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Argentine Horned Frog (Ceratophrys ornata)
(Ornate Horned Frog, Wide Mouth Frog, Pacman Frog, Bell Horned Frog)

Erica Mede, CVT
Enclosure Style
Semi-Aquatic
Natural Habitat
Grasslands near shallow fresh water in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil
Diet Style
Insectivores and opportunistic carnivores
Life Span
7-10 years
Size
4-6 inches
Temperature Range
Ambient: 76-82 F, Basking/Hot Spot: 84-88 F, Water 74-78 F
UVB Requirement
Yes
Permits Required
None in Illinois

 
Disclaimer:  This information is intended to be used as a care guide.  This is not a definitive source on the care for this species and should be used in conjunction with the experience of knowledgeable keepers, professionals, and further research.  Ranges mentioned are for reference and are not absolutes.
 
Factoids: 
  • The mouth accounts for roughly half the body size!
  • This species was discovered in 1824 by Alexander Maximilian, a German naturalist.
  • Horned frogs do not have the traditionally long tongues that most people think about when they think of frogs.
 
Enclosure:
  • Aquariums:  An adult can also be kept comfortably in a 20 gallon enclosure. It is recommended to utilize front opening enclosures whenever possible.
  • Hatchlings and Young Frogs:  5 gallon enclosure or similar sized enclosures are a great start for young frogs.
  • Ventilation:  Humidity is important and so is appropriate ventilation for this species!  Air circulation will not only improve humidity cycles but will prevent health issues from stagnant air and oppressive humidity.
  • Co-Habitation:  Pacman frogs will attempt to eat one another generally if not fed enough or the size difference is too large.
 
Water Quality:
  • Water Changing:  Change water daily!  If water is standing in the enclosure, a filtration system is warranted.
  • Water Quality:  Use chlorine free water (a dechlorinator or water that has been sitting open for 24 hours), infant water, or spring water.  Avoid distilled water.
  • Water Depth: This species does not swim well!  Keep the water shallow enough that your frog will not be required to swim in it.  Room temperature water.
 
Substrate: 
  • Spartan Tank:  Recommended to prevent build up of organic debris and accidental ingestion of substrate.  Soaked terry cloth towels or paper towel.
  • Aesthetic Substrate:  Top soil, coconut husk, damp peat moss, untreated soil, bark substrates, coir, or sphagnum moss make exceptional substrates. These must be spot cleaned daily, agitated daily, and changed weekly.  If particulate bedding is used, it is advisable to feed in a separate container or offer insects in a dish to avoid accidental ingestion of bedding.  Mosses are an excellent way to control humidity.  They do require diligence but will offer beautiful enclosures and exceptional humidity retention.  The substrate should be wet but not so wet that you can wring water from it.  These must be spot cleaned daily, agitated daily, and changed weekly.  If particulate bedding is used, it is advisable to feed in a separate container or offer insects in a dish to avoid accidental ingestion of bedding.  Mosses are an excellent way to control humidity.  They do require diligence but will offer beautiful enclosures and exceptional humidity retention.  Clay balls at the bottom of an enclosure covered by a particulate substrate will also dramatically increase the humidity of an enclosure.
 
Temperature & Lighting:
  • Thermometers:  One thermometer should be placed on the warm end an inch above the substrate and the other an inch above the substrate on the cool end of the enclosure.
  •  Infrared Temperature Gun:  These are strongly recommended and encouraged for keeping any animal.  It is strongly recommended to purchase these inexpensive hand held tool to identify actual temperatures at various locations in the enclosure.  A thermometer at the height of a basking platform may say 95 degrees and the temperature gun will indicate that the glass the thermometer is on is 95 degrees but the basking platform directly under the light is 130 degrees!  Likewise, this can help you monitor your pet's POTZ, preferred optimal temperature zone, and help watch for trends in behavior that correlate with temperature variation.
  • Thermostats:  Thermostats save lives and money.  Always use a thermostat when a heating element is used.  We recommend HerpStat by SpyderRobotics.  Under tank heaters, heat cable (outside the enclosure not in the enclosure), heat tape, heat bulbs, and ceramic heat emitters can all be utilized to maintain air temperature.  A mesh screen can be added around light fixtures to prevent accidental exposure.  Never use heat cable in enclosures or hot rocks.
  • UVB Lighting:  A Zilla Pro-Series Tropical 25 or ZooMed 5.0 is recommended.
           
Enrichment:
  • Hides:  A hide can be made with a half log, clay flower pot, PVC, etc.  Get creative!
  • Adjusting the cage furnishings once in a while is recommended for enrichment.
  • Live plants can be easily uprooted by these powerful diggers and should be potted separately if placed in the enclosure.  Fake foliage such as silk leaves can be used without problems and pose the benefit of being easily cleaned.
  • Leaves from outside should be avoided to prevent accidental introduction of fungus into the enclosure.
  • Adjusting the cage furnishings every 2-3 months is recommended for enrichment.
  • Target Training:  Many reptiles are target trainable and arguably all animals can be target trained.  YouTube proves invaluable here for learning!  Visit a local zoo and talk with the docents or keepers as well about their target training!
  • YouTube, reptile forums, and sites such as Pinterest offer suggestions and great ideas on different enclosure decor and enrichment options!
  •  
Feeding
·         Dietary guidelines are just that, they are not hard and fast rules.  Offer a variety of food items to provide enrichment, maintain ideal nutrition, and to learn more about the species you are keeping!
·         Free Range (Wild) Diet:  An opportunistic ambush predator that will consume rodents, small reptiles, large spiders, and locust.
·         Captive Diet:  A varied diet rich in crickets, meal worms, roaches, earthworms, horn worms, and silk worms is recommended.  Earthworms should make up the majority of your pet's diet.  Occasional pinky mice can be offered as well.

