horned frog (pac man frog)

O.K here it is, my son has been begging me for a pac man frog since well......forever. Today I went to get feeders and at the store there were two beautiful albino ones sitting all buried looking so cute, nice, fat, clear clean eyes, great appetite. So I did something I so hardly ever do, I bought them both. I have been hit and miss the last couple of years on doing research so i went to refresh on it, are they really as easy as everyone says? I feel like I am missing something, things cannot be this easy can they? I keep the temp at 83 dgrees and lots and lots of humidity, never allowed to dry out ever, large shallow water dish and food every other day since they are juveniles. Oh and no they are not housed together You should have seen me scrambling for a place to to put them in this full house and shop
Is it really that easy or am I missing something?

Oh I looked and found no caresheet on the horned frog on this site or am I just blind? Which would not shock me!

Hey Nicole, you're not mistaken. Along with the African clawed frog I recommend this species as the ideal beginner amphibian because they are THAT simple to care for. They are to frogs what leopard geckos are to lizards. All they do is eat and poop They really don't do much.

We don't have a caresheet on them here....yet! But Ill bet you we will! In the mean time, caresheets for "pac-man frogs" will apply to this species. The correct name is ornate horned frog, though they also go by Argentine horned frog. Keep it warm and humid, allow a good soil-imitating substrate to dig in, and a wide but shallow water dish full of dechlorinated water. Just be sure they can't swallow large chunks of substrate and be sure not to overfeed them. Gutload and dust their prey as you would any other herp.

what substrate do you use on them? Right now I am using a ton of moss as i am not a big fan of the eco earth stuff, nor am i a fan of the reptile bark they were in when i got them. i do not like the eco earth because i tried that with my white and all they did was get it in their eyes and in their mouth when they were eating.
Please forgive the typing i have a juvenile ig i am trying to socialize in my hands at the moment!!

My personal favorite substrates are pure, chemical free topsoil or a hardwood mulch (not pine or cedar). Both can be found at a garden supply store or large department store. There's a particular brand of peat mulch that contains o added chemicals that I've used before. Coconut fiber and cypress mulch will also work. Ultimately you want something that retains moisture, is non-toxic, easy to dig in, and won't be easily swallowed or cause complications if it is. You can't beat plain old topsoil for that if you ask me. Whatever you use, try packing it down lightly so it's not too loose, but still not too hard to dig into.

so isnt that pretty much the same as the eco earth stuff they sell at the petstores?

Some of it is. I think that stuff's peat or cypress based, I forget, I never use it. But yeah, like it or not that's kind of the consistency you're looking for. The hardwood mulch, cypress mulch, and coconut fiber are more fibrous and less particulate, but that also renders them inferior to the softer substrates that better immitate soil. Of those fiberous ones, the hardwood would be your best bet though. It's basically shredded trees and dirt. If you find trouble with the substrate like you did with your White's, try wetting it a little more and packing it down more. You can pack it as tight as you like as long as the frogs are still able to dig. I'll see if I can get some pictures of my hardwood mulch the next time I see my pets so I can show you what it looks like close-up.

that would be great! Thanks so much I appreciate all the info, it looks like I will get many many great years out of them! You know it will be one of those things, my son will like it for two weeks and then they will be mine!! Sounds fabulous to me!
Oh, do you know how to sex them? I am aware the females get much larger than the males. I do not breed in my house but i would love to give appropriate names, you know like Fifi, Fluffy, Hagatha, etc LOL

Congrats Nicole! Where's the pics . We will have a caresheet on them, all of our caresheets are coming along slowly but surely, lol.

As for the cypress mulch, all that I have seen has not been fiberous but rather chunks and peices.

Eventually pacman frogs get big enough to eat some kind of mouse, right?