Set Up a Pacman Frog Enclosure

If you have a new Pacman frog in a terrarium but don't know how to set up its home, then this is the article for you.

Steps

  1. First start off with getting a 10 gallon (37.85L) aquarium. These animals are used to staying on the ground, so it is better to have a long terrarium than a tall one.
  2. Put a background (if you want one) on the outside back of the enclosure.
  3. Now fill the aquarium with two inches of Eco Earth, Bed a Beast or similar - they're both the same thing, just different brands. You can ask a vet or pet shop owner if you're not sure what these are or where you can find them.
  4. Then put in on one third of the aquarium with pre-soaked moss and mix them both. You can also help maintain humidity levels by adding coconut husk, fern tree bark, or orchid bark in with your substrate mix. You can buy the moss at a local pet store. You shouldn't use the moss you find in your backyard as it contains parasites that are potentially dangerous to your frog.
  5. Next put in your shallow water dish in on one side of the enclosure. The reason the dish should be shallow is because these frogs can't swim very well. The dish needs to be big enough to have the frog's whole body in the dish with room to move around.
  6. Put some fresh spring water, RO water, or distilled water in its water bowl.
  7. Dampen the substrate with a sprayer or spritzer and always be sure to have a damp but not saturated substrate as these Leptodactylidaes  need a high humidity.
  8. Put in some plants - artificial or real, ask a pet shop owner for good species of plant - to hang over the water bowl so the frog doesn't feel out in the open.
  9. Next put a log on the side of the wall that leads from the dry side to the moist side. You can buy a plastic log at a local pet store, but you can also make your own. Go and find a hollow log, soak it in water, cut it in half and take out the middle. Make sure the frog can fit under it and travel through it. It doesn't have to be wide enough or long enough to fill the whole tank. Also make certain that the log was never treated with chemicals of any kind.
  10. Now put a medium size rock in a corner on the dry side.
  11. Put a thermometer and a humidity gauge on the side of the tank and check that both are at the right levels (The temperature should be kept around 82ºf (28ºc) during the day, dropping to around 78ºf (25ºc) at night. Heating is best supplied by an under tank heater as overhead incandescent bulbs can be too drying. Humidity should be kept at or near 80%–90%).
  12. Put your frog in.
  13. Put the lid on and put your UVB light on the screen top. This should be set to a 12 hour photoperiod.

Alternate Method

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  2. Now put on a heat pad so that during the night the frog tank can stay at the right temperature. The heat pad should be put at the bottom of the cage on the outside so when it is burrowing, the pacman doesn't burn itself.
  3. You should get a background that covers the back and both sides of the cage. The reason for getting the background is, it makes the animal feel more enclosed and feel like it's in the natural environment if you get a background that looks like a rain forest. Another boost to the background is it makes the cage seem more visually appealing to the viewer. Always put the background on the outside of the cage.
  4. You should put in two inches of the correct substrate. The substrate should be coco fiber or coco husk. These are also known as echo earth or bed a beast. You shouldn't use stones or moss because it may cause impaction that could kill your pacman and you wouldn't want that. This substrate is cheap but needs to be changed monthly and sprayed twice a day.
  5. Put in a water dish. The water dish should be big enough for your frog to fit in and move around and still have space. Make sure the dish is shallow because these animals are not very good swimmers and can drown. Make it shallow so your pacman can get in and out of the water dish easily. Dig and put it down into the substrate but make sure the substrate is staying out of the dish. Make sure the water dish doesn't take up too much space though. Remember that frogs don't drink like dogs, they absorb it through their permeable skin.
  6. Now put your RO or distilled water in the water dish and make sure you don't fill it up to high or your frog can drown (mid shoulder height is acceptable). The water has to be un chlorinated  or the chemicals in tap water can kill your frog. You can use tap water though if you have some water conditioner meant for reptiles, this water conditioner breaks down the chlorine and chloramines that can kill your frog. Water conditioner can be found at a local pet store.
  7. Put in a hiding place for your frog. This hiding place helps the frog because the frog has a place to get out of the light if it wants to. It also lives in the tank. Know this is when most people make a mistake, they buy something that isn't big enough for the frog to fit in and just waste money. Another one of the mistakes people tend to do will be to go outside and find things to put in the tank as hiding places but you can only do that if you put the thing into boiling water and put it in the oven at three fifty for thirty minutes.
  8. Put in some fake plants. These fake plants add effects to the cage and also creates more places for the pacman to hide and makes the cage look nicer. You shouldn't use real plants because they don't last that long and some are poisonous to the pacman and can cause your pacman to die.
  9. After all this is done make sure the pacman frog still has enough safe areas to move around in and it doesn't seem too small that it could stress out the frog.
  10. Put in a thermometer so you will know how hot it is in the enclosure and know if it the right temperature for the pacman.
  11. Put in a hydrometer to check the humidity and to see if it is humid enough for the pacman.
  12. Close the enclosure.
  13. Put on a heat lamp (if necessary) so you can get the temperature to rise in the enclosure if you need it too.
  14. Put in your pacman and enjoy.



Tips

  • If you have real plants, don't forget to water them. Condensation will not usually water them totally.
  • The bigger the tank the better.

Warnings

  • Always make sure you research your animal thoroughly before purchasing.
  • Don't make the tank too small. Make sure the conditions are just right.
  • Pac Man frogs have a nice bite. Be cautious when putting your hand or fingers in it's enclosure, as you could get a nice bite.

Things You'll Need

  • aquarium
  • medium size rock
  • thermometer
  • humidity gauge
  • UVB light
  • background (optional)
  • artificial plants
  • pre-soaked moss from the pet store
  • heat lamp
  • pacman frog
  • a book and/or a helpful, knowledgeable friend/pet shop owner to help you look after your frog

Related Articles

  • Take Care of a Pacman Frog
  • Care for an Ornate Horned Frog
  • Set up a Cricket Cage
  • Feed Toads to Pacman Frogs
  • Feed Mice to Pacman Frogs

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