Pacman Frog Enclosures

[Zoe]

Hi,

I have a cousin who is looking to get an ornate horned frog. I'm confident he can care for it (we've read some caresheets), but I was hoping you might have some pictures of your pacman enclosures to post? More out of curiosity than anything

Thanks!
Zoe

[Double J]

Many of the caresheets are useless. Here is a good basic guide to setting up pacman frogs that can lok incredibly naturalistisc or even simple.... and will serve the needs of the frog ideally.
Here is the rundown:

10 gallon tank
Eco-earth/bedabeast/coco-husk fiber substrate... keep it at least 3 inches deep for an adult frog.
A water dish that they can get their entire body into.. but not so deep that they would drown. Just make sure the water level does not go too far past their eyes. And make sure you either use dechlorinater for fish tanks that gets rid of chloramine as well (repti-safe and the hagen brands do both)..... or simply use spring water for the water dish and misting. Stay away from distilled water in the dish.
That is basically it for the essential necessities.... other than of course crickets, and a GOOD calcium supplement WITH vitamin D3 ... like fine grade Rep-Cal. Stay away from crap like zoo-med supplements, flukers supplments, or any of that crap. I would only recommend rep-cal.
If you want to spruce the tank up a bit..... you can add a few slabs of bork bark sticking on a 45 degree angle from the substrate.. they create a naturalistic sort of cave... and look nice.. though a hide is not really necessary for these frogs as they bury themselves anyway. Plus, you can also add OAK leaves from a pesticide free source. These give a beautiful and naturalistic look and are safe if eaten.. though they are easily spit out.
For plants...... you can use pothos or philodendrons.. both are bulletproof, grow well under low light, and can be potted directly n the eco-earth...or left in the pots if you prefer. Make sure that if you plant them directly in the subsrtate that you get rid off all the soil around the roots by rinsing them off.
Make sure you do not put an incandescent basking lamp or anything of the sort above the tank. Frogs are not reptiles... and wth the exception of waxy monkey frogs, amphibians do not need to bask!
If your house is kept in the low 70's and falls to high 60s at night.... the frog will be fine. If your house is cool... use a 5 gallon undertank heater.... but put it on the *side* o the tank rather than the bottom... as these frogs burrow to *escape* the heat.
This is an easy to maintain setup, that looks fabulous, and is fairly inexpensive.

That should be all you need to know about tank setup. If you have any other questions... feel free to ask.

Double J

[Zoe]

Thanks! But that's pretty much what I read on the caresheets. I guess I was looking for a visual aid

[marisa]

I have some pics of a small set up I did for a baby pac man. It's a five gallon tank...eco earth substrate...pothos, small shallow water dish...

<img src="http://8snakes.myftp.org/marisa/Reptiles/frog/2stewie03-26-04.jpg">


<img src="http://8snakes.myftp.org/marisa/Reptiles/frog/stewietank.jpg">


<img src="http://8snakes.myftp.org/marisa/Reptiles/frog/stewietank2.jpg">

Now I use a rubbermaid.....it's filled with a mixture of sphangum (sp) moss and eco earth.

Marisa

[Zoe]

Thanks! Is he ever cute

Why did you switch to a rubbermaid? Does it keep humidity better? I mean, I know it does, but do you need it to keep the humidity at 70-80% for him?

Thanks
Zoe

[marisa]

Well I like to keep the humidity up although it doesn't stay up at 80% all day everyday. I keep it far more humid than my house. But here and there he gets a small "dry out" where it drops to 50% or so. When I am working in the reptile room, I'll take the lid of his rubbermaid off and leave it off the whole time I am in there. It's my "Peter" time and it gives a nice chance for some fresh air.

I changed to a rubbermaid because I couldn't mist every morning and the tank HAD to have misting even with the custom lid. Without misting it slowly totally dried out and the air flow was crap. Bad air flow can create a nasty situation bacteria wise, and all frogs are sensitive.

I am actually planning on a low custom enclosure for my adult as soon as summer comes. But for now and for future pacmans, I'd probably stick with a rubbermaid personally.

I think the number one advice when picking an enclosure for these guys is make sure you can change substrate easily. I have found with pac mans this is really important. I spot clean and mix up Peter's substrate once per week, and do a total 100% full change every four weeks, no matter what.


Marisa