Concerns About Terrarium Set-Up

[DaveyJones]

Hello!

So this is my first forum post, and I'm looking for some help regarding how I've set up my pacman frog terrarium. I have a few concerns that I believe I'm not meeting, I could be wrong and everything maybe be ok but I'm just making sure.

I own a green pacman frog, named Rhubarb. He's about 1-1.5 inches long, I bought him two days ago at a local petsmart. He was in the store for a good 1-2 months before I got him. The lady mentioned he is perfectly healthy and he's been eating everyday, about 4-8 crickets a day. When I bought him, she mentioned he had already eaten 4 crickets that day so I didn't expect him to eat much when introducing him to his new tank. I own a 10 gallon glass aquarium, with the ZooMed coconut substrate, along with a few patches of ZooMed sphagnum moss around the tank to help to aid in holding humidity. I also have a hollow log and a few fake plants suction-cupped to the wall. He's also got a shallow water dish that I've managed to catch him sitting in a few times since I got him.

Here are my concerns: He doesn't appear to eat much, I offered him about 7 medium-large crickets and he seems to have stuck his nose up at them. I'm not sure if there's still 7 in there, I can't see them all, but I just can't tell if he's eating. He burrows in the back left corner and has remained there since I bought him. The soil he buried himself in appeared too dry; the coconut substrate without water is almost a dust. So I removed him for a minute and damped the coconut substrate to make it more damp for him. I mixed in about 4-5 cups of water in with about a half-bag worth of soil. I'd say close to a quart of soil is in that tank. The lady at the store said the pacman frog enjoys a very damp, almost muddy soil. I noticed in removing the hollow log today that some fuzzy mold, I think it's mildew, was growing under the part of the log that came into contact with the damp soil. Is my substrate too wet? If I squeeze it, very little to no water drips off. And yet mildew is growing under the part of the log that sits flat on the dirt. And that also brings up the concern if my tank is too cold. If mildews growing, that means it's not too warm(tropical) in the tank to ward it off. I have a space heater in the room, and the room doesn't go below 70 degrees. There's a 60w neodymium daylight bulb above the tank made by Exo Terra. I remove that at night and put in a 60w red nightlight reptile bulb made by ZooMed. There's no other heating method other than the room being at 70 degrees and the use of these two bulbs. I own a 60w blue daylight reptile bulb made by ZooMed but I feel like that's too bright for him. Is the use of the neodymium bulb at day and the red bulb at night a good combo? Is that supplying enough heat for him? And is my soil too wet if mildew is growing? I'm just confused cuz he doesn't appear to eat and he just hides in the same place all day.

I know pacman frogs are lazy and inactive most of the time, but since I got him, I haven't seen him eat nor appear to be active at all. He just burrows and hides all day. So in conclusion here: Is my tank too cold or is it adequate with the heat bulbs I have? Do you recommend better heating methods? Is the soil too damp if mildew is growing in dark places? Exactly how wet should the soil be? Does he burrow if he is too hot? Does he only eat at night? And why does my pacman frog never seem to accept a meal?

Thx for reading and I hope I get some clarification on my concerns so I can keep my Rhubarb happy!

[Frogman1031]

Hello and welcome to the frog forum !

At 1-1.5 inches long, 10 gallons can be a little daunting. When pacmans are adults they need a ten gallon but juveniles can become stressed out in a huge tank. While your frog is still adjusting, I would look into a smaller critter keeper.

Moss is an impaction risk especially for pacmans. They can ingest it and it could block their digestive tract. Recommend removing asap.

Are you dechlroinating the water you are using? If not, seachem prime is used by many members.

New frogs that are still adjusting to their environment often do not eat for a few days.

The substrate should be damp, but not soaking wet.

What color is the mold?

Daytime temperatures for pacman frogs should be between 80-83 degrees with a drop to 75-77 at night. The humidity should be 70-80%

Pacman frogs by nature are nocturnal and not very active frogs. At night, there should be no light (even bulbs that claim they cant be seen can be seen) unless it is absolutely necessary to maintain heat. Other ways to maintain heat include heat mats attached to the side or a ceramic heat emitter (keep in mind that chm's can get too hot and dry the air). Your frog is also adjusting which is why I recommend getting a smaller enclosure sooner rather than later. The frog can go a few days without eating but more than that and there may be a problem.

Finding a frog vet in case there should ever be a need for one is a good idea and getting a fecal exam done is also a good idea.

I will post a care sheet on here to help.

http://www.frogforum.net/content/pac...-breeding-170/

[Lija]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I'll correct Elli a bit, humidity should be 70-80, I like to have it at 75 ti have some room for the error.

if he was in store for a good 1-2 months.... And is 1-1,5" - would you pls post a pic ( photobucket or similar)
For that size of the pacman big crickets might be too big. The size shoud be no bigger then the distance between the eyes.

You gotta do some shopping:
proper gauges to measure humidity and temps. Digitals are the best, regular home ones from Walmart, Home Depot, etc are fine. You have to know exact readings!
heat lamp - infrared (50w) or ceramic heat emitter, both are fine to have all day and night.
Fogger and hydroterm ( be about 100$ for both), not must haves but a huge headache saver for you. If you plug a fogger and a heat source into hydroterm you will never worry about humidity or temps.

