New Pac !!!!!!

[crilund]

Hello forums,
After a couple of months researching and wanting a pacman i finally bought one this weekend at a reptile expo here in So-Cal. I have him set up in a 5 gallon tank with eco-earth, a water dish with enough water for him to sit without drowning, and a UVB light fixture. I dont have anything type of heat so i was wondering if it is needed or will it be fine. I have attached a couple of pics let me know what you think and if hell be fine
like this.

[crilund]

heres another, sorry for the giant pics.....dont know how to re-size them.

[Eel Noob]

Nice pickup!

Some people uses heatmats on the side of tanks but it really depends on the night/day temperatures in your area.

[artes]

You will likely want a heat pad. They like to have their temp around 80ish during the day. Its not a dire rush though, so don't panic. /offers towel

[crilund]

im in So-Cal, so its getting hot right around now. Ill get a heat mat but not in a rush.

[artes]

Ahh, ok. Then I wouldn't worry about it til winter.

...You do have a winter, right?

[crilund]

Ahh, ok. Then I wouldn't worry about it til winter.

...You do have a winter, right?

lol, yes we do have winter. But its not the white snow covered childrens book winter. Its sunny a lot during the winter here.

[Baelari]

He's an albino, so the bright light (or was it UV light?) could cause blindness and burning, if I recall correctly.

I would put plants in, personally. It gives the frog more places to hide, and makes the tank look nice.

[crilund]

ok so i put a plant in the corner tank, does the light really bother him? I thought i read somewhere, that they needed UVB to promote hunger.

[frogmike]

You really don't need the light because it will eventually damage its vision. Because it is an albino, it will loose its eyesight much quicker. the light that you have in the room that you keep it in is plenty. As far as the heat pad goes, I really recomend it. I know that you are in SoCal, but I am guessing that its not in the 80s in your house. When you get a heat pad, place it under the tank. You will also need to either buy a glass top or wrap most of the top in plastic(still need a little air though). this will keep the tank at the right temp and humidity.

[crilund]

The area of the room where it is located is pretty dark throughout the day is that still fine? Also i mist twice a day will i still need a glass top or wrap on the scrren i also have a live plant in there which helps with humidity. As far as the UTH pad, how many people on here use it?

[Baelari]

I put my UTH on the side of the tank, and cover my mesh lid with foil. I have to mist every hour if I don't use the foil.

[artes]

If his house cools as effectively as mine does (rolls eyes) then it might just be 80 in his room. Unless I put the air on 65, my house sits at 85 in the summer. If I put the air on 65, its a nice cool 79-80. -_-

As for humidity, I would get a little humidity measurer thingy and watch the tank covered and uncovered, and use whichever keeps the humidity where you want it. I have to leave mine uncovered since she's in a room with a ton of plants, so this room stays really humid. If I spray her tank and cover it, she might as well live in a bog.

[crilund]

so my pacman has been buried in the subtrate for two days now without eating. is that normal?

[artes]

Mine does that sometimes. I just dig her out, pour water on her, and stick her back on top of the tank. She either redigs her hole, checks out the water bowl, or hops around and shoots me dirty looks.

[crilund]

its almost midnight here in Cali, i still have no heat pad or dont know the humidity in his tank but i did get a thermometer and its reads 73 F in there so i dont think i need the pad just yet. But i still dont know why he doesnt eat, im pretty sure the humididty is right its pretty wet in there.

[crilund]

so i finally got the heat pad and the temperature and humidity are fine, 79 F and 80% respectively. But ihis appetite is not so great. I bought him last Saturday i fed him two mealworms and he ate them. On Monday i dropped in two medium crickets and they were there until Wednesday, so on that same day i dropped two other medium crickets and today Saturday they are still there. i dig him out of his hole and he just sits and lets the crickets walk around him. is this ok? thanks for your help.

[frogmike]

There is a chance that the meal worms caused a minor impaction. Once your frog passes them, he should eat again. You should find a little something in the hole that you dig him out of(wash your hands with little soap before handling your frog). I don't know if you are coating your crickets in calcium dust or not, but they do like the look of something really white crawling around. Also, it is a good idea to remove the crickets' jumping legs because it slows them down for easier catching, makes them more enticing to eat, and makes it much harder to escape from your frogs mouth. I would put about 5 or 6 in so there is a higher number of them to crawl by, instead of them sitting in the corner. then keep an eye on them off and on for an hour or so, and what ever is left should be removed so they won't eat on your frog. If your frog still doesn't eat after passing the meal worms, I would try taking a cricket with your fingers and rubbing it on on your frog's mouth. They will usually bite the cricket in self defense, and then realize that its food and eat it. This should help to stimulate its appetite. I have had to feed one of my frogs like this as a baby every day for over two months, but now she is over 6" long and eats mice and what ever moves near by. hope I've been of some help.

[John]

Pacman frogs don't tolerate cool conditions for very long periods of time so yes, definitely get a heat pad/mat.

[crilund]

help people, i have eveything set up right in his tank, heat/humidity and he still doesnt seem interested in his food. i think he is eating because i see one less cricket in there but i havent actually seen him eat. he has had three crickets in there since last wednesday