Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do Pacman frogs like a temperature gradient (one side of the tank towards 80 and the other towards 70)? Or do they prefer the temp to be constant on top of the substrate and cooler as they dig in?

I set up a spare 100 watt ceramic heat emmitter on one side of the tank, but the surface of the substrate measured 80 degrees. I didn't know if it krept up any higher if the frog would get stressed, or would he move to the cooler part of the tank (it is a 10 gallon tank)? I have an UTH that checks the temp on the glass under the substrate and it is set to keep the glass at 70. The other side of the tank is much cooler (about 69 degrees on the surface of the substrate and 67 on the glass).

I am just not sure how tolerant these frogs are of temperature extremes. Unfortunately, my house is very cool in the winter (usually around 67 degrees) and I need to use some form of supplemental heat to keep the air in the tank warm, but I don't want to leave a bulb on 24x7.

Sorry for all of the questions lately.

Nick

In my experience (not overly vast) Pacman frogs are very hardy critters. Pet stores keep them alive with no heater whatsoever. I think as long as you have some sort of gradient, the frog will figure out where it's hot and where it's not and adjust itself. It's important to maintain a gradient for all cold blooded creatures, personally I would try to make the gradient from one end to the other rather than top to bottom, only because its much easier to maintain and easier for the Pacman to adjust.

Thanks. I think I have everything all all set. I have kept some pretty picky snakes and have gotten used to tight controls on their environment and and diet.

We picked up our frog and he seems to be doing great (as much as we can tell after 48 hours). I was amazed at how little many of the pet stores know about the animals they sell. I read through the forums at kingsnake.com before buying any animal - even if I am familiar with them.

Thanks for all of the help getting everything set up for the new family member (my sons named him Herman). As with all of our animals, they have spent time learning about him and his care requirements. My six year old checks the humidity levels every couple of hours and sprays the tank when the humidity starts to fall. I think it is great that they have shown such an interest in caring for our animals.

NG

Many people erroneously equivilate amphibians with reptiles, thinking that because the one seeks thermally warm microhabitats, so will the other. What's one of the major differences between reptiles and amphibians? Their integument (skin). Reptiles are highly keratinized and this makes their skin rather impermeable and "waterproof". Amphibians, on the other hand, have a highly permeable skin with little keratinization, and they need their skin to be moist to properly respire through. What happens when you increase the temperature of a body of water? Evaporation. You'll likely cause a significant amount of hydrological stress with that much heat on your Ceratophrys. You're more likely to dessicate the poor thing this way.

They do like a fairly warm environment, but a 100W ceramic heater on a 10 gallon tank is like using sledgehammers to swat mosquitos. It would be better to supply a more consistent, gentle heat source, probably from something like a regulated undertank heater. You should heat the enclosure probably no warmer than about 25-28 degrees Celsius. You'll also want to keep it quite moist and humid, otherwise you'll induce the Ceratophrys to aestivate.

Usually, about the only time amphibians utilize a thermal gradient is when they are confronted with some sort of physiological stress. Hypoxia will make them seek out cooler microhabitats, as will dehydration.

Thanks for the information. I had always assumed that amphibians were the same (or very similar) to retiles in that they would use a gradient to thermo-regulate their internal temperatures.

I have made a couple of minor changes to my tank, but here is my current setup that seems to be working quite well. I have the frog in a ten gallon glass tank which is insulated with 1 inch rigid foam on the back and the left side to help keep the temps from fluctuating as the temperatures in the room change (we have an electronic thermostat that adjusts the room temps throughout the day as we come and go). I have a small under tank heater that is controlled by a thermostat that has a probe that is attached to the top of the glass under the substrate. The temperature on the glass above the heater (measured with an infrared thermometer) measures 70 degrees throughout the day. The air of the tank is warmed using a 60 watt heat emitter that can be adjusted using a rheostat. The temps on the warm side of the tank are consistently 78 degrees under the heat emitter (on the surface of the substrate) and 74 degrees on the surface of the substrate on the opposite side of the tank.

As far as humidity control, I am measuring the humidity using an inexpensive dial gauge which allows me (or my sons) to quickly determine if the humidity has dropped. My sons consistently are spraying the cage with water throughout the day. We have other animals that require misting, so this is already part of their routine. I have covered half of the screen top with platic to help maintain the humidity levels. I have also added a small plastic tube horizontally across the back of the tank which is perforated. One end of this tube is capped and the other end is connected to a silicone air tube which is goes to a large canister which contains a large sponge and water. The cnister is also connected to an air pump with an air stone to cause the water to bubble and evaporate. The result is very humid air that is forced out through the holes in the rigid tube in the back of the tank. This has worked outstanding in a couple of setups, but I need to find a quieter pump because the frog is in my sons room and he notices the noise when he is trying to sleep.

I have noticed that the humidity is consistently 65-70% with just the home made "humidifier" and jumps to 80% with misting. I am trying to make sure we don't over do it so that mold doesn't form.

Because the frog is a rainforest creature and is typically hidden under leaf litter deep under the forest canopy, I have tried to avoid any bright lighting on the setup. I am considering a night type bulb to provide some light and to allow better viewing of the frog, but this would be on a limited basis (probably 8-10 hours per day max).

Again, I appreciate everyones input. I try and use all of the information that I gain from this site and others (plus books, magazines, etc.) to make the environment as accurate as possible. I have found with all of my pets that I am always learning and adjusting as needed.

Thanks again,
NG