New pacman frog completely buried and not moving

[jamien]

I recently bought a young albino pacman frog and everything was going well when I got home and set everything up. However, I made a few mistakes. I used cold water for his eco earth instead of lukewarm. He instantly dug himself in and has been in the same spot since yesterday. I'm very worried about him and want to know what to do, he's not moving or eating, and I can't see him breathing.

His terrarium is usually around 75 degrees, and I can't figure out how to get it to be warmer.

Is he hibernating? I got scared and tried to nudge him a little and he sorta twitched, but he went back to underneath the ecoearth. I can't even see his eyes.

I need all the advice I can get, I've followed most of the instructions I was given but I'm still worried

[jasonm96]

Hi

He's probably burrowing for security as he's not settled in yet and may not do much for a week or so. 75f is on the cooler side and 78-84f is better. A thermostat controlled heat mat, incandescent light bulb or ceramic heat emitter can be used for heating. I recommend a book if this is your first pacman frog, if you haven't got one already and AVS chacoan horned frogs is the best book on their care.

[jamien]

I have an incandescent light bulb situated right over him right now, but I still can't get the temperature over 75.
I also misted the cage this morning multiple times and the humidity is around 70

How can I tell if he's hibernating, alive and just staying there, or that third option?

[jasonm96]

Go up a higher a wattage for more heat. 70% humidity is perfect but you shouldn't have to most multiple times, usually once a day is fine and it can dry out slightly between mistings each day. Check at night if he's out and about that's when they usually are. If he's aestivation his skin will start to go hard and he will wrap in a cocoon. Bump up temperatures and leave him for a few days and he'll probably then partially expose himself

[monster]

Hi, as suggested the first thing you want to do is get a higher wattage bulb to get the temps up. Also if you haven't already you should cover 3 sides of the enclosure, this way he cant see out and see things going on around him. If he is in a high traffic room you should move him somewhere were the traffic in the house is low. Loud voices and noises will freak him out. Also as suggested he probably just needs to be left alone for abit to adjust to his new surroundings, and the little things suggested will help a lot if you haven't done them yet. And if he/she is albino I would recommend using a red bulb or night bulb for heat, anything to bright will bug his eyes which would also cause him to want to burrow. Hope this helps abit and good luck.

[jamien]

Okay... how can I tell if he's alive or not though? I'm scared to startle him if he's trying to hibernate but he really has not moved at all in about 2 days

[jasonm96]

Good suggestions Cory. If avoiding lights, it would be a good idea to put the tank so it receives indirect light from a window for a day and night cycle but not right in front of it or the frog will cook. I've seen albinos kept with lights before and done well as long as they're provided with hiding spots. A ceramic heat emitter or heat mat would be the best option for heating, though ceramics I've found ceramics to be quite drying. Really wouldn't worry about it being dead, as these are probably the hardiest frogs in the pet trade