pacman frog trouble please help

[Cory pacman]

I used a digital thermometer with a probe to get a reading under the substrate it got to around 85 just before the glass bottom. . My pacman will only fully bury itself after I move it so I can clean the tank or if I have to give a bath to help the frog poop usually the next day its heads above the substrate again looking for food , it never really changes where its burrowed until I have to give it a bath again , when I first got it I was using 2 inchs of substrate but I was afraid it wasnt enough because of the heat mat underneath so I start using between 3 and 4 inches would using less help ?

[monster]

Your frog doesn't completely burrow more then likely because its to warm underneath him so he chooses to sit at the top. If its 85 just before the glass the glass is going to be even hotter then that which is making him not want to touch it. For the burrowing after you give him a bath he does this because they don't like being picked up very much so he buries to make himself feel secure. Its not a matter of using less fibre because if its to hot in the substrate he is not going to want to completely burrow. I have 3 of these guys and during the day I never see them they are all underground, sometimes you can here them rubbing on the glass to try and get further down. At night the lights go out the temp drops a few degrees and they are usually out with in an hour ready to eat. Next morning lights go back on the temps go up and they disappear again. This is whats natural for them, all though they live somewhere its so hot they aren't the biggest fans of extreme heat. Again I know its recommended in books but IMO this would be the last option for heating if you couldn't get your temps a different way, so I'm not saying don't do it if this is your only option.

[Cory pacman]

I just got off the phone with a petshop near me they have 60 watt ceramic lights or he said the red light he has in stock would give me the right temps so ill pick one of those up tomorrow with a digital thermometer and see how it goes . . thanks for the help

[monster]

The 60 may be too hot, if you can you can buy a dimmer at Walmart for like 80 bucks and control the heat that way or if you have it you can by thermostat. And don't get me wrong your frog isn't going to pass or anything being kept this way so you could even order a 40 watt CHE and just keep it this way till it comes in. And if you choose to keep it this way for awhile its best to have the probe right against the glass under the substrate, this way you get the reading from the glass.

[Cory pacman]

It was just the ceramic that was 60 watt im not sure what the red light is ill.look into a dimmer or a thermostat just so Im sure , ive.been thinkin about buying a new larger terrarium put a divider in the middle and getting a bull frog do they require the same temps as pacmans?

[monster]

Are we talking a normal bullfrog or a African bullfrog? I personally don't own one but If its the ABF I think there somewhat similar, but not 100% percent sure. You could start a new thread asking in the ABF section or I imagine someone who owns both or has had each at different times could answer. Sorry I couldn't help with that question, I love all different colours and species of Horned frogs so I have stuck with these guys.

[jasonm96]

Bullfrogs temps need to stay in the higher ranges of pacmans. Also bask, more active and greedy, wouldn't recommended keeping them together if that's what you mean.