NEVER let dry the substrate to the point it's dust! It's very very dangerous in so many levels, especially for babies. Yhe substrate has to be wets but never mud like. When you soak clock fiber, you squize the water, that's aboyput how it should be at all the times.

im probably forgetting smth.... Was a very long day for me

[DaveyJones]

I'll remove moss, and the mold was a fuzzy white color. It looked like cotton almost. And as for the crickets, the pet store lady told me they fed him large crickets and he accepted them no problem. There was even one large cricket left in his tank after she said she fed him 5 and he ate 4.

And the the water is spring water from a plastic gallon. It's distilled. Non chlorinated and contains no heavy metals.

You say the ceramic heat emitter dries the air a lot, yet the moss is what keeps the humidity in. How can I keep in humidity if I must remove the moss?

Is a 60w red nightlight bulb the same thing as a 60w infrared bulb?

[Frogman1031]

White mold should clear up on it's own and not be a problem for your frog.
Distilled water is not good. It denies your frog of vital minerals in water.
misting the tank more often is a reliable way to keep humidity up

[Lija]

Don't get me started on " pet stores ladies" lol

if the Pacman is 1-1.5" big crickets are bigger the the distance between his eyes.... Depending of course on your definition of big

spring water and distilled water are 2 completely different things, please clarify.

Humidity - see my post above. It also helps to cover the screen top with foil, cut the hole a bit bigger then diameter of a lamp to put it on. I usually tape the foil to the screen from outside of the tank.

[Lija]

Is a 60w red nightlight bulb the same thing as a 60w infrared bulb?

There are no 60w infrared lamps, or at least I haven't seen any. 50w infrared will produce more heat then nightlight one.

[DaveyJones]

I have Natures Pride Natural Spring Water. That's what it says on plastic gallon. The last thing I used was distilled, so good thing I bought spring water lol! I'll post a picture showing crickets relation to distance of eyes on frog to get a better conclusion as to what I should feed him. I'll also buy a humidity gauge and a thermometer.

Is just one 50w infrared bulb sufficient to heat tank and keep it at 77-84 degrees? Or do I need multiple bulbs or heaters?

[Heatheranne]

Davey, very carefully and slowly remove the heat pad with caution not to bend it. The wires can break and cause fires or burns. Test it to be sure it still works properly. Place it on a side wall. The silly pacs burrow down deep and I have seen some very bad burns.

[Heatheranne]

To make this easier...

Temps:
Young pacs need 82'F during day and can drop to 78'F or so at night. Lower will decrease their metabolism and they will not be hungry.

Adults can drop about 2 degrees lower safely.

Distilled water can be used for misting only and is good to prevent water spots on glass.

You can use spring water with no chlorine, chloramines, or heavy metals in it or dechlorinated tap water to moisten all substrates and for water bowl water. Change bowl water daily.

Humidity:
70-80% and substrate should be moist but not muddy

Feed crickets, worm pieces or Dubia roaches of size to the length of the distance between their eyes or less for ease of swallowing. Better to feed an extra cricket than too big of one. We want to avoid intestinal impaction. Never feed mealworms.

Gut-load crickets with properly rinsed fresh fruits, carrots, green leafy lettuce (not iceberg), potatoes, Cheerios, flukers cricket food, etc. daily. Remove any uneaten bugs from the frogs home daily. Crickets can and do bite. Feed at lights out in early pm.

Supplements: (amphibian or reptile brands)

Calcium with vitamin D3:
(Has to have the vitamin D3 with it for proper absorption)
~Lightly dust on insects just before feedings, every other feeding.

Multivitamin such as Repashy calcium plus or Herptivite:
(My frogs seem to prefer Repashy)
~Lightly dust insects just before frog feeding one day a week on day different than calcium/vita D3 day for best absorption.

No special lighting is required for pacman frogs. They live on the forest floors buried in the leaves and dirt and are nocturnal. They do need some source of light to determine sleep and wake times. They should have an approximate 12 hr switch schedule of day to night with light during the day and as dark as possible at night.

Dilemmas with heat and humidity:
Always an issue it seems. All heat pads should be proper amphibian/reptile safe heat pads and should only be placed on side walls with any burrowing frogs. My tanks have heat "corners" in which I place a heat matt on two coinciding walls to make a nice cozy warm corner. You can add heat lamps of 50watts or less. Heat emitters are best bc they emit no light. Red lamps and black bulbs are acceptable. Remember, they are nocturnal and love it black.

Humidity issues with heat lamps:
Try adding tin foil to half or more of the screen lids. Have a reliable hygrometer to monitor levels. It is likely you'll have to mist 2 times per day.

Substrates:
Pacs can be aggressive eaters and snatch up their food quick with no regard to what's in their path. Moss can and does cause intestinal impaction if ingested. So far the safest substrate has shown to be coconut fiber (not the husk chunks). It is still best to take caution in how much they accidentally ingest.

Once your frog has settled in and starting eating comfortably and regularly, you can try tong feeding.

So, here's a list of what came to mind. I'm sure I've left something out that will come to me later. My brain's on slow-motion from multitasking all weekend at work. I will follow along.

Lija and others have given great advice! As always .

Thanks all!