Pacman frogs are among the most popular pet frogs and are known for their large mouths and heads. They eat just about anything you put in front of them, and are pretty low maintenance when it comes to small pets. You just make sure they have what they need to survive such as a proper habitat that you keep clean, and plenty of food. In this article we’re going to talk about the best pacman frog terrariums, or enclosures.
First we’re going to look at 5 options that could work for a few different situations, and then we’ll touch on what to consider when buying a pacman frog enclosure. Lastly we’ll mention a few of the key tank accessories and things you’ll need to have a happy and healthy South American horned frog.
Let’s get to it!
Best terrariums for pacman frogs
1. Exo Terra Short All Glass Terrarium, 18 by 18 by 12-Inch
Best overall
- Front window ventilation
- Raised bottom frame
- Waterproof bottom
- Cutouts/inlets for wires and tubing
This terrarium, considered one of the best enclosures for a Pacman frog, offers plenty of space while remaining compact enough not to raise concerns about available room. Dual front doors make for easy access to the interior of the tank for cleaning or for feeding.
The lid is stainless steel mesh and it easy to remove if you prefer to access the terrarium that way. It also ensures good air circulation. The foam backing of the terrarium is sculpted to look like rocks, and that’s more than just an aesthetic choice: it also creates a perfect space to hide conduits for wires and tubing.
The doors and lids all have easy to use locking mechanisms, and the bottom is waterproof. That gives you some additional flexibility when designing the landscape for your terrarium, and also peace of mind. Because of the raised, waterproof bottom you don’t have to worry about this terrarium damaging any of your furniture.
2. Exo Terra Outback Terrarium 24″ x 18″ x 12″, “20 Gallon
- Front window ventilation
- Limited edition hand-painted background
- Dual doors for easy access
- Designed by herpetologists
- Raised bottom plate allows for substrate heater
Essentially a larger version of the first tank on the list, this one might suit your needs if you want to provide additional space to your frog. That’s purely a personal choice- the first tank is plenty big enough and you really don’t want to have anything else sharing space with your frog. But bigger tanks do allow for more decoration.
This one has a limited edition hand painted Outback background, which we have to admit looks pretty great. The raised bottom plate also allows plenty of room for a substrate heater, which is often more efficient than a heat lamp- and if the terrarium is in your bedroom you really don’t want a heat lamp on all night anyway.
Between the front window ventilation and the mesh screen top you really don’t have to worry about the air quality in the terrarium, either. All in all this is an excellent choice.
3. REPTI ZOO 10 Gallon Glass Tank
Best starter tank
- 360 degree view of interior
- Feeding hole built into top screen
- PVC tray for holding substrate or water
- Easy to clean
If this will be your first time keeping a pacman frog (or exotic pets of any kind), this is the tank for you. It’s a no-frills, easy to maintain terrarium. You can set up the interior however you like, with a background on one side or not, depending on how you want it to look.
The feeding hole built in to the screen top is actually a fantastic feature we’d like to see in more terrariums. It makes feeding time a lot faster and easier. The PVC tray on the bottom makes cleaning the terrarium nice and simple, too.
It make lack some of the cooler features some of the other tanks have, but that actually makes it a better choice for your first terrarium. It’s easy, simple, and affordable.
4. Exo Terra Glass Terrarium Kit, 12 x 12 x 12
- Front window ventilation
- Raised bottom frame for substrate heater
- Waterproof bottom
- Closable inlets for wire and tubing
Another standout from Exo Terra, this terrarium has all the superb features the other models have. Raised bottom frames, extra ventilation, double-opening front windows for easy access, and more. This brand consistently offers thoughtfully designed terrariums that balance ease of maintenance with quality habitat for your frogs.
This terrarium, though, is very small. Too small, in fact, for adult frogs. It’s ideal for young frogs, though. In addition, it’s small size means a smaller price tag. If you aren’t yet sure you want to shell out the big bucks for a big terrarium, you can pick up this one and keep a small, young frog in it until you need a bigger tank.
And once your frog has moved into that bigger tank, you can reuse this one either for another young pacman or for a smaller species of frog or lizard that will thrive in it for their whole lives.
5. Exo Terra Faunarium, Large
Best for young pacman frogs, transporting
- Transparent plastic door for easy access
- Easy to clean and disinfect
- Stackable
This is the cheapest terrarium we’re listing here, and that’s because it’s all plastic. The lid is well ventilated and includes a clear plastic door that’s easy to open, and clear plastic all the way around which makes it easy to see what’s going on inside.
This is not a suitable permanent habitat for you pacman frog, but it serves as a great, affordable Pacman frog starter kit for young frogs that don’t need much space. As they grow you can save up to buy a bigger, glass terrarium to be their permanent habitat.
Plus, once they’ve moved into that glass terrarium, this plastic one is ideal for transporting them if you ever need to move them. It’s also well-suited to transporting live food for your frog.
5 things to look for when buying a pacman frog enclosure
1. Enclosure size
Enclosure size is hugely important. Your frog will live its entire life in the terrarium, and these are not pets you can handle, so unlike some lizards and snakes they won’t get to spend time each day outside the terrarium.
Pacman frogs aren’t very active, though, so while they can big quite large (for a frog), they don’t need a huge enclosure. 10 gallons is widely considered the minimum size, and it’s perfectly adequate. 20 gallons is also a good choice, which will give your frog plenty of space.
Anything bigger than 20 gallons isn’t necessary, although some people do like the bigger terrariums because they can create more intricate landscapes in them. With other species, bigger terrariums are often used so that multiple individuals can be housed together, or so that multiple species can be kept together.
Pacman frogs are both aggressive and voracious; anything you put in the tank with them is going to get eaten, so they’re best kept alone. Just one more reason you don’t need a huge tank for these frogs.
2. Accessibility
You have to be able to access the inside of the terrarium. Your frog needs to be fed, of course. But you also have to keep the terrarium clean. You’ll be accessing the terrarium at least of couple of times a week, so you need to think about how you want to do that.
Almost all terrariums come with a screen mesh top that can be removed. This is the most common means of accessing the terrarium, and it’s popular because it’s harder for most animals to escape through the open top of the terrarium than through a door in the front.
Since pacman frogs are slow, sedentary animals that won’t try to escape, front door access doesn’t pose a risk. It can be a much more convenient way of accessing the tank, especially for shorter people or those whose tanks are placed on a tall surface.
3. Maintenance
The terrarium needs to be cleaned and disinfected regularly. For frogs, it will also have to be kept consistently warm and humid, which comes with it’s own set of challenges. Advanced users will usually have equipment that automated much of the humidity control, and should look for terrariums that allow for that equipment.
All users should look for glass terrariums. These are much easy to clean and maintain, and stand up better to heat and humidity than plastic. Plastic should never be used for a permanent enclosure.
4. Quality
Since your frog will spend it’s entire life in this enclosure, you want to be sure you’re giving it the best possible home. Plus, you probably want a terrarium that you can use for years to come, since they’re not exactly cheap.
Look for trusted manufacturers, and especially ones that consult herpetologists on the design. These will be the best terrariums to buy.
5. Price
Good terrariums aren’t cheap. They’re made of glass, they’re heavy, and they have lots of interesting design features. They’re also built to last, which means the manufacturer has to make more money from each sale.
Of course, you have to be realistic with what you can afford. There are quality terrariums out there for less than $100, and if you need something cheaper you can always buy a small glass or plastic terrarium that a small, young frog can live in until it grows bigger and save your money for when the time comes to upgrade the terrarium.
Pacman frog supplies you’ll need for the enclosure
Here’s a quick list of the main items you’ll need to have for a proper pacman frog setup.
- Substrate – 3-4 inches of substrate they can use to bury themselves in. This coconut based substrate works well
- Shallow water dish – Pacman frogs aren’t aquatic, but they do like to soak in water. You need a dish like this one that they can soak in without submerging.
- Substrate heater – The terrarium needs to be kept between 75-80 degrees. A substrate heater is one of the best ways to do that.
- Thermometer/humidity gauge – The only way to know if the climate inside the tank is right for your frog is with a thermometer and a humidity gauge. This one is great for pacman frogs.
- Hide house – Everyone likes their privacy, even frogs. Providing a hide house keeps your frog happy and stress-free.
- UV light – For optimal health, frogs need exposure to UV light. This is a good one. Just remember to turn it off at night, and while the light is on, you may need to turn off the substrate heater.
- Calcium supplement – It’s very unlikely that your frog will get adequate calcium from it’s diet. Coat their food in this calcium supplement powder to ensure good health.
Summary
Pacman frogs make great pets, and housing them is fairly easy. All you need is a simple glass terrarium and a few other easy to find items and you’re good to go.
The Exo Terra Short All Glass Terrarium is the ideal enclosure for your pacman frog, and it’s sure to last a long time. It will provide your frog with plenty of space, while allowing for easy viewing and maintenance.
