Getting the perfect enclosure is crucial to keeping your pacman frog healthy and happy. With the right habitat, these fascinating amphibians can thrive for over 15 years in captivity. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know to pick the ideal terrarium for your pet frog.
Pacman Frog Care 101
Before diving into enclosure specifics let’s do a quick overview of pacman frog care basics
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Native Habitat – Pacman frogs are native to the tropical forests and grasslands of South America. They love warm, humid environments
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Size – Adults range from 5-8 inches in length. Females are larger than males.
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Lifespan – With proper care, pacman frogs can live 10-15 years.
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Food – Pacman frogs are voracious predators that will eat insects, worms, small rodents, reptiles and even other frogs!
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Activity Level – These frogs are ambush predators that spend much of their time buried and still, waiting for prey. They don’t need a lot of space.
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Care Difficulty – Pacman frogs are a good intermediate amphibian pet. Their basic care is pretty straightforward.
Enclosure Size Requirements
Unlike more active frog species, pacman frogs don’t require spacious enclosures. However, each frog still needs adequate space for a proper temperature gradient and to carry out natural behaviors like burrowing.
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Babies – A 10 gallon tank is sufficient for young frogs.
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Adult Males – A minimum of 10 gallons, though 20 gallons is better.
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Adult Females – Require at least 20 gallon enclosures.
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Pairs – Cannot be housed together. Even a large tank must be divided.
For any adult, aim for a 20 gallon long tank, which provides more floor space for burrowing compared to tall terrariums.
Best Enclosure Materials and Styles
There are a few enclosure options to choose from when housing pacman frogs:
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Glass Aquariums – A glass tank with sealant rated for high humidity is the best choice. Glass retains heat and humidity well. Try to get one with front-opening doors for easy access.
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Plastic Tubs – Food-safe plastic tubs can work for temporary enclosures but lack visibility and proper ventilation for permanent housing.
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Acrylic – Acrylic terrariums are lightweight but more easily scratched. Ensure any acrylic tank is sealed properly to hold humidity.
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Screen Tops – Glass or acrylic tops with screen ventilation panels help provide air flow while retaining warmth and moisture.
For convenience and aesthetics, a front-opening glass terrarium is the way to go.
Key Components of a Pacman Frog Enclosure
To create an ideal habitat, a pacman frog terrarium needs:
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Substrate – 3-6 inches of a moisture-retaining substrate like coconut fiber or soil mix for burrowing.
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Hide – A log, cave or half-log hide for security.
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Water dish – A shallow, dechlorinated water dish big enough for soaking.
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Plants – Live or artificial plants for added cover and enrichment.
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Thermometer & hygrometer – To monitor temperature and humidity.
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Under tank heater – For maintaining 75-85°F temperatures on the warm end.
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Misting system – For keeping humidity between 70-85%.
Setting Up a Bioactive Vivarium
For the most naturalistic and self-cleaning enclosure, you can create a bioactive vivarium for your pacman frog. This uses beneficial clean up crews to break down waste.
Key elements of a bioactive habitat include:
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Drainage layer – A layer of gravel, LECA or false bottom for drainage.
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ABG mix substrate – Made from soil, tree bark, charcoal and moss to support plants.
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Live plants – Help maintain humidity and provide enrichment. Good choices include pothos, philodendrons, bromeliads and creeping fig.
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Leaf litter – Dried leaves offer hiding spots and food for clean up crews.
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Springtails – Eat mold, fungi and frog waste.
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Isopods – Break down decaying plant matter.
This naturalistic setup takes more work initially but results in a beautiful, self-regulating environment.
Meeting Pacman Frog Habitat Needs
Here are some key considerations for providing your pacman frog with an enclosure that meets all its habitat needs:
- Allow 4-6 inches of burrowing substrate
- Keep ambient temperatures between 75-85°F
- Maintain humidity levels of 70-85%
- Include hides and plants for security and enrichment
- Use an undertank heater for heat
- Install a misting system to boost humidity
- Ensure proper ventilation
- Provide UVB lighting on a 12 hour cycle
- Give an adult at least a 20 gallon tank
- Make sure water dish is dechlorinated
- Use a quality thermometer and hygrometer
Fulfilling these habitat requirements will help keep your frog active and eating well.
