Pacman Frog — Fact Sheet

Ceratophrys cranwelli · Pacman Frog

Full care guide and sources

📋 At a glance

🏠 Setup

• Keep singly; cohabitation risks injury and cannibalism.
• Use 8-10+ cm of moist, diggable substrate with a hide and leaf cover.
• Avoid pure sand, gravel, bark chunks and sticky moss as feeding surfaces.
• Quarantine new frogs 60-90 days with separate tools and easy-clean substrate.

🪨 Substrate and furnishings

• For adults, provide at least 8-10 cm of diggable substrate. A compact but soft mix of organic topsoil, coconut fiber, leaf litter, and a small amount of clay or sand can work well if it holds a burrow without becoming muddy. Avoid pure sand, gravel, bark chunks, and sticky moss feeding surfaces.

• Impaction risk is highest when prey is too large, when loose particles stick to feeders, or when juveniles strike directly into coarse substrate. Feed juveniles and messy individuals from a dish, feeding tile, or tongs when safe, and remove loose pieces that can be swallowed.

• Quarantine every new frog for 60-90 days in a separate enclosure with separate tools. Use paper towel or another easily monitored substrate during quarantine, track weight and feces, and arrange fecal parasite testing or amphibian disease screening when the animal is wild-caught, imported, thin, or from an unknown source. Do not share misting bottles, cups, tongs, or drainage water between amphibian enclosures.

💡 Lighting

• Use a clear day-night cycle of about 10-12 hours. Bright exposed terrariums can make the frog stay buried, so visible lighting should be gentle and paired with shaded cover.

• Low-level UVB is optional but useful when installed correctly. Treat the species as Ferguson Zone 1 and aim for roughly UVI 0.5-1.0 in the most exposed usable area, with shaded and buried retreats near zero UVI. A low-output T5 or ShadeDweller-style lamp is usually enough in a shallow enclosure; measure with a Solarmeter 6.5 where possible.

• Do not use colored night bulbs. If the room falls below target temperatures, use thermostatically controlled heat that does not shine into the enclosure at night.

🌡 Temperature

• Basking spot: 28-30 °C

• Daytime air: 24-28 °C

• Cool zone: 22-24 °C

• Night: 20-24 °C

• Stable warmth is safer than intense basking. A practical gradient is 24-28°C across the day, with the warmest safe area around 28-30°C and a cooler retreat around 22-24°C. Night drops to about 20-24°C are acceptable.

• Temperatures above 30°C can dehydrate and stress Pacman frogs quickly, especially in small or poorly ventilated tanks. Low temperatures slow digestion and can trigger prolonged refusal to feed.

• Use a thermostat on any heat source and check both air and substrate temperatures. Because this species burrows, never use heat rocks and never allow the lower substrate layers to become hotter than the surface.

💧 Water and humidity

• Provide a shallow dechlorinated water dish with easy exit.
• Change water daily or immediately after soiling.
• Keep substrate moist below the surface, not swampy or sour.

🪱 Feeding and supplements

• Feed gut-loaded earthworms, roaches, crickets and locusts sized no wider than the head.
• Juveniles eat small meals every 1-2 days; adults usually one moderate meal every 5-7 days.
• Dust juveniles with calcium at most insect meals; adults need calcium 1-2 times weekly and multivitamin every 2-4 weeks.
• Use D3 more deliberately if no UVB is provided; do not overuse high-D3 products.

🩺 Watch for

• Metabolic bone disease: tremors, soft jaw, swollen limbs.
• Impaction: bloating, straining, no stool after substrate or oversized prey ingestion.
• Obesity from frequent large meals or rodents.
• Red belly, sores, swelling, foul skin or prolonged refusal to eat: seek an amphibian vet.