Low pacman temps!

[Wormwood]

I wouldn't worry to much, tempatures in tropical south american, especially in the forests at night during times of the year can get down into the low 50's and high 40's. Pacman's do enter a state of hibernation when faced with a big temp shift, it's skin might look like it's hardeneing (which could explain the white). It also won't eat, but most frogs/toads are like that with significant temp. shifts.

It might be a good thing to get a cheap heat pad and stick it to the side of it's tank for those rare snap cold fronts in Texas.

If it's burrowing though, I'd just leave it - the little bugger knows what it's doing and will come out when he/she feels comfortable again. Forcing it to stay active, or trying to shock it out with heat isn't a good thing.

[MeTree]

Ok, again I made somewhat of a mistake, and I may have combated it with a different mistake. I feel overprotective sometimes.

Anyway, this morning I turned my heater on like I said. The temps were good in a matter of 20-30 minutes. It was pretty cold today (for Texas), and I set the temp on LOW. I took a 4 hour nap (not usually, but I was dead tired today), and when I woke up, I checked the pacman temps and they were at 90°F.

That was the first mistake, here is what I did after that.

I took it into my Livingroom (under my very close supervision), and watched the temps quickly drop to 88, then 86, then slowly to 84, then when I checked later, it is at 76, just like it is now. *frown* Are pacman frogs sensitive to tempreture fluctuations?

Now what do I do? I am trying to take my room tempretures in the preferable daytime range. That may take several minutes, though.

I don't want to counter the counter mistake with another mistake. I should be slower to move it and change the envronment.

I need you guys to rate some scenerious for me so I can make wiser descitions. Please rate on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 is the pacman wont notice and no action is necesary, 10 is the pacman is dead.

Asuming these conditions have been this way for an hour;
90*F in the tank=
70*F daytime=
50% Humidity=
95% Humidity=

Asuming these conditions have been this way for 6 hours;
90*F in the tank=
70*F daytime=
50% Humidity=
95% Humidity=

I am sorry about this guys. I am going to get a heater as soon as I can afford it, but then I am going to need to upgrade it to a 10g tank, because I don't want to put a heater on plastic. I am wondering about how to use UTH/Reptile Heat Pad, I guess that is on topic for this thread.

[Wormwood]

90 degrees with 95% humidity?!?! Egads... might as well boil him in his own juices.

You only need about 75-82 degrees in the day, 60-70 degrees at night. 95% humidity is so overkill as well, ever try breathing in 90-100% humidity? Even for a frog/toad that is excessive. Shoot for 60-80% max.

Sounds like it's already plenty hot, but if you do plan to install a "SMALL!" heat pad, yes - get a 10 gallon glass tank and stick it to the side about a inch above the substrate level. They get quite warm and it won't over heat or burn the substrate or the frog at this level. It will still give off plenty of radiant heat and is much safer then installing it under the tank and substrate.

It sounds like you don't have a screen or mesh top, which is limiting air flow , trapping in the stale heat of the enclosure. I'd suggest a screen top for your future 10 gallon or at least part of it screened to more easily control that out of wack humidity.

[MeTree]

90 degrees with 95% humidity?!?! Egads... might as well boil him in his own juices.

Um...I don't think I meant at the same time. I was just wondering about these scenarios if they were to happen, but not at the same time, if that makes any sense.

My humdity has never been at 95%, I was just trying to figure out if that would be a super-major problem.

95% humidity is so overkill as well, ever try breathing in 90-100% humidity? Even for a frog/toad that is excessive. Shoot for 60-80% max.

I understand 95% is WAY too high, it was just part of a scenario, and again, I have never had this issue. And in this part of Texas, it is not uncommon at all to have a 95% humidity outside, and I don't find it all that hard to breathe, but that is just because I am used to it.

Sounds like it's already plenty hot, but if you do plan to install a "SMALL!" heat pad, yes - get a 10 gallon glass tank and stick it to the side about a inch above the substrate level. They get quite warm and it won't over heat or burn the substrate or the frog at this level. It will still give off plenty of radiant heat and is much safer then installing it under the tank and substrate..

I got the temp under control awhile ago, but it would be nice if that didn't happen again. When you say "small" heating pad, do you mean an 8W (recomended for 10g tank in many stores), or something smaller like a 4W? The next thing I buy will likely be a heating pad, and I will try to get that within the next 2 weeks.

It sounds like you don't have a screen or mesh top, which is limiting air flow , trapping in the stale heat of the enclosure. I'd suggest a screen top for your future 10 gallon or at least part of it screened to more easily control that out of wack humidity.

Too true, I don't have a screen top for my 7qt temporary setup. It is just a lid with holes in it. I may see if I can find a picture of the lid. It is usually just a little bit warmer in the tank than out, but that was somewhat by design, didn't want it to get cold. The 10g tank does have a screen, but the pacman from hasn't moved in it yet. I still need to get a heater.

Hopefully, I can upgrade my pacman soon, and I wont have to worry about this kind of stuff! I'll be more careful about suprise cold-fronts in Texas, also.

Thanks for helping!

[MeTree]

The lid;
http://www.frogforum.net/attachments...r-dscn3537.jpg
http://www.frogforum.net/attachments...r-dscn3540.jpg
Please check out the lid top, and post what you think (on this thread), I never got a reply on either of the other 2 or 3 threads I ask it on.

Thanks!

(edit: Note, please zoom in on the picture to where you can see both sizes of drilled holes clearly. Thank you!)

[Wormwood]

Good to hear you didn't mean at the same time.

If you do want to place a 8W, be sure to stick it on the side like mentioned before and let some of the heat vent out of the top. The 4W will work just fine to though since 10 gallon tanks are small.

The lids look fine, generally the more holes the better in my experience. Good air never killed a frog :P. That's why I perfer screen or mesh tops as opposed to these nearly sealed in Viv's that people are building.

[Frogsaurus]

I'm a bit worried about my tank temp as well. I have an UTH on one side of his 10 gallon and I see him thermoregulate himself quite a bit crawling back and forth as he likes. However on gray rainy days the meter says it's only 78 degrees. He doesn't seem to be feeding as well either and I'm worried. His feeding schedule was every other day as a younger frog but now that he's over 4 inches long/around I was slowing down his intake to every two days. I am still nervous since he is my first.