Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got a little pacman today, set up his home and dropped a little goldfish in there and he isnt eating it. I'm worried. They told me not to feed him crickets because legs can get stuck? Should I try mealworms? I want him to eat. Also, I have him in a wide glass fish bowl and the heating pad I have doesnt really seem to be heating it at all. Will he be ok at room temp? Any other suggestions? I'm a first time frog owner so I don't know a whole lot, although I did a good amount of online research.

He is probably not eating due to the stress of being transported and put in a new home. In a week or so, he should feel secure enough to eat. I would not worry yet.
I don't see why they told you not to feed crickets! They are the best food source for small horned frogs, in my opinion. If you're concerned about the legs getting stuck, you can either buy smaller crickets or tear the back jumping legs off (the cricket, not the frog, heheh.)
What substrate (tank floor covering) are you using? I use a coconut-fiber bedding that goes by the name eco earth, bedabeast, or forest bedding. H.frogs like to burrow into this. You might want to put a flat dish or saucer in for feeding time, though, so the substrate does not stick to the food and the frog's mouth.
Also you need to have a shallow water bowl for the frog to soak in. Make sure the water level isn't over the frogs nostrils, and also be sure that it is easily accessible (sunk into substrate.) These frogs are not particularly good at leaping.
I'd ditch the heatpad and buy a heat lamp. You can adjust it above the tank to attain the right temperature. Heatpads under the tank are bad cuz the frogs burrow in order to escape the heat, not to go toward it.
What kind of tank do you have the frog in? I'd get a ten-gallon aquarium and use that, and it'll be good for your frog's entire life unless it's a huge female.
Here's a pic of my horned frog; lives in a 10g, since I got her years ago, eats nightcrawlers (bait worms) and crickets...

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*~Ginevive~*

So even though he's just a little guy (size of 50 cent piece), he can go a week without eating?

I will be getting him some small crickets and mealworms. Will he ever seek out his food or wait for it to walk in front of him?

I have him in a glass fish bowl, its flat and wide. I have blue aquarium pebbles for his substrate. They are small enough that he can digest them. Very fine. Thanks for your advice! Its very helpful. Im going to get a water dish for him today. His name is Henry I'll get a picture of him to post soon.

When will I be able to tell if it's a guy or girl? I read that males have spots under their chin and make calls more often, and that females get a lot larger.

This is true about the males calling & having darker beards, although I hear the beards are only noticably darker during breeding season. The gravel isn't a great option to have your baby on. Bed a beast or clean, chemical-free potting soil is much better. He won't "digest" the gravel, & it may get stuck inside, causing an impaction.
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1.3.0 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.4 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton & Olivia Newton John, Helmut Newton
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena

I will buy bed-a-beast or soil once I clean his bowl again, which will probably be within the week! It gets smelly kinda fast.

Good choice on the bedabeast. It will not smell bad as long as you change it about once a month (spot-cleaning of course when the frog defecates.) Gravel and water definately smells worse! A water bowl that is changed daily is good too.
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*~Ginevive~*

I would switch over to a softer, diggable substrate like clean soil or coco fiber. It is easier to bury into. Also, even a tiny piece of rock can cut the inner digestive tract, or injure the frog some other way. And impaction could occur if some of the gravel stuck together and was eaten while feeding.
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*~Ginevive~*