Pacman care questions

[sypslp]

Hey everyone. I just had a few questions about pacman care. I did a lot of research before I got mine but some of my sources have conflicting information so I wanted to get some other opinions from people that own pacman frogs.

First is the layout. I attached pics of the tank setup. The tank is a 5 gallon and its height is the same as a standard 10 gallon. The rock pool in the middle is fake and I replace the water daily. The little pebbles are aquarium rocks with smooth edges. The green leafs are fake and the moss is Lizard Litter beak moss. I keep the moss moist and leave a thin layer of water on the bottom of the tank. I replace the moss once a week and clean the whole tank once a month. I have the heat pad attached to the side and the temperature is between 75 and 80 degrees in daytime and 72-78 at night. I use a liquid vitamin C dechlorinator for all water used in the tank. The light bulb is a 26w UVB. And yes...that is Christmas wrapping paper covering 2 of the 4 walls of the tank. I heard it helps make the frog feel more secure and comfortable to cover the walls.

My first set of questions involves the UVB bulb. During my research I read that the light helps and should be on for 9-12 hours a day and I've heard that a light isn't necessary. Also I read that the light helps promote digestive health. So do you guys think the light is necessary? If so should I attempt to set it up higher above the tank since the frog always hides when I have the light on?
And how many hours a day should I keep the light on?

My second set of questions is about feeding. My pacman seems to be a very picky eater. The pet store was feeding the frog crickets before I got it. So I started off by feeding it crickets, placing 2 small/medium sized crickets in its tank everyday and it would eat them everyday. But after about a week it stopped eating the crickets. So I bought wealworms and after a couple of attempts and about 4 more days it finally ate one of the mealworms that I dropped right in front of it. After that it wouldn't eat anymore mealworms, but it did eat 2 more crickets about a week later that I had left in its tank. For the next 2 weeks I would put 2 crickets in its tank every morning and remove them by evening if it didn't eat them. For that 2 weeks it didn't eat at all. I went to the pet store for advice and they suggested nightcrawlers or waxworms, so I bought some of each. The next day I got it to eat a nightcrawler that I had cut in half and was holding in front of the frog with tweazers. For the following week it wouldn't eat either worm. Each day I would hold the worm in front of the frog with tweazers and the frog would actually close its eyes and even headbutt the food. Finally after 2 more weeks it started eating crickets again that I dropped in its tank. I think the frog doesn't like to be tweazer fed and rather just eats food dropped in. Also I noticed that it would hibernate for a couple days at a time on a couple of different ocassions. During that time I left it alone and would try to tweazer feed it once it awoke, but it would just refuse. I also heard their metabolism slows down in the winter season, which it is. And I have a calcium dust for the frog's food and I've tried dusting every type of food I've fed to the frog but I think it hates the dust. One time I dusted a mealworm and it bit the worm, but spit it out once it realized it was dusted. Any suggestions to getting my frog to be ok with being tweazer fed or anything I could be doing better for the frog? And should I be worried about its calcium levels and is there other methods to keep the frog healthy since it seems to hate the calcium dust?

Yeah this thread is kinda long, lol, but I just wanna make sure I can provide the best care for my frog. Thank you guys for the help!

[John]

Firstly, I would remove the gravel and the moss - the frog will definitely get the gravel in its mouth and probably swallow some at some stage, and this can be very dangerous. The moss has the same risk, just less likely to cause problems.

Answers to your questions:

- Frogs are Amphibians, not Reptiles. They do not need a UVB bulb, nor do they get any proven benefit from it. I use incandescent bulbs with these frogs to raise the day temperature above the "base" temperature provided by a heat mat over part of the bottom of the terrarium (or at the side, depending on how thick the substrate). I give all my frogs 12 hours per day, usually using a timer. Pacman frogs hide all the time any how, that's how they're wired. They only come "alive" for food.

- Sounds like you are not keeping the frog warm enough. The way to get the frog to eat well is to keep it at a healthy temperature and if you want it to eat from tweezers, don't offer it food any other way. For young pacman frogs I would dust with a calcium supplement once per week. Earthworms are a great staple for these frogs.

[sypslp]

Hey John, thank you for the reply and the compliment to my frog pics I posted in another thread.

About the substrate, I have already seen my frog pass about 5 or 6 rocks through its system. I have been checking its stool and there is no sign of blood or other abnormalities, even the stool containing the stones. When I got the frog I talked to the frog expert of the store and she recommended the rocks and moss. But what substrate do you recommend?

For the incandescent bulb, does it matter what watt it is? And what is an optimal temperature for these frogs? I read to kept them between 72 and 82 degrees and so I try to keep it between 75 and 80.

As for the calcium dust, the frog refuses to eat anything that is dusted with it. It seems like it really dislikes the taste of it. I have been dusting the food that I have been feeding to the frog's food. For example I would feed crickets and worms carrots that were lightly dusted. Do you have any other suggestions for providing my frog a healthy diet and its vitamins and minerals?

Thanks again for the reply John. Also I checked out your photo album, you have some nice looking frogs too!

[John]

About the substrate, I have already seen my frog pass about 5 or 6 rocks through its system. I have been checking its stool and there is no sign of blood or other abnormalities, even the stool containing the stones. When I got the frog I talked to the frog expert of the store and she recommended the rocks and moss. But what substrate do you recommend?

You're lucky you posted about this because with that gravel I firmly believe you're frog wouldn't last another year before a fatal impaction. And I know of only one frog expert in a store and his business is just selling frogs and plants. For a substrate, I would recommend fine coconut fibre or crumbly top soil (or a nice mixture of both). You could mix some sand in there too. The moss is probably safe, but I wouldn't risk it with Pacman frogs or Pyxicephalus.

For the incandescent bulb, does it matter what watt it is? And what is an optimal temperature for these frogs? I read to kept them between 72 and 82 degrees and so I try to keep it between 75 and 80.

The wattage depends on the size of the terrarium (particularly the depth). For small terraria I like 40 watt bulbs. For these frogs, I would keep it in the mid-70s during the night and mid-80s during the day.

As for the calcium dust, the frog refuses to eat anything that is dusted with it. It seems like it really dislikes the taste of it. I have been dusting the food that I have been feeding to the frog's food. For example I would feed crickets and worms carrots that were lightly dusted. Do you have any other suggestions for providing my frog a healthy diet and its vitamins and minerals?

With a varied diet you really shouldn't have to supplement this kind of frog with anything other than calcium, and you should only be doing that once or twice a week for a young frog. If the frog won't eat it, let him go without food and try again next time. "Hunger makes good sauce".

Thanks again for the reply John. Also I checked out your photo album, you have some nice looking frogs too!

Thank you. However, most of the frogs I photograph do not belong to me.

[sypslp]

Oh, sorry I thought those frogs were part of your collection. Well the photography is great.
Thank you very much for the advice John. I will be getting an incandescent bulb and I'll replace the substrate. Yeah I agree with you about the calcium dust, hunger does make for a great sauce lol!!!
Thanks again John!