Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just posted the message below about an african clawed frog for a friend of mine, and started reading past posts about pac man frogs. I've learned that they can live happily in a ten gallon tank, but also that they get to be around 6 inches around. That would take up almost half the tank it seems!
Are they particularily hard to care for? How often does the tank and substrate need to be cleaned/changed? It sounds like they have slow metabolisms and don't need to be fed very often. I go to the pet store once a week for crickets and a rat for my tarantula and ball python so if it eats more than that, that is too much because I refuse to breed crickets or mice in my house. I usually just pick up a half dozen crickets for the tarantula when I go to my pet store.
Also, my boyfriend and I are considering switching our 45 gallon high freshwater tropical fish tank into a tree frog tank. Pretty much same questions, maybe a few more...what do they eat? Crickets? Can you handle them? What kind of heating do they require (Pacmans too)? What about humidity? Is that a factor? I know they come from rainforests. What type of substrate would be best? And do all tree frogs get along, or would we have to limit it to one species?
Thanks for any advise you can give!

Horned frogs are very easy care, but 1x a week I don't think is often enough, at least not if yours is young. You can feed worms, though, in between cricket feeds, and those you can keep in your fridge. No breeding required. They only need a 10ga, because even though they get quite large (females more so than males) they are basically fat lazy slugs, and don't really move. Can't help you on the treefrog thing.

Hmmm that may work. Is it ok to feed them worms that are sold for fishing bait? I live in Massachusetts and we have a cottage in Maine, and up there you can buy worms at every corner store or supermarket. I am a little worried about it cause a few years ago, my bf and I caught a pair of baby garter snakes and fed them worms that we bought in Maine and they ended up dying. Is it possible the worms are treated with something?
When they get bigger I heard you can feed them rodents; pinkies or small mice, how often would it eat these? I can't imagine it eating more than than one mouse a week, but like you said they get pretty big. Is the life expectancy of males and females different? I know with tarantulas (Which I know are SO not frogs lol) the males only live about 5 years where the females can live up to twenty. Are males more active than females? I would assume one would be more active than the other otherwise in the wild they would never find each other to breed. Is there any way to tell a male from a female when they are young?
I just think they're so cool looking and such little tubs! Would go nicely on our computer desk. Oh one more question. Do they croak?
Thanks for all the advise! Names Jessie btw and I am usually mingling around the dog boards and the betta board. Thanks again!

I wouldn't feed bait worms because of that concern-- my understanding is that they can be treated with chemicals, whereas worms sold for the purpose of feeding to animals aren't. Pinkies can be fed pretty early on (from the time they are the size of a half-dollar or so) but only as a treat every month or so. They're not very nutritious, and are VERY addictive. We had a hard time getting Tink to eat anything else. Males can croak, females are generally silent. Tinkerbell (who is male), mostly only has something to say when he's really mad at me (which is any time I clean his tank, move him, or otherwise upset his little froggy world). Adults can eat frozen/thawed adult mice and rat pups (for your frog's safety, it's best not to feed live). My friend's adult male eats a mouse a week, and in between he gets feeder fish, crickets, worms, whatever. Here's a pic of Tink. It's an old pic, he's about 3" across now.

pacman frogs are awsome and easy to take care of!! my albino pacman frog use to eat 2 mice a month and he was fine, i recently switched him over to nightcrawlers and he loves em! i bought at walmart. they are not treated or anything, so in my opion i think bait worms would be fine, i have not had any ill effects. i keep both mine on bed a beast in 2 10 gallon tanks. no heating pad or light and they do great.i do live in az so no heating pad is needed. i love these frogs they are sooo easy to take care of. anyways here is a pic of tank and chubbs. tank is the smaller one. i just got him. they are so cute as babies. enjoy

I also buy nighcrawlers at Walmart. They have the best, big, juicy ones that last for a long time in the fridge. It can be very bad for your frog in the long run to feed it too many mice/rats. They are high in fat & can cause your frog to build up fat behind the eyes, making it blind. I've actually seen this in a pacman at a local pet store, where they feed it pink mice every week. The frog's eyes are cloudy & it can't see.
It's best to feed a variety of prey, crickets, nightcrawlers, mealworms, superworms...
They're great frogs. Enjoy!
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www.geocities.com/squippyscritters
2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
1.1.3 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

Thanks to everyone! I do believe you have convinced me! They seem like such great little tubs of frog. And great pics too, thanks! What are the different breeds of pac man frogs and what are the differences? Usually in the stores they just call them pac man frogs. I could feed it live fish aswell, we have tons of tanks at home as I am breeding bettas, so I could keep them in one of those, and give them to him/her when the crickets are all gone, then have some worms in the fridge for after that with the occasional pinky. I live just outside of Boston and our walmart does not carry worms. And come to think of it, I can only get bait worms in the summer when we go to our cabin. I will talk to me pet store, maybe they can help me come up with a feeding solution. I don't think the pet store I usually go to carries mealworms.
Does anyone ever feed their pacmen anoles?
Also, any pros and cons to getting a male or female? Does one sex live longer than the other or be more active than the other?
Thanks again!

