Pacman Frog (Ornate Horned Frog)

Because they barely move, a single adult is comfortable in a fairly modest enclosure of about 45 x 45 x 30 cm; floor space matters more than height. The most important feature is a deep, moist, soft substrate such as coco fibre, a topsoil mix or bioactive soil at least 8 to 10 cm deep so the frog can burrow in up to its eyes. Add sphagnum moss, a couple of low hides and a large, shallow water dish the frog can sit in, using only clean dechlorinated water. Keep the setup simple, clean and easy to maintain.

A voracious carnivore with a huge appetite and an even bigger mouth. Feed a varied diet of appropriately sized gut-loaded insects such as crickets, dubia roaches and earthworms, with occasional larger prey like the odd pinky mouse for adults, though insects and worms should form the bulk. Dust feeders with calcium at most feeds and a multivitamin occasionally. Feed juveniles every one to two days and adults every 4 to 7 days, taking care not to overfeed, as pacman frogs become obese easily. Never offer prey wider than the space between the eyes.

Keep a stable temperature of about 24 to 28 C by day with a mild night drop to roughly 22 to 24 C, using a thermostatted low-level heat source and avoiding hot basking lamps that dry the skin. Maintain high humidity of around 60 to 80 percent by keeping the substrate damp but not waterlogged and misting as needed. UVB is not required, though a very low-output tube can be offered. As amphibians absorb water and chemicals through the skin, only ever use dechlorinated water, and keep the enclosure clean to protect that sensitive skin.

Strictly solitary. Pacman frogs are cannibalistic and will readily try to eat any tank mate, including another pacman frog, so they must always be housed alone. They are not social and need no company. They must not be handled routinely: their permeable skin is harmed by the salts and oils on human hands, and they can deliver a surprisingly strong bite, so interact only with clean wet hands for essential moves and otherwise simply observe.

Enrichment for this ambush predator is subtle: a deep soft substrate to burrow into, gentle humidity gradients, moss and hides, and live moving prey to trigger natural hunting strikes. Varying feeder types and letting the frog ambush prey from its buried position express normal behaviour. A clean, moist, naturalistic setup that lets it bury and wait is all this sit-and-wait specialist needs.