Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just bought a pac man frog and need some good info on it. I have 7 other frogs so i am an experienced amphib owner, but I have never had a pac man.
*How fast will they grow?
*When can you tell if they are males or females?
*What is a good set-up like and substrate?....I have it on moist coconut fiber substrate, it is what the petstore had it on.
*About how old are they when they are 1 - 1 1/2 inches?

I have read that they do bite...is this true?
Any information would be great.
Thanks
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~Crissy
5ACF: Nemo, Casper, Pebbles, Amtrak, One-Eyed Jack
2Jelly Bean Cichlids: Dory, Gil
2African Butterflies: Jaws, Flipper
3Pleco: Bruce, Chum, Slime-Eater
1Large Goldfish(10in): Sparky(feeder that got away-2yrs ago)
1Pink Kissing Gouriami: Bubbles
2Sunburst Platys: Sonny, Cher(& their 15 children)
2Tiger Barbs: Deb, Flo
1Mollie: Molly
2Hermit Crabs: Neptune, Jupiter
1Very Spoiled Ragdoll cat: Carman
1Boxer: Gunther

*How fast will they grow?

Horned frogs obtain adult size at about 1-2 years of age. It is better for the frog to have a slow and steady growth rate as "power feeding," while making the frog grow quicker, will also shorten its lifespan.

*When can you tell if they are males or females?

The best way to tell is to wait for the frog to reach adult or almost adult size. Most males, by this time, will be calling. Size is also a fairly good indicator. Generally, a frog over 4.5 inches is female and a frog below 4.5 inches is male. There is a zone in there though where small females and large males could overlap in size. Males, when conditioned for breeding, will develop a dark "beard" and as well dark, hard nupital pads on the insides of the forefeet.

*What is a good set-up like and substrate?....I have it on moist coconut fiber substrate, it is what the petstore had it on.

Coconut fiber works fine. 10 gallon will work for males, 20 gallon for females. Temps between 70-80°F.

*About how old are they when they are 1 - 1 1/2 inches?

Hard to say. It all depends on the frogs individual growth rate, how much it was fed, what temps it was kept on. Personally, I would say a few months. That is just about as close a guess as you can get. Same deal as with people. It would be like saying...ok so if you are 4 ft tall, you are this ( ) old.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

"A yellow ribbon instead of a swastika. Nothin' proper about ya propaganda. Fools follow rules when the set commands ya. Said it was blue when ya blood was red. That's how ya got a bullet blasted through ya head"- Rage Against the Machine

Hi Andy,
Do have any references on the power feeding/life span comment? I see this posted on occasion but have been unable to locate any documentation to support it.

Ed

I had just heard it from numerous people, including a few of the vets I know. It does, in my opinion, make sense (or it at least seems to. After all, reptiles go through the same thing. And even though reptiles and amphibians are barely related, it seems as if it would hold true.) But no, I do not have any written proof of it.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

"A yellow ribbon instead of a swastika. Nothin' proper about ya propaganda. Fools follow rules when the set commands ya. Said it was blue when ya blood was red. That's how ya got a bullet blasted through ya head"- Rage Against the Machine

Hi Andy,
I suspected that it is a belief statement that may be an outgrowth of what is known about mammal and bird growth (as most of the understanding of reptile and amphibian biology is/was to some extent based on the models developed there).
What I suspect that it depends on the species involved and the mode of growth/reproduction of the species in question.
What I strongly suspect happens is animals that are power fed to adult hood often continue to recieve the same amount of calories and no longer are putting those calories into growth. These leads into obesity and other concomitant problems.
I suspect that Ceratophrys and Pyxicephalus may be hard to overfeed as juveniles as they have high metabolisms to allow for rapid growth and will feed as often as possible in the wild. However once the animals approach sexual maturity the keeper needs to reduce the caloric intake of the animal in recognition of its lower needs.
In animals that are commonly powerfed to sexual maturity such as burmese and reticulated pythons I am unaware of any shortening of life spans or any data supporting this issue. I am aware of a large number of anecdotal reports indicating a trend in many colubrids, chameleons, bearded dragons, and wood turtles that indicates that early reproduction combined with double clutching can shorten the reproductive lifespan of an animal but still have not seen any such trend in the total lifespan of the animals in question.

As a personal anecdote I have reared several horned (actually six) and african bullfrogs (four) on high calorie diets that were decreased after sexual maturity and had the horned frogs live for more than 8 years and one of the African Bullfrogs is now over 11 years (almost 12 now on display at the Philadelphia Zoo) of age.

Ed