5 Best Pacman Frog Terrarium Kits
Looking for an all-in-one pacman frog terrarium kit? Here are 5 excellent choices:
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Exo Terra Glass Terrarium Kit – A 24x18x12″ front-opening tank with screen top.
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Zoo Med Naturalistic Terrarium Kit – An 18x18x24″ front-opening glass tank with screen lid.
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Tetra Fauna Viquarium – A 20 gallon glass terrarium with hinged doors and screen top.
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Exo Terra Rainforest Habitat Kit – A 18x18x18″ glass tank with lighting and decor.
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ReptiZoo Glass Terrarium – A budget-friendly 10 gallon starter kit.
Any of these complete kits just need decor and a heater to become an ideal pacman frog habitat.
Maintaining a Healthy Terrarium
To keep your pacman frog thriving, perform these terrarium maintenance tasks:
- Spot clean daily by removing waste
- Completely change substrate every 4-6 weeks
- Disinfect the tank with a 5-10% bleach solution monthly
- Replace water dish contents 2-3 times a week
- Trim plants when overgrown
- Check heating and lighting monthly
- Monitor temperature and humidity daily
Proper husbandry and habitat maintenance will lead to a long, healthy life for your pacman frog.
From setup to care, getting the enclosure right is key to pacman frog health. Aim for a 20 gallon glass terrarium with front doors, ample burrowing room, and temperature and humidity control. Add hides, plants, proper lighting, and a water dish to complete the habitat. Maintain cleanliness and ideal conditions, and your frog will thrive! Let us know if you have any other questions on setting up the perfect pacman frog terrarium.
StepsMethod
- 1 Purchase at least a 10 US gal (38 L) tank or aquarium. Even though it is a relatively large frog, the Pacman frog prefers to sit and wait for food than spend a lot of time hopping about. Purchase a tank or aquarium that is roughly 20 by 10 by 12 inches (51 by 25 by 30 cm) and has a capacity of 10 gallons (38 L) for your frog.[1]
- Pacman frogs are used to being on the ground rather than moving vertically, so your frog will be more comfortable in a tank that is longer than it is tall.
- Tanks and aquariums should be available online or from your local pet store.
- 2 Lay down roughly 2 inches (5.1 cm) of a substrate material. Pacman frogs like to burrow into the ground to sit and wait for something to eat. As such, you’ll need to put down a layer of potting soil, coconut husk fiber, or another soil-like substrate. Purchase the substrate of your choice and pour roughly 2 inches (5.1 cm) over the bottom of the tank.[2]
- Avoid using a substrate that has fertilizers or any other chemical add-ins, as they may hurt your frog.
- If you use substrates made up of sand, gravel, or big pieces of bark, your frog may ingest some while eating. This can lead to choking or indigestion, which could kill your frog.
- If you must use a gravel substrate or something similar, feed your frog with tweezers to reduce the chance of it eating chunks of rock.
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- 3 Add a shallow dish of non-chlorinated water. Your Pacman frog will need to remain moist and damp to stay happy and healthy in its new enclosure. Put a shallow dish in a corner of its enclosure where your frog can sit and be sheltered. Fill the dish with filtered water, bottled water, or water that has been treated with a dechlorination tablet.[3]
- Tap water often has added chlorine and other chemicals which can be harmful to your frog if absorbed. Always use filtered, bottled, or treated water when refilling the water dish.
- Your frog will spend more time sitting in the water than swimming, so make sure the dish is shallow enough that your frog can comfortably sit in it.
