish, and maybe a fake vine or two. I'm kind of having nightmares that I come home from work one day and find the Pac trapped under the substrate divider or something. That might be a bit paranoid, but the way they like to burrow it could happen.

I'm not sure if the Pac I'm bringing home soon is a male or female. It's still pretty young. Hopefully the 12x12x12 will suffice until it gets a bit bigger then I'll switch to a larger terrarium at that time, if needed.

Thanks again!

[GrifTheGreat]

Hi GrifTheGreat, thank you for the welcome and the great advice!

I'm thinking I'll ditch the live plant idea and just stick with Eco Earth, a good hide, small water dish, and maybe a fake vine or two. I'm kind of having nightmares that I come home from work one day and find the Pac trapped under the substrate divider or something. That might be a bit paranoid, but the way they like to burrow it could happen.

I'm not sure if the Pac I'm bringing home soon is a male or female. It's still pretty young. Hopefully the 12x12x12 will suffice until it gets a bit bigger then I'll switch to a larger terrarium at that time, if needed.

Thanks again!

You're welcome.

Whenever you do get a little bit larger of a tank be sure to keep the 12" cube. It will make a good hospital tank in case you need to quarantine one of your Pacs if one happens to get sick.

[TeeRiddle]

You're welcome.

Whenever you do get a little bit larger of a tank be sure to keep the 12" cube. It will make a good hospital tank in case you need to quarantine one of your Pacs if one happens to get sick.

Hey Grif,

That's a great idea! I will definitely keep the 12 cube for that purpose in the future. I currently have a small plastic critter cage as an alternate habitat mainly for transporting the frog to and fro if needed.


I have a couple other questions if that's ok.

I finally got the habitat set up with everything and the daytime temps seem to be a bit low I think. The daytime temp is around 79°F - 81°F and nighttime hovers around 75°F. If this is a tad low, I was thinking of adding a small UTH to the back of the terrarium. I have the styrofoam background that came with the Exo Terra enclosure.

Would adding the UTH to the back be advisable? Will it provide heat with the background in place? Is there any danger of having the UTH near the styrofoam background? If I place it on a side what's a good method of concealing it?

Also, once I get the new guy/gal should I offer food right away, or wait a few hours so the Pac can become a little acclimated to the new surroundings?

Thanks in advance!

[TeeRiddle]

First welcome aboard, you have come to a great place for pacs. There are some very knowledgable folk here, including MIKESFROGS, GRIFFTHEGREAT, and IVORYREPTILES just to name a few. These folk really know their pacs. I am fairly new around here but have had succes keeping pacs and love em. My advice is to just keep it simple. They will burrow and make a mess anyway with live plants. I use Ecco earth and a small hide and that's it. I like to feed my pacs out of their enclosure as it keeps things neat. I just got back from a reptile expo where I saw how a PAC breeder keeps all of his frogs, and he has over 35 pacs. Please post pics when you get your new PAC. Bet it won't be your only one.

Hi Ivan, thank you for the welcome. My gut tells me you are right about keeping the habitat simple. The last Pac I owned loved trashing the place at times. He mostly just burrowed and stayed there for days (sometimes weeks) on end.

I plan on using Eco Earth as it is pretty cheap and seems to be the preferred choice of most Pac owners.

You are right about this one probably not being the only one. I already have my eye on a Hi Red Ornate I spotted at a local pet store yesterday. I will make sure the one I'm getting this weekend is happy, healthy, and getting along well before starting a separate habitat and purchasing another.

Thanks for your input!