Pacman care

[EightLeggedFrea]

I mostly an invertebrate man, but for quite some time I've been contimplating adding a Pacman frog to my entourage. Based on what I've read about them their basically just like tarantulas: pet rocks that eat bugs. Can Pacmans be housed on standard peat moss or similar substrate? How often should their enclosures be changed/cleaned? And how big to do they grow? I heard the females can grow over 8"!

Any other care requirements I should know about?

 

[Mushroom Spore]

The big killer with these seems to be impaction. There are a couple experienced herpers on another forum who do everything they can, even tong-feed, and still lose quite a few pacmans to this. The dumb things must just be eating the substrate on purpose, as near as anyone can tell. :?

So you need to keep an eye on them for any signs of distress or blocked guts, definitely.

I want to say most people seem to be using coconut fiber substrates, but I don't see any reason why peat wouldn't work. You'd be keeping it damp and humid, so it wouldn't be quite as dusty as bone dry peat.

Good luck! I want one of these guys, but I have too much else on my list right now.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

For what it's worth, I found this opinion:

Compressed Ground Coconut Husk Fiber
Coconut husk is often ground and sold in compressed blocks that expand into a fluffy material when soaked in water. Coconut fiber, also called coco-fiber or coir, serves as a "filler" in the medium, and also aids in moisture retention. Coconut fiber should be used in place of peat moss because it lasts much longer, is less acidic, and does not inhibit the growth of bacteria (Searcey, 2001). Coconut fiber is also more environmentally friendly than peat moss because it is harvested from farms, whereas peat moss is taken from the wild.

It's a fairly informative page, you can see the rest of it at LivingUnderworld.org
In fact there looks like there may be a lot of useful information there besides the page I linked to.
I also ran onto a pdf on amphibian husbandry, but I'll link to it in a separate thread of it's own in an effort to distribute it more widely.

 

[froggyman]

to help prevent impaction try feeding the frog in a seperate container without substrate

 

[kingfarvito]

or keep it hydrated.....i mean they live in similar conditions in the wild and arent dieing off from impaction there

 

[Bedlam]

or keep it hydrated.....i mean they live in similar conditions in the wild and arent dieing off from impaction there

Bingo!

 

[Mushroom Spore]

i mean they live in similar conditions in the wild and arent dieing off from impaction there

Actually, yes, some do die from impaction in the wild. But enough frogs survive the various hazards and breed that the species continues.

It's like tarantulas, tarantulas die very easily if they climb and fall off of something, and no doubt that happens in the wild too. But it doesn't happen to *all* of them.

 

[kingfarvito]

Actually, yes, some do die from impaction in the wild. But enough frogs survive the various hazards and breed that the species continues.

It's like tarantulas, tarantulas die very easily if they climb and fall off of something, and no doubt that happens in the wild too. But it doesn't happen to *all* of them.

but the majority live so i mean there not just going to drop from eating some coco fiber

 

[Mushroom Spore]

but the majority live so i mean there not just going to drop from eating some coco fiber

True, but a few do. And if you only have one, then "the majority don't die from it" doesn't help anything if yours happens to be in the minority. It's worth watching for any signs of internal problems, at least.

 

[kingfarvito]

True, but a few do. And if you only have one, then "the majority don't die from it" doesn't help anything if yours happens to be in the minority. It's worth watching for any signs of internal problems, at least.

yea ill give you that it is worth watching and a once a month soak will help i guess

 

[arachnocat]

I give mine a soak in warm water once a month. It helps them "go" and it's a good way check them out to make sure they're still healthy. It's also fun to see how much your pacman has grown in a month. Some stay buried most of the time so you only see their head poking out once in a while. It amazes me how fast they grow.

 

[kingfarvito]

I give mine a soak in warm water once a month. It helps them "go" and it's a good way check them out to make sure they're still healthy. It's also fun to see how much your pacman has grown in a month. Some stay buried most of the time so you only see their head poking out once in a while. It amazes me how fast they grow.

yea they grow insanely fast

 

[arachnocat]

BTW, here is a cool frog forum I found. Lots of knowledgeable frog keepers there:
http://fatfrogs.7.forumer.com/index.php

 

[JeffX]

I have had one for about 7 months and he's more than doubled in size. I use a combination of eco earth and some moss for humidity. Pac-mans like to burrow when they aren't eating so use lots of substrate for them.

I have mine in a ten gallon tank. That would do well for a lifetime for most Pac-Mans. They really don't move much if they don't have to. Every once in awhile I see mine hopping around, but not as much as other frogs or toads. I keep the humidity around 80 all day and let it dip over the night. The temp needs to be between 75-85 as well.

 

[Jer]

Don't use peat moss. Peat moss is full of rock hard twigs and is just asking for impaction or even ripping of the intestines/rectum to occur. Also, peat moss is too acidic for amphibian skin, especially for amphibians such as horned frogs which are going to bury themselves in the substrate. The number one substrate is probably cocounut husk/coir/fiber, plantation soil, eco earth or any of the 50 other names the exact same stuff sells as. I have also used, and do use damp paper towel, and sphagnum moss. A combination of coconut coir and sphagnum moss seems to be ideal and is my preferred substrate. Risk of impaction from sphagnum moss is really only a risk to young frogs. Anyone who truly knows amphibians knows that they will generally spit out any substrate they happen to catch in their mouths while feeding, and then push it away with their front feet. Their tongues are packed with taste receptors, they know what is edible and what isn't.

 

[Jer]

BTW, here is a cool frog forum I found. Lots of knowledgeable frog keepers there:
http://fatfrogs.7.forumer.com/index.php

The guys at fatfrogs are idiots. It had to be said.

 

[arachnocat]

lol. There's some nice knowledgeable people on there but yeah, there are few idiots. It's just a cool forum for people who are into frogs to post their pics and stuff.

 

[ragnew]

The guys at fatfrogs are idiots. It had to be said.

I've met my fair share of idiots on this site as well. Fat Frogs isn't any worse in that respect. Not to mention, some of the "idiots" there are very knowledgable when it comes to the amphibs in their care. Be it Pacs or Budgetts.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

They do have some pretty sharp folks there when it comes to frogs, but very little sense of any kind of etiquette. I lurk there a good bit, and I once registered and have been tempted to participate, but it's all a bit too juvenile and under-moderated for my taste. I get a sense of the old "You can be rude and crude on the 'net, nobody knows you!" attitude. It's not a bad site and it is not my intention to bash them, it's just not for me, and I am probably not right for them.
There may be idiots here also, but at least they are kept under control by the mods and admins.
So, my advice would be to first lurk and glean what info you can from that, and then decide whether or not their style is suitable for you.

 

[arachnocat]

That's for sure. Makes me appreciate this forum a whole lot more! :clap: