Best pac man frog care?

SoulSpiegel12

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 14, 2015
Messages
79
Hey everyone! I'm looking into getting a pac man frog for the future but just wondering what is the absolute best set up to keep one. Like best terrariums, external heating, how many times to feed etc. So much is out there but they seem to conflict a lot. Thanks!
 

Tarantuland

Arachnoprince
Joined
Mar 19, 2020
Messages
1,375
i have one, they say 10 gallon. There's only a few things you can feed them without issue, namely hornworms and earthworms (nightcrawlers, not red wrigglers). 10 gallon aquarium, heat pad on the side, make sure you have solution to dechlorinate the water. Hydrometer and thermometer, i think they like it 75-80 degrees farenheit and pretty high humidity. Also I gotta soak mine in warm dechlorinated water once or twice a week just to get it to poop. Theyre cool but so much more work than a tarantula
 

Liquifin

Laxow Legacy LLC
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Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
2,157
Pacman frog care has always been controversial as people keep theirs very differently from one another. Size of enclosure is always determined by size of frog and whether it's male or female. I find that adult males do best in 5-5.5 gallon aquarium enclosures. I do prefer that females be kept in 10 gallons, but not really for males since they're smaller than females. I personally do not use heat pads as I find it aggravating for the pacman frog sometimes, so I just keep my room at 75F-80F and that's about it for heating. But if you have to use a heat pad, then place it on the side of enclosure and not under.

I do recommend bathing your frog once every 1-2 weeks. When bathing I use the Reptisafe water conditioner on tap water as it's the best water solution de-chlorinate for pacmans as it adds the necessary things for them and de-chlorinate tap water. I do not recommend using spring or filtrated water brands as they typically flushed out of the natural water nutrients needed for frogs/amphibians.

Water bowls are not necessary since they get all the moisture from their substrate as they require moist substrate, but it is optional to have a water bowl for the better. Pacman frogs don't necessarily drink as their skin is absorbent to water which keeps them more than plenty hydrated.

I always prefer people to buy young or small juvenile pacman frogs as that is the best time to tong feed train them when young. Yes, pacman frogs can be tong feed trained but it's also good to let them naturally hunt as well. I've seen some pacman frogs that only knows how to tong feed and not ambush hunt prey which is sad to see. I recommend switching between regular feeding and tong feeding so the young pacman can grow up to be fed both ways.

I usually keep any small froglet in small containers (usually 16oz delicup if smaller than 2'' inches). While a lot of people may disagree on this, I find that this helps a lot on teaching the frog how to naturally ambush/hunt prey and also keep prey at distance so they don't run far off. I also don't give young pacman frogs deep substrate. The reason is because all young pacman frogs will naturally bury themselves if given deep substrate. This can get in the way of feeding and can result in a starved pacman frog.

They're very easy to keep, but care is different and controversial from each person to the next. I know my care is very debatable, but then again all pacman frog care is and can be debatable.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
18,670
I’ve never seen the appeal in them. I’ve always been a tree frog person.

Why did they ger so popular? Easy to keep? Easy to feed?
 

Liquifin

Laxow Legacy LLC
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Joined
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Messages
2,157
I’ve never seen the appeal in them. I’ve always been a tree frog person.

Why did they ger so popular? Easy to keep? Easy to feed?
Yes, easy to keep but feeding is "somewhat" easy. They're ambush predators, so they'll just sit and wait until prey is close enough for them to eat them. I say "somewhat" because some may eat worse or better than others but it's variable from specimen to specimen.

Well... You want to learn about the popularity? Here's a good amount of text to read that'll explain some things quite a bit for some people but it'll help you understand the popularity and also some issues from it.

What really got them popular is more of the morphs that come from them, but sadly the pacman frog morphs are very genetically vague. There is very little study on pacman frog genetics scientifically, there are scientific papers on tarantulas and ball pythons, but not really any on pacman frogs. So people that breed them are not too sure what genetics are considered "HET" (heterozygous) and what maybe considered as recessive. As far as genetics goes for pacman morphs, we're certain that the albino morph is recessive, but that's about as far as you can understand on genetics for them scientifically. Every other morph whether it is an apricot, teal, peppermnint, samurai blue, etc. is not studied or known very well. Pacman frog breeders don't really go public on which morphs are bred to produce "this" or that "morph" as they're quite secretive. While there are patterns and colors that are/is distinguishable, the scientific side of the genetics is still a mystery. Which pacman frog morphs are more unknown than ball python morphs as there is not many or any scientific studies on pacman frog morphs.

In the US there is only around maybe 5-15 (20's at most) actual dedicated breeders and suppliers to all or most pacman frogs in the entire US which is very small in comparison to ball python breeders. Exportation of the pacman frog aka. the C. cranwelli is no longer allowed, so breeders have to work with what they currently have as no more WC C. cranwelli can come to the US which in turn reduced genetic diversity in the hobby. Some breeders are trying to reduce this genetic problem by hybridizing C. cranwelli with other pacman species. Examples are green fantasy pacman frogs that are cross between C. cornuta X C. cranwelli or some other hybrids such as C. aurita X. cranwelli. This is why some morphs are labeled as Ceratophyrs spp. because of either unknown bloodline origin or hybrids. Sadly, birth defects and health issues are arriving from some of the newer morphs. Samurai (specifically Samurai Blue): Known for mouth deformities. For some reason this morph has possibilities of a improper mouth ranging from bigger lower jaw to jaw deformity. The "mutant" morph also has this issue with the mouth, which this morph is derived from the samurai (specifically blue samurai) bloodline.

Pacman frog breeders know, but at the same time don't know what is percentages or studies on genetics. So while morphs are being produced and created, the study of what is inheritable to the next generation and what can come out of it is still a mystery. Which pacman frog breeders are weird, as it's like they don't want to give away anything they know about them to the public.

As an Asian, we are more picky about this kind of stuff when it comes to pets. I know Japan are masters on pacman frog morphs, so maybe they'll give us some secrets in the future. From my understanding of Japan on Pacman frogs, they breed pacman frogs in very select choosing, just like how they're masters of Koi fish. Japan is very different on how they raise and care for pacmans in comparison to the US. I think some pacman frogs from Japan are exported to the US as well, but there is not any that I know of.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
18,670
@Liquifin

VERY eye opening and informative, thanks. I knew they were easy to feed. I've seen them up close I'm aware there are morphs, I've seen albinos in person. But, I didn't know some of the morphs have genetic defects which to me seems due to in-breeding/tiny gene pool.

What is MORE surprising to me is there is only handful of breeders for the entire USA!!!! I thought for sure these were being produced like bearded dragons, and leopard gex, ie MANY were doing it. This small number blows my mind.

What you say of the Japanese and breeding doesn't surprise me at all. I've heard of such detail oriented/methodical breeding w/Koi among other things.

Once again I cannot figure out why in many areas of exotics generally speaking the USA is s complete disaster and will do anything, this country would breed an elephant with a T if it could.

The secrecy is also quite odd to me when contrasted to the various reptile breeders out there. While there are secrets there too initially at times, generally speaking there isn't.

This is crazy hah. thanks!
 

FrDoc

Gen. 1:24-25
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jul 18, 2017
Messages
832
Yes, easy to keep but feeding is "somewhat" easy. They're ambush predators, so they'll just sit and wait until prey is close enough for them to eat them. I say "somewhat" because some may eat worse or better than others but it's variable from specimen to specimen.

Well... You want to learn about the popularity? Here's a good amount of text to read that'll explain some things quite a bit for some people but it'll help you understand the popularity and also some issues from it.

What really got them popular is more of the morphs that come from them, but sadly the pacman frog morphs are very genetically vague. There is very little study on pacman frog genetics scientifically, there are scientific papers on tarantulas and ball pythons, but not really any on pacman frogs. So people that breed them are not too sure what genetics are considered "HET" (heterozygous) and what maybe considered as recessive. As far as genetics goes for pacman morphs, we're certain that the albino morph is recessive, but that's about as far as you can understand on genetics for them scientifically. Every other morph whether it is an apricot, teal, peppermnint, samurai blue, etc. is not studied or known very well. Pacman frog breeders don't really go public on which morphs are bred to produce "this" or that "morph" as they're quite secretive. While there are patterns and colors that are/is distinguishable, the scientific side of the genetics is still a mystery. Which pacman frog morphs are more unknown than ball python morphs as there is not many or any scientific studies on pacman frog morphs.

In the US there is only around maybe 5-15 (20's at most) actual dedicated breeders and suppliers to all or most pacman frogs in the entire US which is very small in comparison to ball python breeders. Exportation of the pacman frog aka. the C. cranwelli is no longer allowed, so breeders have to work with what they currently have as no more WC C. cranwelli can come to the US which in turn reduced genetic diversity in the hobby. Some breeders are trying to reduce this genetic problem by hybridizing C. cranwelli with other pacman species. Examples are green fantasy pacman frogs that are cross between C. cornuta X C. cranwelli or some other hybrids such as C. aurita X. cranwelli. This is why some morphs are labeled as Ceratophyrs spp. because of either unknown bloodline origin or hybrids. Sadly, birth defects and health issues are arriving from some of the newer morphs. Samurai (specifically Samurai Blue): Known for mouth deformities. For some reason this morph has possibilities of a improper mouth ranging from bigger lower jaw to jaw deformity. The "mutant" morph also has this issue with the mouth, which this morph is derived from the samurai (specifically blue samurai) bloodline.

Pacman frog breeders know, but at the same time don't know what is percentages or studies on genetics. So while morphs are being produced and created, the study of what is inheritable to the next generation and what can come out of it is still a mystery. Which pacman frog breeders are weird, as it's like they don't want to give away anything they know about them to the public.

As an Asian, we are more picky about this kind of stuff when it comes to pets. I know Japan are masters on pacman frog morphs, so maybe they'll give us some secrets in the future. From my understanding of Japan on Pacman frogs, they breed pacman frogs in very select choosing, just like how they're masters of Koi fish. Japan is very different on how they raise and care for pacmans in comparison to the US. I think some pacman frogs from Japan are exported to the US as well, but there is not any that I know of.
Man, I have no interest in keeping any type of frog, but this is quite interesting.

P.S. I’m not a frog hater, as a matter of fact I actually find them interesting. However, I live in Central Florida and frogs, especially tree frogs, are ubiquitous. i opened a bag of topsoil a few months ago to fill an enclosure, stuck my hand in there, and...a handful of dirt with a frog in it. It’s like Egypt during the plagues.
 

FrDoc

Gen. 1:24-25
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jul 18, 2017
Messages
832
P.S. Just a photo validation of my response. I was checking on some electrical necessities around the house today, looked in a box, and behold...

4B319E3E-1204-4940-A78D-F62B7BC15284.jpeg
 

bethanykate16

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 18, 2020
Messages
4
Pacman frog care has always been controversial as people keep theirs very differently from one another. Size of enclosure is always determined by size of frog and whether it's male or female. I find that adult males do best in 5-5.5 gallon aquarium enclosures. I do prefer that females be kept in 10 gallons, but not really for males since they're smaller than females. I personally do not use heat pads as I find it aggravating for the pacman frog sometimes, so I just keep my room at 75F-80F and that's about it for heating. But if you have to use a heat pad, then place it on the side of enclosure and not under.

I do recommend bathing your frog once every 1-2 weeks. When bathing I use the Reptisafe water conditioner on tap water as it's the best water solution de-chlorinate for pacmans as it adds the necessary things for them and de-chlorinate tap water. I do not recommend using spring or filtrated water brands as they typically flushed out of the natural water nutrients needed for frogs/amphibians.

Water bowls are not necessary since they get all the moisture from their substrate as they require moist substrate, but it is optional to have a water bowl for the better. Pacman frogs don't necessarily drink as their skin is absorbent to water which keeps them more than plenty hydrated.

