Adopting a pet is no light task. You can’t be done after just adopting it, rather you have to make sure that everything is according to the comfort of the animal. The diet is a large part of this preparation, as it helps the pet to be healthy and live long. Pacman frogs are no exception to this either.
Although Pacman frogs are voracious eaters and will eat almost anything they can clench their jaws around, you still have to feed them only the best of foods. The best foods for Pacman frogs include gut-loaded crickets, nightcrawlers, Dubia Roaches, wax worms, etc.
But these aren’t the only good meals that these frogs can be fed. After all, Pacman frogs’ foods must be nutrient-rich and shouldn’t harm the animals in any way. So, let’s take a detailed look at the animal’s diet.
Pacman Frog Diet Chart At A Glance
I have prepared a chart to visualize the food options for a pacman frog at a glance.
What should you feed your Pacman frog?
At first, it seems easy to feed a Pacman frog. After all, these animals are known to have a large appetite and don’t tend to discriminate among their foods. But just because they will eat anything, doesn’t mean you should feed them anything that comes to your mind.
The nutritional value and the long-term effects of the food have to be kept in mind before you feel them to your pet frog.
With that in mind, here are some of the best foods you can feed your Pacman frog:
1. Gut-loaded Crickets
By far, the most popular and the most beneficial food that a pet Pacman frog can be fed is the Gut loaded crickets. These are available at almost all pet shops near you. These are normal crickets that have been gut-loaded or fed nutrients.
When your frog eats these nutrient-rich insects, they also get nutrients. Moreover, these crickets are rich in protein themselves. So when you load them with minerals and vitamins, they become even richer in nutrients. As a result, feeding these insects to your pet frog will keep the frog healthy and free of diseases.
2. Nightcrawlers
Another nutrient-rich food for your Pacman frog is Nightcrawlers. These are almost as popular as frog food as crickets. The advantage of feeding your Pacman frog nightcrawlers is that you don’t have to gut load them to make them nutritious. These are already rich in minerals and fat.
Since these worms are rich in fat, it’s best not to feed too many of them to your Pacman frog. Feeding around 5 nightcrawlers to your frog per week should be enough, as eating too many of them will affect the animal’s liver.
While purchasing these worms from a store that sells fishing bait, make sure you buy regular nightcrawlers. Some worms are injected with chemicals that are fluorescent and thus are harmful to the frogs.
3. Dubia Roaches
Dubai roaches are also very popular among Pacman frog owners. Some even consider these insects to be better than crickets due to them having a higher nutrient density. Also, these roaches’ bodies are softer than those of crickets’. This makes them easier to eat as well as digest.
4. Wax worms
If you are looking for semi-regular food for your Pacman frog, wax worms can be a great choice. These small worms are soft and rich in nutrients. The reason these are not regular food for frogs is that they are very rich in fat. If the frogs eat too many of these worms, their livers will get fat and they will fall sick.
The maximum number of wax worms you can feed to your Pacman frog is 5 per week. Any more, and you will run the risk of making your frog obese. You can buy these worms at any pet shop near you.
5. Locusts
Like crickets, locusts are also a very popular and nutritious food source for Pacman frogs. These insects are rich in minerals and vitamins that are essential to the good health of pet frogs. You can buy locusts at various pet shops around the country.
6. Hornworms
Hornworms are medium-sized worms that are a very nutritious food source for Pacman frogs. These worms grow to a maximum length of 5 inches. The reason these are so good as frog food is that their bodies are very soft which makes them easier to digest.
Also, these are full of necessary nutrients for the frog’s growth and health. Another reason these are so popular among frog owners is that you don’t need to load them with nutrients. Almost all firms sell them pre-loaded. So all you need to do is to put them into the enclosure and chill.
7. Black Soldier Fly Larvae
Pacman frogs need foods that are rich in calcium to strengthen their skeleton. One food that has calcium in abundance is the Black Soldier Fly Larvae. As a result, they have taken their rightful place among the most common foods for Pacman frogs. They are also very easily available.
8. Pinky Mice
Pinky mice are newborn mice. These mice don’t have fur nor do they have opened their eyes. These mice are only a couple of inches long and have soft bodies that are very easy to digest.
If your Pacman frog is an adult, it’s the perfect food for them, because these baby mice are full of every kind of nutrient a frog needs. But keep in mind, that pinky mice should only be fed to adult frogs.
Baby Pacman frogs are not large enough to eat them, nor do they have strong jaws to gobble these mice up. Live pinkies should be fed to the frogs, but you can also feed frozen ones after thawing them out. You can also purchase these from pet stores.
9. Feeder Fish
Feeder fish are goldfish of a smaller size. They get their names from being bite-sized, so they can be fed to various pets. Among these pets, the Pacman frogs are also included. They are also quite nutritious and one of the favorite foods for the Pacman frogs.
While keeping these fish in a tank, don’t put too many of them together. This will mean the fish won’t get enough food and will be malnutrition.
10. Pac Attack
A kind of pellet-type food, Pac attacks have been made popular quite recently. You can feed it to your Pacman frog daily. The texture of this food resembles a sponge and is made of live food. The nutrition levels of Pac attack are quite balanced.
Feed these pellets after soaking them in water. When you do that, your frog will eat them thinking they are live food.
11. Other smaller frogs
Pacman frogs in the wild will eat anything and everything as long as they can catch them. Smaller frogs aren’t excluded from their diet too. Sometimes they will even eat other frogs of their species. You can provide your pet Pacman frog with a small frog as a semi-regular food to make its diet more varied.
12. Silkworms
Another easy-to-avail food for your Pacman frog is silkworms. Like other worms in this list, they are easy to digest because of their soft bodies and can be bought easily from pet shops. These worms also grow very fast, so you don’t have to worry about the size of your frog’s food. You can also grow them in your house, as they like room temperature.
13. Lizards
Like frogs, lizards are also on the menu of wild Pacman frogs. So there is no reason that they can’t be fed to your pet on occasion. Lizards are rich in minerals and vitamins and will ensure your pet has its fill of nutrients. Just ensure the lizard isn’t larger than your frog, or the frog will be either hunted or will be stressed out.
14. Shrimps
This is an adult-only food for Pacman frogs. Also, don’t feed your frog shrimp regularly. You can feed your frog both cooked shrimps and raw ones. Just make sure to dust them with calcium before feeding time.
15. Mealworms
Another popular occasional food for pet Pacman frogs, mealworms can be fed to your Pacman frog on a semi-regular basis. They are rich in nutrients, so feeding them will serve your frog greatly. Feeding them is very easy as well. All you need to do is to put these worms directly into the tank, and the frog will do the rest itself.
16. Chicks
Another exceptionally good semi-regular food for your Pet Pacman frog is chicks. They are easy to obtain and filled with nutrients. Also, these birds are small and soft enough for the frogs to hunt and swallow them whole.
17. Supplements
Other than live food, you also need to provide your Pacman frog with enough supplements regularly. Pet Pacman frogs don’t have enough access to sunlight. As a result, their skin can’t produce vitamin D, which is essential for absorbing calcium. Without calcium, Pacman frogs suffer from Metabolic Bone Disease, which weakens their skeleton and makes them unable to hunt.
So, you should provide your frogs with calcium supplements. Dusting your frogs’ food with calcium powder is the best way to give them supplements along with the food. The calcium powder also contains vitamin D3, which helps them to absorb the calcium you are providing.
Other than calcium and vitamin D3 supplements, you can also provide your pet frog with multivitamin supplements. These supplements are full of vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin K, etc. They also contain beta-carotene and niacin.
What foods to avoid feeding your Pacman frogs
Despite Pacman frogs’ tendency to eat anything and everything, you shouldn’t feed them everything.
There are a few things you must not feed your frog. These include goldfish, scorpions, minnows, giant mealworms, animals larger than the frogs themselves, and red wigglers.
Some of these animals are dangerous to the frogs and some of them contain high levels of fat, chemicals, and unnatural hormones that can create a lot of problems for the frogs.
How often do Pacman frogs eat?
Just knowing the right food for your Pacman frog isn’t enough. You also need to know how often you should feed the animals. Otherwise, you would either starve or overfeed your pet. None of these scenarios are healthy.
If you have a baby Pacman frog in your care, feeding it every day or every couple of days is enough. Baby frogs need more frequent feeding than adult ones since they grow faster. On the other hand, you won’t need to feed your frog nearly as many times if it’s an adult. If you feed your adult Pacman frog every 3 to 4 days, it should be fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Pacman frogs need “live food”?
Pacman frogs are natural-born hunters. They like to eat live food more than dead ones. It’s not uncommon for Pacman frogs to eat dead insects, but they like to hunt live ones. Most Pacman frogs won’t even touch dead food, because they like when their prey moves. So, you should feed them live food.
How much to feed Pacman frogs in captivity?
It’s easy to see what amount of food you should feed your Pacman frog. Pacman frogs don’t eat after they are full. So, take note of how much they have eaten, and take out the rest of the food once they stop eating. Then feed them the same amount every time from that point onward.
Can you overfeed a Pacman frog?
If proper care isn’t taken, the uneaten food will be left in the tank. If the food isn’t taken out, the frog will regularly snack on the food until it runs out. So it is possible to overfeed a Pacman frog. This is extremely damaging to the frog’s health as it can cause obesity.
Final Words
Knowing the food habit of a pet is extremely important for their health and growth. So if you have one, you must know the best foods for Pacman frogs to ensure your frog lives a long and healthy life. Apart from that, you also need to know which foods can not be fed to your pet and in what frequency the animals have to be fed. All of this combined can make the pet’s life easier and healthier.
