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 #2052632


Toty
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 Pacman or tomato

Hey, im new to frogs (experienced w/ others) and was interested in getting either a pacman or a tomato. I have space for at least a 10 gallon tank (if not more) and access to crickets, mice, mealworms, waxworms ect. Which would be a better beginner frog?
thanks



08/07/09  12:03pm

 #2052782


Toty
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   Message To: Toty   In reference to Message Id: 2052632


 Pacman or tomato

I just measured and i have space for a 20 gallon :)
08/07/09  04:36pm

 #2053015


Ornata
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   Message To: Toty   In reference to Message Id: 2052782


 Pacman or tomato

I think the best frog would be a pacman frog . You sound like you’d like an Albino Pacman Frog. I got mine,Moose,for $30 .You could get two but you have two options. 1.) Keep them well fed if housed together. 2) Put up a divider in their cage. I keep Moose on Plantation Soil or Eco- Earth tooped with Fluker’s Terrarium moss it keeps them cleaner. Because I usually keep the moss thick enough so he cant get to the dirt.



08/08/09  08:59am

 #2053153


Wooks1
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   Message To: Ornata   In reference to Message Id: 2053015


 Pacman or tomato

i had a pacman he was ok but i nver saw him much, i would prefer the tomato myself. plus as they get big form what i understand they need more than just crickets and often pinkies.
08/08/09  03:14pm

 #2056340


Snyds911
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   Message To: Toty   In reference to Message Id: 2052632


 Pacman or tomato

To make it easier or harder (sorry) for you, I’ve made a list of the differences.

Pacman
Solitary
10 Gal
Males are small at 4 inches, Females are 5-7
You’re gonna need tons of food for this guy.
Quite a fatty.
Don’t make as much noise.
Lots of color variations, such as albinos, browns, greens, ornates (pretty much green but with some red) Fantasy (orange) and the cornuta (a subspecies with really cool eyes and is rarer, own one of these myself and it looks great.)
No UV!
Needs only a water bowl, hide, and heat source.
Low maintenance compared with other frogs.
Really fun to own, and feedings are a blast to watch.
The total expense including the enclosure is much less than a tomato frog.
They really could care less about you.
They aren’t too active, and it might get boring to you if you don’t have the right outlook.









Tomato
Can be housed with others
Min 5 gal per (10 gallon is better.)
Male:2.5 inches Female: 3-4 Inches
Do not need as much food.
Don’t get as obese.
They croak a bit.
Come in either yellow or red.
UV required
Needs a complex enclosure
Not too high, but a bit work-intensive.
Very fun and rewarding, but feedings aren’t as cool.
Little bit expensive.
Better personalities.
Very active.


They both make great pets, however, Tomato frogs need more time though.

Honestly, I’d go for the pacman first, and if it works out, then a tomato frog (or two ) is in order


Either way....Go for it and have a great time!
08/13/09  05:32pm

 #2056535


Snyds911
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   Message To: Snyds911   In reference to Message Id: 2056340


 Pacman or tomato

One big thing I forgot about tomatoes, if you handle them too much they’ll secrete white stuff from their skin, and it irritates your skin. It’s not that big of a deal though.
08/13/09  10:13pm

 #2056615


Sh0e
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   Message To: Snyds911   In reference to Message Id: 2056535


 Pacman or tomato

You handle any frog too much and they’ll absorb our secretions, sweat and oils, and get sick. Pacmans are hardier and make a better beginner. Tomatoes also are sensitive to warm temps.
08/14/09  12:07am

 #2057288


JackAsp
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   Message To: Sh0e   In reference to Message Id: 2056615


 Pacman or tomato

I would suggest a clear tub over a tank, though. Lot of reasons:

1. it will stay humider without annoying the frog with constant misting. It’s amazing how well condensation bounces off plastic and drips down again, even if the airholes are in the top.
2. It will have more width than a tank the same length. Everyone talks about how fat and lazy the frog will be, and they’re right, but more floorspace menas more temperature options. Over the course of the year, that’s a big plus.
3. Less empty headspace means a less frightened frog.
4. it’s cheap, indestructable, and weighs nothing. That makes cleaning abreeze, because you just take the clean spare out of the closet, set it up, move the frog into it, and clean the dirty one.. which is now the new spare! Not only easy on the owener, but easier on the frog that making him sit in a bucket or something while his tank gets worked on.

End result is a very comfortable pacman who will spend far less time completely buried than he would in a tank (although he’ll still usually do that "eyes above the ground" thing) and, if male, will vocalize far more. I started mine out in a tank, kept having problems, moved him into a smaller tub, and he loved it, although the following summer I did eventually move him into an even bigger tub for thermal gradient reasons. The fact that people think Ceratophrys is a quiet genus just proves that tanks are not the ideal way to go for them. Buford died a few months before turning ten (cranwellis rarely exceed eight, but apparently his habitat agreed with him) and was still singing away at nine years of age. They sound like a cross between a goose honking and somebody blowing across the top of a half-full beer bottle.

Tomato frogs might be nice too, but I’ve never had one.



08/15/09  01:54am

 #2057742


Snyds911
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   Message To: Sh0e   In reference to Message Id: 2056615


 Pacman or tomato

Sh0e- That’s correct, but I was just saying that the frog will actually secrete fluid onto your skin. I discourage handling in general unless it is required.


Anyhow, really just go for the pacman, makes an easier pet, and if you decide you want something more advanced or active, go for it.
08/15/09  05:58pm

 #2058310


Sh0e
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   Message To: Snyds911   In reference to Message Id: 2057742


 Pacman or tomato

Pacman is an easier frog. Tomatoes are often wild caught animals that are imported with lots of problems. That coupled with the fact that they can die if temps are allowed to go to high, and you’re one power outage away from a dead pet. Pixies are much more forgiving.

Yes, all frogs and amphbians have secreations that can make us sick, though the intensity differs from species to species. Pacman’s are relatively harmless, I’ve heard of people having skin reactions to tomato frogs, but I don’t remember if it’s the false or the true tomato frogs that are more potent. Possibly the strongest secretions reguarlly available in the pet trade belong to the Cuban frog and the Fire Bellied Toad.
08/16/09  06:41pm

 #2058548


JackAsp
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   Message To: Sh0e   In reference to Message Id: 2058310


 Pacman or tomato

Yikes. I didn’t realize so many tomato frogs were still imported.



08/17/09  02:59am

 #2058968


Sh0e
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   Message To: JackAsp   In reference to Message Id: 2058548


 Pacman or tomato

If you get an adult tomato for 29.99$ or around there, then bet that it’s either WC or a worn out breeder. If you can get juvies then there’s a possibility that they were CB in the States. I don’t remember running into anyone working heavily with them, though I hear they’re not difficult to breed. If Madagascar keeps shutting down exports then look for their prices to rise and people to start breeding them in larger quantities.



08/17/09  04:51pm

 #2059699


Snyds911
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   Message To: Sh0e   In reference to Message Id: 2058968


 Pacman or tomato

There’s actually a lot of CB’s out there, in fact most I’ve encountered are. There are definitely some WC’s though. I would buy one from an expo, or from a breeder. Chances are babies are CB. Bigappleherp works with them, as well as lllreptile.




08/18/09  04:29pm

 #2060030


Sh0e
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   Message To: Snyds911   In reference to Message Id: 2059699


 Pacman or tomato

Never delt with bigappleherp, heard their customer service is sometimes spotty. I trust LLL as far as I can throw an adult burm.

Shows are great places. Go for juvies that are alert and chubby.

Still though, pacmans are better beginners in the long run.
08/19/09  02:45am


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