- 4 Provide logs, branches, and rocks for your frog to climb on. Purchase some artificial or real plants to put in your frog’s enclosure, particularly around the water dish. Add a small log or branch to the tank that your frog can hide or burrow under, or put in a medium-sized rock it can sit on during the day. Place these decorations around the enclosure to decorate it and give your frog places to hide.[4]
- Make sure that you don’t overcrowd the enclosure with decorations. Try and leave around 1/3 of the tank empty so your frog still has room to move around.
- 5 Use a rainforest background to make your frog feel more at home. Covering the back and sides of your aquarium will help make the frog feel more enclosed and at home in its tank. Look online or ask at your local aquarium to find a rainforest backdrop for a tank or aquarium. Attach it to the outside of the glass on the sides and back, so that it faces into the tank.[5]
- A background that looks like a rainforest will make your frog feel the most comfortable and at home, but anything green and leafy will work just as well.
- Adding a backdrop will also improve the look of the tank from the outside.
- If you would rather your entire tank be clear glass so that you can see through it, you can skip this step. Adding a background will make the frog more comfortable, but excluding it won’t make its enclosure uninhabitable.
- 6 Place a heating pad underneath the tank. Pacman frogs are adjusted to living in temperatures around 70 °F (21 °C) when in the wild, so your frog will need a similarly warm environment in its new enclosure. Place a heating pad underneath the tank and plug it in to begin regulating the temperature.[6]
- Heating pads designed for Pacman frogs and other amphibians should be available online or from your local pet store.
- You should always place the heating pad under the tank, rather than placing it under the substrate. As your toad burrows, it could burrow down far enough to come into contact with the heating pad, and it could suffer a burn.
- 7 Attach a thermometer to the side of the tank to monitor its temperature. Purchase a terrarium or tank thermometer and attach to the outside of the glass in a corner of your tank. Check the thermometer at least once each day to make sure the inside of the tank remains around 70 °F (21 °C).[7]
- As your frog can burrow into the substrate or sit in the water to regulate its temperature, some believe you don’t need to worry too much about the temperature. As long as it’s between 60 to 80 °F (16 to 27 °C), your frog should be comfortable.
- Thermometers designed to attach to the glass of a tank or aquarium should be available online or from your local pet store.
- 8 Put in a hydrometer to keep an eye on the humidity. A hydrometer will measure the level of humidity inside the tank, which will help determine if it’s within a suitable range for your Pacman frog. Purchase a hydrometer and attach it to the outside of your tank, near the thermometer. Check it regularly the ensure that the tank is humid enough for your frog.[8]
- Pacman frogs go through wetter and drier periods in the wild, so your frog won’t panic too much if the humidity is off. Try and keep the humidity inside the tank around 65%, misting the tank more or less frequently to adjust it if need be.
- 9 Add a UVB light to your enclosure. UVB lights may help your frog process calcium and other vitamins, as well as helping any real plants in your enclosure to thrive. Purchase a tank light and fit it with a UVB fluorescent light. Place it over the lid of the tank, and set it on a 12-hour timer so that it doesn’t bother you or your frog at nighttime.
- Some people don’t think that UVB lights help Pacman frogs that much, but at the very least they don’t hurt them. If you want to go the extra mile for your frog, purchase a lamp with a UVB light. Otherwise, you can skip this step and your frog will still be happy and healthy.
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FAQ
What is the best enclosure for a Pacman frog?
Male pacman frogs need an enclosure with at least 360sq inches of floor space. Appropriate enclosure sizes for this minimum are 30x12x12, 24x18x12, 24x18x18, or larger.
What is the best tank for a Pac Man frog?
A single adult frog can be housed in a 10-20 gallon terrarium with a screen lid. Provide plenty of cover by using Zoo Med’s Naturalistic Flora, Bush Plants, and Cork Rounds.
What size cage does a Pacman frog need?
The pacman frog’s vivarium should be at least 600mm in length and 300mm in height. The pacman frog is going to grow to around 4-7″ so they need a space large enough for them to move around in.
Is a 20 gallon tank good for a Pacman frog?
As these toads tend not to be very active, a 20-gallon tank with good ventilation is sufficient in size.