I always prefer people to buy young or small juvenile pacman frogs as that is the best time to tong feed train them when young. Yes, pacman frogs can be tong feed trained but it's also good to let them naturally hunt as well. I've seen some pacman frogs that only knows how to tong feed and not ambush hunt prey which is sad to see. I recommend switching between regular feeding and tong feeding so the young pacman can grow up to be fed both ways.

I usually keep any small froglet in small containers (usually 16oz delicup if smaller than 2'' inches). While a lot of people may disagree on this, I find that this helps a lot on teaching the frog how to naturally ambush/hunt prey and also keep prey at distance so they don't run far off. I also don't give young pacman frogs deep substrate. The reason is because all young pacman frogs will naturally bury themselves if given deep substrate. This can get in the way of feeding and can result in a starved pacman frog.

They're very easy to keep, but care is different and controversial from each person to the next. I know my care is very debatable, but then again all pacman frog care is and can be debatable.
Question: if they completely bury themselves will they die? Like accidentally ingest coco fiber? Mine completely buried himself and it worried me. I just got mine almost a week ago and he’s a baby.
 

Liquifin

Laxow Legacy LLC
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Joined
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Messages
2,157
Question: if they completely bury themselves will they die? Like accidentally ingest coco fiber? Mine completely buried himself and it worried me. I just got mine almost a week ago and he’s a baby.
Burrowing is normal, but it's more of a habit to protect itself from feeling vulnerable or it's probably a sign of estivation if the enclosure or exterior temperatures are too cold. Pacman frogs are ambush predators so burrowing is a normal habit, but I don't like to provide a lot of substrate to pacman frogs as many will bury themselves down completely and almost never show themselves. If it's a baby pacman frog, it will just hide and be very reclusive inside the substrate. While it will not die of ingesting coco fiber which it won't likely do, it will probably starve to an extent until it's hungry and will probably come out then. I don't like to provide large enclosures nor do I provide deep substrate to young pacman froglets as many young frogs will tend to bury completely which is not really a good sign. I keep any new born or small pacman in small 16oz delicups with little substrate to start getting them to understand how to hunt and tong feed before they get older. Pacman frog care has always been debated, but I use my ways to help a lot of younger pacman frogs adjust to ambushing more accurately and learning much better. I don't know how large your baby is nor do I know how large your enclosure is, so I can't suggest much from the information you provided.
 

Liquifin

Laxow Legacy LLC
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Joined
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Messages
2,157
Oh, my bad. It’s in a 10 gallon. And here’s a pic of him next to a key fob.
Cute, but he's small. A 10 gallon are used for adults and it's not recommended for young or juvenile Pacman frogs. I recommend you rehouse it to a smaller enclosure. I would house it in something 3 times the length of the frog for length and width, but a lot of pacman keepers may disagree with me as many have there own methods for housing pacmans. Also I wouldn't use moss of any kind, as that can cause impaction if they accidentally eat it so I would highly recommend you take it out of the enclosure. All they really need is coco fiber that is moist for their substrate.
 

bethanykate16

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 18, 2020
Messages
4
Yeah, we just put coco fiber in there cause mold was growing in the moss. If I house him in a smaller enclosure, how do I heat it?
 

Liquifin

Laxow Legacy LLC
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Messages
2,157
Yeah, we just put coco fiber in there cause mold was growing in the moss. If I house him in a smaller enclosure, how do I heat it?
If the room that your pacman frog is past 70F+ or warmer, then heating is not really necessary. Some people use heat mats but I don't really like to use them as it creates blind heat spots sometimes. You don't really have to use heat mats and as long as you can keep the room temperatures around 70F+ or more it should do fine without additional heating. I keep my pacman frogs in my room with my tarantula collection which is usually 77F-82F during the day and 70F-73F at night for now in the summer. During the fall/winter months it is usually around 73F-78F for 24/7 because I use a space heater for keeping my room at a steady temperature during the colder months. They say that a general rule for pacman frogs is that if you can keep them past 68F+ then it should do fine. But I do recommend keeping it warmer if possible, around 75F-80F (day temps) and 75F-70F (at night).
 
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