Newbee questions

[Orchids00001]

1) can I use long fiber sphagnum moss for my substrate?
2) can I use the milled sphagnum moss for my substrate?
3) do I feed crickets or worms - which is best or is both better?
4) do I just let the crickets loose in the enclosure or do I feed them individually with tongs?
5) When can I feed a mouse pinky?

Sorry for all the questions, but I just got my little Pacman and I haven't seen answers to these questions yet in the forum here.

-Andy

[GrifTheGreat]

1) can I use long fiber sphagnum moss for my substrate?
2) can I use the milled sphagnum moss for my substrate?
3) do I feed crickets or worms - which is best or is both better?
4) do I just let the crickets loose in the enclosure or do I feed them individually with tongs?
5) When can I feed a mouse pinky?

Sorry for all the questions, but I just got my little Pacman and I haven't seen answers to these questions yet in the forum here.

-Andy

These questions have been answered hundreds of times. You just didn't dig deep enough.

Read this Frog Forum - Pacman and Horned Frogs - Ceratophrys - Care and Breeding it will help answer these questions. Typically moss is a NO! Accidental ingestion can result in bad impactions.

Pinkies can be offered once per month once the frog reached 2.5" to 3".

Offering both crickets and Earthworms is the best way to go since variety is key to a healty frog. You can try tongs right off the bat and if the frog will not accept food this way just drop the crickets with the tongs so that it can see them coming from the tongs. This will help the frog make the connection that tongs mean food. Earthworms you can try first as well and if the the frog doesn't take them just keep trying to offer appropriately sized pieces cut off from the Earthworms tail. The worm will live and beging to regenerate. Worm pieces should be no longer than the length of the frog. Crickets no larger than the a little over the distance between the frog's eyes.

Also be sure to break the hind legs off of the crickets so that they cannot jump. This makes them much easier to catch.

[Orchids00001]

Thanks Collleen/Jerrod!
I appreciate your quick response and guidance. I probably should have elaborated on my questions but didn’t want to bore anyone with why I was asking them. Just to make conversation, here’s why I was asking what I did:

I read the care and breeding info you referenced several times. The only mention of moss was in the breeding section of the care sheet where sphagnum is used to ‘cycle’ your frogs. I’ve read elsewhere about moss being a problem with impaction when ingested - but there was no mention of what kind of moss was being used as a substrate. There are many kinds of mosses. I thought there might be a difference in the long fiber sphagnum vs. milled sphagnum. Perhaps there was some other moss that I wasn’t thinking about – like sheet moss.
Since long fiber sphagnum moss is used in cycling your adult frogs though a dry period, perhaps the long fiber moss would be OK the rest of the year.
Milled sphagnum moss is very similar to coir in particle size (or smaller) and I would have thought that this would pass through as well. It is, however, more acidic than coir and this might be why it isn’t used. I’ve also seen photos of pacman frogs here in the FF with substrates that looked like a mix of choir and fibrous sphagnum. It can all be confusing for a beginner so I thought I’d ask more specifically about each type of sphagnum moss.
I am in the nursery business and have unlimited access to the long fiber sphagnum moss and milled sphagnum moss so using this would obviously be better for me IF it would work. Unless I hear differently, I’ll assume all moss is bad and stick with the coir – after all, what’s MOST important is what’s best for our wards.


I purchased crickets when I purchased my frog and released them in the enclosure but they all scurried to the top of the cage where the frog couldn't get to them. That got me to thinking that maybe I’m supposed to be hand feeding each cricket with tongs instead of the ‘release and catch’ method. I'll try the tip of removing the hind legs and see if that helps keep them on the bottom of the enclosure.
I also watched a video of baby Pacman frogs being raised on worms. I was thinking maybe I should be feeding mine worms instead of crickets since mine is still a juvenile. I think feeding them both is good advice and will try and find some worms later today.

Thanks again for the help and advice. I’m looking forward to learning all I can so I can take good care of my new baby.

-Andy

[DesertHeat]

I had a similar issue with the crickets climbing out of reach in the enclosure even with their legs broken. I started using the critter keeper I had for baths for feedings. The stress of being briefly handled hasn't seemed to bother my guy and it keeps the crickets from getting out of reach.

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[Billy Oscar Burrows]

In answer to question 3, I would feed crickets mainly. However, dependent on the species of worm you mean, Mealworms should be OK but I definitely wouldn't feed Earthworms as they are probably contaminated and Pac-Mans are not known for turning down a potential food item

[DesertHeat]

As long as you get non-dyed/non-colored nightcrawlers from a store there should be no contaminates.

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[GrifTheGreat]

In answer to question 3, I would feed crickets mainly. However, dependent on the species of worm you mean, Mealworms should be OK but I definitely wouldn't feed Earthworms as they are probably contaminated and Pac-Mans are not known for turning down a potential food item

As Desertheat stated Earthworms are fine as long as they are not dyed or scented. Any feeder could be contaminated not just one specific kind. Earthworms are the most nutritous feeder for frogs. Dubia Roaches are next.

As for the Moss question. Long Sphagnum would cause impaction if ingested. If enough of the milled moss was ingested it could as well, but they can be used for housing if you feed your frog in a separate container of from tongs. Coir passes through their digestive track easier than other substrates.