Walmart's worms are usually in the sporting goods/fishing section, are you sure they don't have them? I wouldn't encourage feeding your frog anoles. Although I'm sure they would like it, it's not very kind to feed your animal lizards that others on the forum are keeping as pets, you know?
Fish are fine occassionally, as are any assortment of bugs. There are even bug collectors you can buy on the net, chemical free, that allow you to catch local bugs to feed your pets. Well gut loaded crix are a great staple diet for your frog, so you really don't need to stress about getting additional food sources on a regular basis, if that's a problem. You are gutloading your crix, right?
In addition, keep in mind that your frog is likely to brumate (hibernate) during the winter months & will slow down it's eating prior to that. My frogs generally brumate for about 3 months during the winter.
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www.geocities.com/squippyscritters
2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
1.1.3 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

To tell you the truth, I don't think I could feed it anoles. They're just too darn cute! Sorry if I offended anyone, I was just curious. I do not gutload my crickets for my tarantula, is that when you dust them with that stuff? I was told you don't need to do that for a tarantula. I do not keep my crickets at home, I go once a week and get about a half dozen for the spider, that was my biggest concern. Being able to feed him/her all week since I will not breed crickets in my house. I will check out walmart again, maybe I was wrong. There is no where to fish anywhere near me so I don't think they would sell them. But if I can get some worms on a regular basis (And it would work out cause the walmart is across the street from the petstore), than I will definitely do that.
SO we've got crickets I can feed it once a week, and feeder fish once a week (I can keep those in my community tank while he/she is finishing off the crickets), and worms as long as walmart sells them. And of course, the occasional pinky treat. Does this sound like a good combo and will it suffice for a pac man?
Thanks for all the help and advise!

Gut loading is where you fill your crix with nutritious food, so your frog gets good nutrition. Normally petstores feed them very low quality stuff, like that gel cricket water. It's recommended that you feed your crix things like collard greens, carrot, oatmeal, etc... for 24 hours before feeding them to your animals. I keep my crix in one of those cricket ranches they sell, they look like a critter keeper w/ 2 black tubes sticking out. They keep the crix alive longer than any other method, you can put gutload in the bottom & I never have to touch a cricket (nasty little things!).
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www.geocities.com/squippyscritters
2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
1.1.3 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

Yea we're trying to avoid keeping crickets in the house for any period of time. When we get home, I just dump the bag in with my tarantula. I can't stand the smell of them and have had them loose in the house before, I am not going to take that risk again.
Maybe this wasn't as good of an idea as I thought...

Well, that depends. You can check w/ your pet store & see what they gut load with. If they feed good things to the crix, then you're fine bringing them straight home & feeding them to your critters. I have to say, though, that if you're that sqeamish about your frog's food source & don't have a reliable alternative food source (like Walmart worms, mealies or supers), you may want to consider another type of pet. Frogs, with proper care, can live 15 years. Are you really gonna want to go to the pet store 1-2 times a week for the next 15 years because you don't want to keep crickets in a jar at home? I'm not trying to be rude, just thinking long-term...
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www.geocities.com/squippyscritters
2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
1.1.3 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

No problem at all! I don't think you're being rude! I'm just surprised at myself that I actually took the time to find all this out before running out and buying one which is what I normally would do.
It's not that I'm squeemish about them. It's more of the fact that I live in an apartment and we are on the second floor and have had experience with cricket escapees and would be mortified if they got into my downstairs neighbors apartment. And to tell you the truth, I am already frantically trying to keep three different kinds of live cultures for my baby bettas alive, and this would be one more project. I don't mind taking care of the frog at all, thats not the issue, it's more having to feed and take care of the crickets that I really don't need. But as it's going, I am going to have more live food for my pets than I am going to have actual pets, you know what I'm saying?
Between my ball python, my tarantuala, my dog, my community fish tank, and my betta breeding, I think I will be going to the pet store at least once a week for quite some time. And I really don't mind at all. I am going to talk to my boyfriend about everything and see what he thinks. If it is going to be a big hassle keeping a feeding schedule, then you're right, a pac man probably isn't the pet for me. But I would like to talk to the reptile/amphibian associate at the pet store and see if they have any suggestions as well.
The thought isn't completely out the window yet, but I understand it may not work out, and I don't want the frog to have to suffer due to my selfishness.
Thanks for all the input! You've been a big help!

Overall, pacmen are one of the easiest pets to care for. Given that you're at the store so much anyway & are obviously used to caring for critters, I'd say go for it, as long as your pet store feeds good things to its crix. They really are great, low maintenence pets. I bought my pacman as a yearling adult (I wanted an albino & she was the only one in town), so she only eats about once a week. Once they are grown, you're not feeding them nearly as often as when they're little.
Best of luck to you! They really are great frogs! Out of all my herps, people are most often drawn to my pacman, because she's really pretty &, like you said, such a tub
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www.geocities.com/squippyscritters
2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
1.1.3 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

Thanks! I am going to talk to Jason (my bf) and the reptile guy at the petstore and hopefully we can still do it. Is there any way to tell the difference between males and females? And do you recommend any specific breed of pac man?
Thanks again!

I think the pacman you get depends on your personal preference of looks. I would have loved to have a fantasy frog, like I see in some of the books, red & black. That's cool! However, since I have no clue how to get one of those, I really liked the look of the albinos. My Buffy is yellow & orange, Cranwelli, with nice, sharp horns above her eyes. I love her colors & her horns. Others prefer the greener frogs. So it's really up to you & what you can find in your area.
Males call, females don't. Males will develop dark coloration on their chins during breeding season, described as a beard. Females don't. Otherwise, it's hard to tell.

-----
www.geocities.com/squippyscritters
2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
1.1.3 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

Yes I think I would like an albino as well. I love the way they look. Do the males call LOUD? Like a bull frog?? It's not going to disturb my neighbors, is it?
Thanks!

I'm not sure how loud they are. I wish one of mine would call, but nothing in my herp room makes noise. Bummer
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www.geocities.com/squippyscritters
2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
1.1.3 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena