Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 3 Pacmans (seperated of course) and for the substrate I have about a half inch of ReptiBark topped with about 2 inches of Sphagnum moss which is kept moist. Is that fine for the substrate? The only problem i'm seeing with it so far is, the crickets are able to hide to easily. What do you guys think? Sound good?
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0.1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
1.0.0 Pixie Frog
0.0.1 African Dwarf Frog
0.0.1 Ornate Horned Frog
0.0.1 Firebelly Toad
0.0.1 Firebelly Newt
1.0.0 Fire Salamander
2.0.3 Florida Bark Scorpions
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion
1.0.0 Flatrock Scorpion
1.2.0 African Giant Millipedes
2.0.0 Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
0.0.1 Chilean Rosehair Tarantula
1.0.0 Hamster!
1.0.0 Ugly Cat
1 Small freshwater aquarium
Grunngg@yahoo.com

i would suggest changing the reptibark for a soil substrate. use bed a beast, forest bed, untreated, pesticide free soil, etc. since pacman frogs like to burrow. these will hold in moisture and are generally not a problem if some is consumed during feeding. reptibark is a concern if any is consumed because it can impact the gut and intestines easily and quickly. also, reptibark has a tendency to grow mold if it is covered in moss and kept very moist. for my pacman and pixies, i put down a layer of lava rock for drainage, then landscaping fabric to keep the soil and rock seperate and the frogs away from the rocks, then i use 1/2-1" of jungle mix, then 3-6" of forest bed or bed a beast, uncompressed, after water is added, to allow for plenty of burrowing room and then i plant live plants and add water bowls and wood caves for hiding. alot of people only put 2-3" of soil in, if that, but i perfer to use as much as i can with still leaving room between the top of the cage and the soil for plants and such. i do this because every time i dig up my frogs that have burrowed, they are always at the bottom of the substrate, generally under 6" of soil. they seem to like being able to dig deep, so i give them the chance to. how much soil you use is up to you and the height of the tank, but i would use at least 3".

I tried the BedABeast on one of the Pacmans and after 3 days it was starting to grow a white mold. I didnt have a drainige system though so maybe it stayed to damp. I know Pacmans like to burry, but to be honest, I really dont like them disappearing on me. My Pixie does that alot. It'll burry way down and I cant see him. That's what I liked about the sphagnum. They can burry down into it but I can still see them.
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0.1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
1.0.0 Pixie Frog
0.0.1 African Dwarf Frog
0.0.1 Ornate Horned Frog
0.0.1 Firebelly Toad
0.0.1 Firebelly Newt
1.0.0 Fire Salamander
2.0.3 Florida Bark Scorpions
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion
1.0.0 Flatrock Scorpion
1.2.0 African Giant Millipedes
2.0.0 Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
0.0.1 Chilean Rosehair Tarantula
1.0.0 Hamster!
1.0.0 Ugly Cat
1 Small freshwater aquarium
Grunngg@yahoo.com

if your main concern is viewing the frog, then i would suggest either using only 2" or so of soil or getting a species that perfers not to burrow, like treefrogs or semi-aquatic. my african bulls and pacman disappear for weeks and even months at by burroing into the soil, and even though i don't get to see them, i would prefer to give them a more natural setting where they can be comfortable as opposed to forcing them to stay in the open. i'm not trying to be rude even though that is how i am coming off, i am just trying to give advice that is best for the frog as opposed to what the caretaker would prefer the frogs behavior to be. the choice is yours to make, but if you stick with the reptibark, make sure you check it readily for mold and fungus growth, as the reptibark is not as suited for wet habitats as it claims, based on my experience.

I understand, and I agree. But dont Pacmans hide under leaves and such in the wild, waiting for food to come by? That's why I was using deep sphagnum moss. They can burrow down good and I can still find them pretty easily. As far as ReptiBark goes, I only use that because I thought it might be better then just sphagnum over plastic. I want my Pacmans to be healthy and happy, of course. I can do without the bark easily. And if you guys really think using the sphagnum isnt good then I'll change it. Like I said, I was using it mainly because I can find them easier and it stays moist its also very easy to change. I appreciate your opinions, please, keep them comin.
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0.1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
1.0.0 Pixie Frog
0.0.1 African Dwarf Frog
0.0.1 Ornate Horned Frog
0.0.1 Firebelly Toad
0.0.1 Firebelly Newt
1.0.0 Fire Salamander
2.0.3 Florida Bark Scorpions
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion
1.0.0 Flatrock Scorpion
1.2.0 African Giant Millipedes
2.0.0 Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
0.0.1 Chilean Rosehair Tarantula
1.0.0 Hamster!
1.0.0 Ugly Cat
1 Small freshwater aquarium
Grunngg@yahoo.com

using moss is great, i use it all of my vivariums, it helps hold in moisture and increases humidity as well as providing places to hide. i would not remove the moss, just the reptibark. if you prefer not to use a soil substrate under the moss, then lay down some paper towels to help soak up access water and change them every two days or so, or you can leave the bare bottom of the tank. if your frog seems happy in the moss, then you may want to think about adding a second layer of moss, depending on how thick the first layer of moss is, to give the pacman some extra burrowing and hiding space. just make sure you mist the moss daily to keep it mosit enough for the pacman. do you heat the cage at all?

Removing the ReptiBark is no problem. I might give them more moss. It's already deep anough for the frogs cover themselves. They seem happy. They soak in there dishes, and they eat at the first sign of food. The cages aren't individually heated. They're in my bedroom which is heated to about 80F during the day and about 75F at night. If the moss is fine then i'll probably stick with that and maybe do paper towels under it. Maybe i'll do some unfertilized top soil. I just wanna keep it easy to clean. My only problem with moss is that the crickets can hide to easily.
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0.1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
1.0.0 Pixie Frog
0.0.1 African Dwarf Frog
0.0.1 Ornate Horned Frog
0.0.1 Firebelly Toad
0.0.1 Firebelly Newt
1.0.0 Fire Salamander
2.0.3 Florida Bark Scorpions
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion
1.0.0 Flatrock Scorpion
1.2.0 African Giant Millipedes
2.0.0 Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
0.0.1 Chilean Rosehair Tarantula
1.0.0 Hamster!
1.0.0 Ugly Cat
1 Small freshwater aquarium
Grunngg@yahoo.com

using paper towels under the moss is the simplest way to go, but since you should replace the towles frequently, at least every three days, it can be kind of stressful on the frog. as for the crickets hiding in the moss, they will whenever possible, but they will eventually come out. if your frog will accept crickets and other food from forceps/tongs, then i would hand feed to help keep the tank cleaner, ensure your frog gets all the food fed to it, and will help to keep the pacman from ingesting moss while hunting. remember to feed variety: ie mealworms,feeder fish, nightcrawlers, wax worms, silk worms, approperiatly sized mice, etc.

I did away with the ReptiBark last night and put in all new moss. I'm going to a herp show on Saturday so i'll buy forceps there and try hand feeding.
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0.1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
1.0.0 Pixie Frog
0.0.1 African Dwarf Frog
0.0.1 Ornate Horned Frog
0.0.1 Firebelly Toad
0.0.1 Firebelly Newt
1.0.0 Fire Salamander
2.0.3 Florida Bark Scorpions
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion
1.0.0 Flatrock Scorpion
1.2.0 African Giant Millipedes
2.0.0 Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
0.0.1 Chilean Rosehair Tarantula
1.0.0 Hamster!
1.0.0 Ugly Cat
1 Small freshwater aquarium
Grunngg@yahoo.com