Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For the temperature in a pacmans cage do I want the "basking spot" at 74-82 degrees or do I want the air temperature at 74-82 degrees?

thanks

It is better if the cage temps are between 74-82 as opposed to providing a basking spot.
The cage temps can go down into the mid 60s without any harm (just don't expect the frog to eat).

Ed

I want the whole cage to be 74-82 degrees.Right now one side is 82 exactly and the other side is 70...So I don't want a temp gradient?

The temp gradient is not necessary because pacs usually burrow to get away from heat. Idealy you should have at least 4 inches of moist substrate for an adult pac, with no heating pads underneath.

Sorry just saw this,
Most anurans do not bask and do not use a temperature gradient the same way a reptile will.
The thing that you need to be really careful with when dealing with amphibians and temperature gradients is that their thermal maxima (point at which death occurs) is usually much lower than reptiles native to the same regions. For example many temperate snakes have a Tmax of about 105 F but most temperate caudates it is closer to 80-85 F. The temperature for tropical amphibians is often only higher by ten degrees or so, meaning that if you have a warm day and a heat pad on the tank the gradient may reach over 90F and potentially cook the frog.
With this species, attempts to avoid excess heat are usually accomplished by burrowing as opposed to moving, this means that the frog may not move far enough away to avoid excess heat.

Just some comments.

Ed