Keeping cricket container in pacman frog enclosure

[stopbuffering]

My pacman frog enclosure is twice the size it needs to be so I thought it would be a good idea to put a mini critter container on one side and put the crickets in there. This way I could easily transfer them during feeding. I also thought this would kill two birds with one stone using the same heater to keep both the frog and crickets at a good temperature.

Am I crazy and this is actually a terrible idea or is this ok? Thanks.

Edit: they will be blocked from Puck's view with a broad leaf plant

[DVirginiana]

Honestly, even though I can't think up a concrete reason against it, my gut just says it's not a great idea. If you want to share a heat source you can always place the crickets next to the heat pad outside the tank.

Plus, if the frog does find the kritter keeper, I guarantee you he'll try to burrow under it and flip it.

[stopbuffering]

With the water dish it would be impossible for him to get to, let alone under, the cricket container, but I get your point.

What about if I put a fake siding in the tank. Basically section a small area off to keep the crickets in?

I swear this isn't just me being lazy. I'll continue to do what I've always done. I'm just curious if this has been done or not and if this is a goofy idea (I'm also making plans on creating an awesome double enclosure for when I get a second pacman, so these types of ideas keep coming to me)

[DVirginiana]

I think the main reason no one's done it is because it's more trouble than it's worth. I mean, how much time do you really save by having the cricket container in the enclosure instead of right beside it? I can't think of any real reason not to other than that though, so if you want to try it let us know how it goes.

[Snappi13]

In my opinion it Sounds like to me you may risk stressing the frog out if he does get near the keeper. It's torture for them to see there food and not be able to reach it.


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[Kaiju]

In my opinion it Sounds like to me you may risk stressing the frog out if he does get near the keeper. It's torture for them to see there food and not be able to reach it.


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That's what I was thinking too.

[Heatheranne]

I think this would agitate the frog and possibly cause him to develop nose rub if he bangs up against the container repetitively to try and get to the food. I'd say not a great idea.

[stopbuffering]

So I went ahead and tried it. It actually worked out pretty well. I used a smaller critter keeper and put it against one side of the tank. I then put my broad leaf plant in front and wedged it in with the water dish. The critter keeper isn't at all visible from Puck's side of the tank. Puck never even knew it was there, not even when he was in his water dish.

The benefits: no escaped crickets (I feed him exclusively with tongs so I catch crickets one at a time and deliver them to him). The one cricket to get out of the cricket keeper ended up in the tank but that was the first time one has done that to me. But the best was that I wasn't worried about the transfer since sometimes they like to "drop" a leg to escape. Another benefit was that I knew the crickets were taken care of temperatures wise.

The cons: crickets don't smell great and they were making the tank smell bad. I didn't appreciate the fact that pacman frogs aren't smelly until a few days with the crickets.

Final decision: keep the crickets in their own container somewhere else but leave the space for the critter keeper open (and still blocked from Puck). Put the keeper in to the tank for feeding because that was really helpful.

[Kaiju]

I'm disappointed that it seemed worth the risks outlined for what seems like a small increase of convenience. :/

[stopbuffering]

I addressed the concerns. There really wasn't a big risk. He was never able to see the crickets and was under frequent supervision during that time. Nothing really happened except the convince when feeding and the smell.

[DVirginiana]

You didn't really address the concerns. Putting a fake plant between the frog and the keeper doesn't actually keep the frog out. It's a fake plant, not a glass wall. Eventually he will realize they're there. Frankly it's just not a smart idea and if you do it long enough he's going to either get stressed once he realizes they're there or burrow under it and knock it over. There's a reason the more experienced keepers and breeders don't keep cricket keepers inside their frogs enclosures.

Why bother asking questions of more experienced keepers if you're going to go against every bit of advice given to you and do it anyway?