Holding Pacman Frogs: Properly Handling Tips

Pacman frogs are easily tempting as pets for their still nature and interesting body features. They are often seen lazing by a stone or spending time underneath the ground. For their calm nature, it gets very appealing to try to build more bonding and hold them in your hands.

Although it may be appealing to hold your Pacman frog frequently, you should stop doing so in order to prevent exposing your pet’s flesh to toxins and to avoid getting bitten. Occasionally, contact is okay, but it really is crucial to recognize and realize that Pacman Frogs are best appreciated and admired from a safe distance. So, should you hold and handle your pacman frogs?

Don’t try to handle your Pacman frog unless it is absolutely necessary. They and you would both be better off without coming in contact. Even if you must handle them, you need to be very cautious about your hand, their skin, and your approach to handling them.

Read below to know all about handling Pacman frogs-

Why Shouldn’t You Handle The Pacman Frogs?

Even holding your own Pacman frog that you have kept in an enclosure might endanger your safety without you suspecting it. It might even endanger your frog as well. It’s critical that you take safety precautions to minimize the risks of harming yourself while also keeping your pet well and secure.

The most important reason Pacman frogs should not be handled is the concern for the safety of both you and your frog. Another reason could be that they don’t need handling. Here are the details:

1. Endangering Yourself

Your Pacman frog could be a carrier of salmonella, which is known to be fatal for humans. Salmonella spreads through frog feces. This is carried by any frogs that reside in either the wild or in captivity.

If you come in contact with your Pacman frog when it is carrying these germs and then touches your mouth or eyes, the germs will enter your body, which will cause you to become ill. These dangerous germs from our Pacman frog can cause stomach pains, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Also, Pacman frogs can easily bite off your finger since they have powerful bites and needs. Their large mouth works by chopping off everything they come in contact with. So, to avoid risking hurting your finger, it is better to not hold Pacman frogs.

Ready to learn more about Pacman Frogs? This post will give you fresh insights! 30 Unique Pacman Frog Enclosure Ideas [Pacman Paradise]

2. Endangering Your Pacman Frog

There are several ways you can endanger your frog only by touching it. Your intentions might be noble or driven out of concern, but they can still harm your Pacman frog because of some unintentional mistakes.

Chemical And Toxin Spread:

Touching your Pacman frog can be harmful to them as they have very sensitive skin. These frogs have membrane skin that allows them to collect oxygen from the water. So when it comes into contact with your skin, it is absolutely possible for them to absorb the toxins off your hands.

If you don’t thoroughly clean your hands before handling your Pacman frog, any toxins and oils on your skin will move to the frog and even be absorbed via its sensitive skin.

It is also risky to wash your hands with soap and then pick up your Pacman frog since the soap may still be on your hands. Even any kind of hand cream can affect their skin badly. So, it is better to not touch them directly, preferably not touch them at all.

Discomfort Of Frogs:

When Pacman frogs are held, they grow agitated. As a result, until there is a necessity, touching your Pacman frog is not advised. Because it may cause severe discomfort and stress for them.

They also tend to leap when grasped. As a consequence, you may find yourself clutching your frog to keep it from falling. But it can inflict severe discomfort and possibly death on your Pacman frog.

Furthermore, if your frog escapes your grasp, it may become disoriented while being lost outside the tank, which will heighten its danger of malnutrition and exhaustion.

3. They Don’t Need Handing

In times of severe low humidity and shortage of food, the Pacman buries itself under the ground and it won’t move at all for some time. This time is known as brumation. In that period, your Pacman frog’s skin will turn into a harder shell.

You might be concerned that your frog is dead, but don’t attempt to handle the frog then. Because it might be risky for you.

Instead, keeping the environment of the tank wet and humid will help in this time. After that period, they come out of the harder shell they made. You might notice them eating the shell after coming out.

How To Handle Pacman Frogs?

Pacman frogs handling can be very risky if you are not maintaining proper precautions. The things you should remember are-

1. Be Cautious While Using Bare Hands

If you are a Pacman frog keeper who wants to handle your frog with hand or there are no gloves nearby, you need to take some safety measures-

• Make sure that your hands are wet while you are handling your Pacman frog. Also clean your hands off of any soap, sanitizer, hand lotion, or oil before touching it.
• Put one thumb mostly on your frog’s back, slightly below the head. Pick up your frog by wrapping your fingertips around its torso. The frog must be resting on your fingertips, with your thumbs delicately keeping them still.

• Or, position your thumb underneath the frog and at the same time use your index and pointer finger to slightly press down on the rear of the frog. Apply a little pressure to stop the frog from jumping and don’t grip too firmly.

• After handling your Pacman frog, keep your hands from your nose, mouth, or anything else that might work pathway for any germs to enter your body.
• After that, properly wash your hands with soap and water.

2. Use Gloves

Gloves are always a safe option to handle your Pacman frogs. Follow these steps for a proper guide:

• First wash your hand before touching the gloves, as dirty hands will only leave germs on the gloves.
• Put on your gloves. It is better to use disposable gloves made with powderless latex or nitrile gloves.
• After gently handling the frog, remove your gloves in a way that doesn’t come in contact with your skin.
• After that, clean your hand again as an additional safety measure.

If Pacman Frogs piqued your interest, this article will take you even further. Albino Pacman Frog Care For Beginners [Care Sheet]

3. Be Aware Of The Height While Handling

Pacman frogs tend to get very jumpy while in contact. So please remember that when you must touch your Pacman frog on any occasion, you should be doing it over a countertop or a surface that is closer to the ground. It will prevent the frog from jumping out of your hands and accidentally injuring itself.

4. Be Cautious To Not Get Bitten

Pacman frogs are known for their insatiable appetite and vicious bite. They bite everything that might come in their close vicinity.

So, always be cautious of your fingers while handling them. It is better to keep your Pacman frog well fed so that it doesn’t feel the need to bite off your finger. Also, do not startle them and maintain a steady pace while handling them. It’s highly suggested to keep wearing gloves.

Conclusion

Pacman frogs are fun pets to have and they are very interesting to look at. Although they have a very innocent and lazy look on them and can be seen spending most of the time resting in one place, we already know how bad petting or touching them can turn out to be. It is also risky for those sensitive frogs.

So it is better to not handle them at all or, if you must do, take all the measurements to save your frog and yourself in the long run.