Thinking of trying a pacman again.

[brillobee]

It's been a year since I lost my first pacman. And after getting the latest issue if reptiles magazine, I am considering getting another one. But all I see is sick pacmans on the forum. Are they not robust, or do they require very specific care? The web is full of misleading info. So, I gues I'm looking for some expert advice before getting a new pacman.

[GrifTheGreat]

I am sorry about your loss. It is good that you are researching before making a decision.

For basic care info read the Pac care sheet: Frog Forum - Pacman and Horned Frogs - Ceratophrys - Care and Breeding. I would also recommend reading through the threads in this section to get an idea about Pacman care. Yes, there is a lot of conflicting information on the web. When it comes down to it, there is not a lot of standardized info regarding their care. Most things are learned through trial and error of keepers and there is often disagreement about which methods work best. This forum is very good though, and there is a lot of good info here.

Regarding their robustness... well, they are often sold as "Easy, Good pets for beginners." I tend to disagree. In some ways they are very hardy, but they are also very sensitive to changes in their environment. They aren't the best choice for a first time frog keeper. As you noticed, there are many people who have trouble with them. The most common cause of death that we see here is stress. They tend to stop eating when they get stressed (which can be caused by any number of things including improper temps/humidity/conditions, too much noise or light, drafts from air vents, too much handling, etc.). The second most common reason is using straight tap water instead of DeChlorinated water. This causes the frog to tox-out: a painful and completely avoidable death. It is true that many people have problems, however, the sad truth is that many of these frogs' deaths could have been prevented. Unfortunately, people tend to only seek information when things go wrong. We try to help people and their frogs as much as we can. :-(

If you get a Pacman, I would recommend starting with a Cranwelli or an Ornate rather than a hybrid. I hope this helps give you a general idea. If you have any specific questions, just ask! :-)

[Wizzlewuzzle]

I think part of it is that people sometimes don't seek out a frog forum until their frog gets sick, and then they go searching for good info on how to help it and end up here. That would be my guess as to why there are a great deal of "m frog is sick" posts.

[DVirginiana]

A lot of people buy from petstores, and a lot of those animals are already sick or over-stressed. If you can get one at a show or from a breeder you can probably avoid that though. I know I'm never getting another from a petstore.
I think one thing that makes them seem sickly is that, assuming improper setup/care isn't the issue, impaction is about the only thing that's easy to treat. With anything much more serious, the prognosis isn't great. Of course, that's a problem with most frogs.