Ornate horned (pacman) frog

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Pac man Frog Care Sheet


These aren’t pets for people that want a real entertaining animal. They are neat looking but aren’t very active.

Common Name- South American Ornate Horned Frog, Pac man Frog

Native to- Tropical Rainforests of South America

Size- Males grow to about 7 inches, females can reach 9 inches

Life Span- Normally around 6 years, have lived up to 12 years in captivity

General Appearance- Pac man Frogs are very large, fat frogs that seem to consist of two parts, a stomach and a mouth and appear to be designed solely to eat. They are often very colorful, usually green with dark red to black markings along their back. Usually round in shape, with a mouth disproportionately larger than its body appearing to look like Pac man characters; this is one of the few frogs that do have teeth.

Gender Differentiation- A female Pac man frog will not “chirp” or “croak”, whereas a male specimen of the same species will. Males frequently have spotted chests and females are slightly larger than males.

Housing- Despite their massive size, Pac man frogs are inactive, and do not require much space. As long as close attentions is paid to cleanliness, a single adult frog can live in a 10 gallon terrarium. Slightly larger is fine, but anything more than 20 gallons is unnecessary.

Temperature, Lighting and Humidity- Pac man frogs prefer a temperature gradient of about 72 degrees F to 82 degrees F. Heat lights are typically too hot and drying for these frogs, but if they must be utilized, stick with a red or purple nocturnal bulb, and never more than 40 watts. A much preferred method of warming these frogs is via the use of an under tank heating pad.
10-12 hour periods of light are plenty for a Pac man frog. If it goes much longer than this the frog may stop eating. Incandescent lights have a tendency to dry out the skin of frogs so it is best to use fluorescent lights.
The humidity level requirements for a Pac man frog are relatively high so be sure to mist the habitat frequently.

The skin of a Pac man frog is very sensitive so take special care when deciding on the items to place in the habitat (plants, substrate, etc) making sure they are reptile safe.

Substrate- Pac man frogs like to burrow under materials in the wild so it is very necessary to add a substrate to the cage that they can hide in. Moss is a good substrate to use, as is bed-a-beast or similar products. Jungle Carpet is great for easy clean up, but be sure to provide another type of substrate (such as the moss) allowing the frog to burrow. Make sure that the substrate you choose stays damp, increasing the humidity and simulating wet leaves on the forest floor.

Environment- Hiding places should be throughout the cage, since they are ground dwellers and like to hide under leaves. Your frog must have a shallow bowl of water where it will spend most of its time. It is very important that you keep the water bowl clean to prevent parasites and bacteria. Provide fake plants to help make the Pac man frog feel secure.

Diet- The best diet for Pac man frogs is a varied one. Appropriately sized crickets, mealworms, wax worms, silkworms, feeder fish, earthworms, and roaches should make up the majority of the diet.
All prey items should be dusted with a high quality calcium/vitamin D3 supplement. This is especially important for quick growing babies.
Juveniles should be fed every 2-3 days. Adults should be fed once a week.

It’s very important that you do not “catch” your Pac man’s dinner outside, seeing as you never know what diseases and parasites could be on it.

Also, when feeding your Pac man Frog keep in mind that it does have teeth and will bite just about any thing that moves. It is advisable to place the flood on the ground or use feedings tongs.

Handling- With most frogs, handling should be kept at a minimum, as they have fragile skin that should remain moist, and in general don’t seem to appreciate human contact. Furthermore, Pac man frogs can inflict a painful bite, and as a result of their ambush predator lifestyle, this is likely if you startle your frog. For these reasons, Pac man frogs should be enjoyed from a distance.