Pacman food "Just add water"

[GrifTheGreat]

That's an interesting comment about the coconut fiber. So, how often should you replace the substrate in a frog's tank? Are there any clues that a change is necessary, like the smell of ammonia, or the frog sits in his water dish rather than bury in the coconut fiber?
That's a good point about the top soil being chemically free....When you're only paying $2 a bag you can't expect too much quality control in the processing of the product. Based on what you say, I think it's safer to stay with the fiber.

Yusuke, I assume that's the Japanese guy I met at the Daytona Expo, seemed to be willing to answer the questions I had about the food. Unfortunately, I only had a few questions. He did have a paperback about the husbandry of pacman frogs but it was in Japanese!....And talking to him was tough....His English is rough, at best.
Anyway, if you would share some detailed information on the substrate maintenance I'd certainly appreciate it.

Thanks again
Lloyd

The substrate should be changed no less than once a month and no more than every 2 weeks unless for some reason the soil has become contaminated or overly saturated. These frogs need moist soil not mud. Muddy substrate can lead to many complications with the frog's health. Ammonia from their urine will be absorbed into the frog since they get most of their water from the moist soil they burrow into. Muddy substrate can cause the frog to get leg issues. When they burrow and they're sunk in the muddy soil the glass on the bottom will be slick and they can't grip it. Not having the ability to grip the bottom and no resistance against their legs can cause the muscles to atrophyne and the frog can possibly lose the ability to use its legs over time. This is why an all water setup is bad along with them just sitting in their own waste.

Pacman Frogs produce a substantial amount of waste. Mostly Urine as I stated and they substrate when still in good condition should smell earthy like fresh soil just dug up. It will begin to have a musty near mildew like smell or as you mentioned foul from ammonia. These are the signs of the substrate reaching the end of its shelf life and needing to be changed. Also as you mentioned if the frog avoids the substrate by either not burrowing and trying to get out of the terrarium or staying in the water all the time, BUT staying in the water all the time and having runny feces is a sign of a Protozoa infection that can be caused by overly dirty conditions like old fouled substrate and water.

There are ways to prolong the life of the substrate like creating a false bottom thus creating a drainage layer beneath the substrate. This allows for the frog's urine to drain with excess water into the drainage layer. This prolongs the life of the soil by at least another 10 to 15 days. You also need to toss the substrate at least once every week or two. This allows the soil to breathe and help prevent fungal and bacterial growth further. It also keeps the frog from sitting in urine by mixing and spreading the urine throughout the still clean fresh soil making a much lesser concentration in one spot.

These are creatures of habit. They pick favorite burrowing spots and will stay there for extended periods of time. Any and every time they leave their burrow is a good time to check for feces and mix the soil up in that area. Removing feces as soon as they're seen also helps keep the substrate maintain its life and keeps fungal growth and bacteria at bay. Since these frogs live in hot damp conditions the growth of fungi and bacteria is always a threat so in taking the actions I mentioned above it can help prevent the growth of these threats and prolong substrate life.

I hope that this information. gives you some if not all the details you need.