Pacman frog

[Truffs1178]

I have a few questions.

1. Why does my pacman frog keep burying itself a few inches below the surface of the soil. The temp and humidity is fine.

2. Can lights blind pacman frogs or damage their eyesight. Its not a uvb its a low wattage heat bulb that produces light but he wont dehydrate from it though because it is above his water bowl so he would have to be in the water to be directly under it. The bulb is enough to warm up the cage to a good temp for him.

3. Is it ok to feed them mealworms or are they too hard (these are not his main diet though)

4.What heat mats are good for an exo terra glass tank because all the ones i find can penetrate the glass but cant reach the frog because the soil is like 4-6 inches deep

[Bombina Bob]

Hi there
Pacman frogs are ambush hunters and bury themselves under the soil to hide themselves, maybe its the light? lights that are too bright can blind a pacman and UVB is one of those lights. Mealworms are OK but do not feed them often, to be safe, you can keep the mealworms at a warm temperature so their exo skeleton isnt as hard or just not use the worms at all. For heat mats, i find it difficult to use on on the bottom it would be ok to use a Zoo med heat pad on the side or exo terra (whichever one you prefer) im sure one of the Horned frogs and ABF members will see your post

Hope this helps!

[Heatheranne]

I have a few questions.

1. Why does my pacman frog keep burying itself a few inches below the surface of the soil. The temp and humidity is fine.

2. Can lights blind pacman frogs or damage their eyesight. Its not a uvb its a low wattage heat bulb that produces light but he wont dehydrate from it though because it is above his water bowl so he would have to be in the water to be directly under it. The bulb is enough to warm up the cage to a good temp for him.

3. Is it ok to feed them mealworms or are they too hard (these are not his main diet though)

4.What heat mats are good for an exo terra glass tank because all the ones i find can penetrate the glass but cant reach the frog because the soil is like 4-6 inches deep

1. Pacman frogs are terrestrial frogs that love to burrow under the soil in the wild. This is a normal and expected behavior . If you want him to peak out a bit more, you could try adding a fake shade plant or a cave/hide.

2. Since pacman frogs live on the forest floor, minimal light reaches them in nature. It is best to use a low wattage light just to simulate day and night. They do not need UVB light. It is actually recommended that the heat source be on the opposite side of the tank than the water bowl. This is so they have a warm side and a cool side and so they can cool off in their water.

3. You will find different opinions on mealworms as feeders or treats. Because some members here that have fed mealworms had intestinal impactions in their frogs, I have always recommended not feeding mealworms at all. The chitin in their segments is hard for them to pass through.

4. Exo terra, Zilla, and Flukers all make heat pads. The goal is to warm the substrate around the frog. Never use a UTH (Under Tank Heater) on the bottom of a tank for any burrowing terrestrial frog. Place the heat mat on the outside on one side of the tank. I actually use one on the side and one at the back corner next to that side to make a warm corner, though this is not necessary. One pad is fine.

[GrifTheGreat]

Heather is spot on. Listen to her.

Answer these questions and repost your answers here in your thread. http://www.frogforum.net/pacman-frog...enclosure.html

[DVirginiana]

Regardless of the wattage, my frog has always seemed to feel more comfortable with red bulbs than white light. They need a 12 hour day/night cycle, so make sure they get enough ambient light from the room lights or something though.

[Lija]

yeah, i like infrared better too, they heat the space faster, cool faster as well thus creates more precise temps.

[Heatheranne]

Regardless of the wattage, my frog has always seemed to feel more comfortable with red bulbs than white light. They need a 12 hour day/night cycle, so make sure they get enough ambient light from the room lights or something though.

I do the same. Room lights on in the morning, off at night. Heat pad on everyday all winter. 50watt infrared day or night as needed.

[Truffs1178]

I have decided to keep the bulb in to warm the air temp but I have placed a silk plant below the bulb so that none of that heat is aimed directly at the frog. The plant blocks some of the light so it isn't as strong but I might get a red bulb or a blue one and see how he likes that. I also mixed some moss into his soil to make his substrate seem more like what it would be like in the wild so I hope he likes that.

Thanks for all the help.

[Lija]

I also mixed some moss into his soil to make his substrate seem more like what it would be like in the wild so I hope he likes that.

that is not a good idea, moss if ingested posses high impaction risk.

[Gnag the nameless]

Lija is definitely right, moss can be very dangerous and often fatal if ingested.

If your frog is even half the hunter that my juvenile bullfrog is, he may accidentally swallow some moss.

It's better for him to have large plants to hide by than a partially greenish and also potentially dangerous substrate.