I've finally gone and done it! New arrivals

[Jason1972]

What feels like months of browsing the Internet and forums doing my research I've finally got myself 8 pacman frogs (early Xmas present)
Had the terrariums made to suit the sizes I had available.
Only intended to get 4 frogs but an offer came up I couldn't resist so bought all 8! The glass dividers are all removable so each terrarium can be 4,3,2 or 1 compartment as the frogs grow.
I'm intending on getting another 2 terrariums in the future
Lighting is colour change LED strip so I can change to green or red light at night for viewing if need be
Still got a few bits of decor to sort out and undecided wether to go plastic or live plants (in pots)
Pics aren't great and it's a work in progress

Can just see some of my mantid enclosures above!

Trying to show the red night light but the flash on the phone kept going off haha

Safest place for that cricket !!!



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[monster]

That looks really cool, nice setup. You may want to go with a couple potted plants with some big leaves for them to hide under. The reason I suggest live plants is it will probably help a lot with the humidity in such a big enclosure. And again I really like your setup.

[Jason1972]

Thanks Cory
They aren't that big. Was only intended for two frogs in each but had to get a couple of dividers built in to house 4 in each. As they are only babies the space is fine at the moment.
These will hopefully double up as rearing tanks if I can get them to breed (LONG way off yet) as the bottom plinth is 6" deep and it's all water tight
i will be getting another 2 made in the future.
I want to go down the live plant route for a more natural look

[jasonm96]

Very nice!

Personally I would have put the heat mat on the bottom (and raise the tank to prevent overheating) or use heat lamps. Although people will whine that they're a burrowing species and not to put them on the bottom, the first captive bred and probably most of the existing (if not kept in a warm room), were raised with this method and thrived. I've found these frogs rarely use a wall mounted mat because they are for the most part burrowed in the ground during the day. Sometimes people will find they're frogs as doing fine with a heat mat on the wall but this will relate to the room temperature of the house, lets say some ones house is 24oC, then a extra heat would not be as important as if were if the room was below. The reason why I'm warning you is because I've kept a horned frog with a heat mat on the wall and it severely stunted his growth because he would not eat a lot because it wasn't warm enough. Now that I've changed it to below, my frog is eating more than ever and thriving but will never grow to the size he could have

[Jason1972]

Mine isn't a warm house so need the extra heat. Have read it's best to put on the side and was recommended to put on the side by my terrarium builder to reduce the risk of cracking the glass. I've monitored the temps all over ranging from 28 -24 (daytime)degrees. And drops a couple of degrees at night as that what I've set my stats to. As the frogs thermo regulate they will find their optimum spot which seem to mostly be middle of the enclosure!
Only had them since Sunday so will need time to settle in but they are all feeding even with the stresses of moving.
Time will tell!

[jasonm96]

It will not crack the glass if used with a thermostat and rubber feet to let airflow around the mat, letting heat escape and the mat from overheating.

The thing is, think of the heat as it is flying right over them, it will not heat where the frog is in the ground. It would be inconvenient for the frog to have to wake up and go above substrate to be heated. If you find your frogs aren't eating on a daily basis as they are babies or in small quantities, then they're not getting kept warm enough.

[Jason1972]

Most of the mat is below soil level and I've probed the soil to measure temps. Like I said it graduates from 28-24
The terrariums are insulated bottom and 3 sides to avoid too much heat loss. They have been running a good week or so and seem stable temps
if it doesn't work out I can move it

[jasonm96]

It's not the temperatures that are the problem, it's where they're at. If you had a heat lamp and 4 inches down was at perfect temperature but the frogs were lets say 8 inches down, the frogs would not be getting heated right and this relates to what I'm getting at... the frogs are not above the substrate and so heat needs to be supplied from below or downwards, not side ways. I'm just saying as it this stage it is very important that frogs are kept at high temps and fed well in order to grow big healthy frogs that you will be able to breed. When it comes to the care of these frogs don't use the internet as your source, use books by breeders who have kept and bred the frogs for years with success