Sources and Suggested Reading
  • The Horned Frog Family and the African Bullfrogs, Richard Bartlett, Patricia Bartlett
  • Horned Frogs, Ray Hunziker, Raymond E.Hunziker, R. Hunziker
  • Quick & Easy Horned Frog Care, Allen R. Both

If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 847-329-8709.

If you have any NON-EMERGENT questions, please feel free to call us at 847-329-8709
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  • Home
  • Emergency Care
  • Care Sheets
    • General Care >
      • Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
      • Heating Reptile Enclosures
      • Health Veggie Shopping for Reptiles
      • Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
      • Metabolic Bone Disease Care
      • Vaccines in Exotic Animals
    • Birds >
      • Amazon Care
      • Avian Influenza Fact Sheet
      • Avian Influenza for Poultry Fact Sheet
      • Avian Bornavirus Testing
      • Budgie Care
      • Canaries
      • Chicken Care
      • Chronic Egg Laying
      • Cleaning and Disinfecting
      • Cockatiels (and other small Psittacines)
      • Cockatoo Care
      • ​Converting Your Bird to a Pelleted Diet
      • Feather Picking
      • General Parrot Care
      • Handfeeding Baby Parrots
      • Healthy Shopping for your Birds
      • Infectious Diseases of Parrots
      • Instructions for Physical Therapy in Birds
      • Lead Poisoning
      • McWatters Diet (Homemade Mash)
      • Macaw Care
      • Parrot Precautions
      • Polyoma Virus
      • Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease
      • Proventricular Dilatation Disease
      • Spiroform Pharangitis (Spirochetes)
      • Baby Starling and Sparrow guidelines
      • Territorial Aggression
      • Unsafe Plants for Birds
      • Weaning Baby Birds
      • What to Feed Your Pet Bird
      • Wing Injury and Rehabilitation
      • Wing Trims
      • Your Overly Reproductive Female Bird
      • Zinc Toxicity
    • Caiman Care
    • Ferret and Fox Care >
      • Your Ferret’s First Visit to the Vet
      • An Overview of Ferret Adrenal Disease
      • Chronic Diarrhea in Ferrets
      • Ferret Dentistry
      • Heart Disease in Ferrets
      • Heartworm Disease in Ferrets
      • Insulinoma in Ferrets
      • Lymphoma In Ferrets
      • Bob’s Chicken Gravy
      • Fennec Foxes
      • Red Foxes
    • Fish >
      • Algae in your Freshwater Aquarium
      • Eel Care
      • Freshwater Tropical Fish Care
      • Beginning a Freshwater Aquarium
      • Cleaning your Freshwater Aquarium
      • How to Feed your Fish
      • Aquarium Corals
      • Koi Care
      • General Goldfish Care
      • Hermit Crab Care
    • Invertebrate Care
    • Frogs, Toads, and Other Amphibians >
      • Argentine Horned Frogs
      • Bullfrog Care
      • Dart Frog Care
      • Feeding Pet Frogs and Toads
      • Fire Bellied Toad Care
      • Pixie Frog Care
      • Red Eyed Tree Frog Care
      • Short Tongue Syndrome
      • Tiger Salamander Care
      • Axolotl Care
      • White Lipped Tree Frog Care
      • White's Tree Frog Care
      • Ranavirus
    • Guinea Pigs and Rodents >
      • Chinchilla Care
      • Cuy Criollo (Giant Guinea Pig)
      • Health Problems with Guinea Pigs
      • Degu Care
      • Gerbil Care
      • Guinea Pig Care
      • Hamster Care
      • Diabetic Hamster Diet
      • Mice Care
      • Rat Care
      • Health Problems with Rats
      • Prairie Dog Care
      • Odontoma
      • Veggies For Guinea Pigs
      • Visible Tumors in Rodents
      • Vitamin C Deficiency In Guinea Pigs
    • Hedgehog Care >
      • Baby Hedgehog (Hoglet) Care
    • Kinkajoos and Armadillos >
      • Kinkajou Care
      • Nine Banded Armadillo Care
    • Lizards >
      • Anole Care
      • Bearded Dragon Care
      • Blue Tongued Skink Care
      • Crested Gecko Care
      • Geckos of New Caledonia
      • Crocodile Monitor Care
      • Frilled Lizard Care
      • Green Iguana Care
      • Jackson's Chameleon Care
      • Leopard Gecko Care
      • Nile Monitor Care
      • Old World Chameleon Care
      • Panther Chameleon Care
      • Red-Eyed Crocodile Skink Care
      • Savannah Monitor Care
      • Tegu Care
      • Thai Water Dragon Care
      • Uromastyx Care
      • Veiled Chameleon Care
    • Potbellied Pigs >
      • Pot Belly Pigs
      • Diamond Skin Disease
    • Rabbits >
      • Bonding Rabbits Bullet Point Checklist
      • Healthy Shopping for Rabbits
      • Complete Rabbit Care
      • Getting To Know Your New Bunny
      • Training Your Bunny
      • What To Feed Your Rabbit
      • Learning to Use the Litter Box
      • What To Expect From Your New Rabbit
      • Dental Disease in Rabbits
      • Heart Disease in Rabbits
      • Healthy Stool in Rabbits
      • Gastrointestinal Stasis in Rabbits
      • RHDV2 Fact Sheet
      • Parasites of Rabbits
      • Sore Hocks in Rabbits
      • Pasteurella in Rabbits
      • Medicating Your Rabbit or Guinea Pig
    • Snakes >
      • Amazon Tree Boa Care
      • Ball Python Care
      • Black Rat Snake Care
      • Boa Constrictor Care
      • Brazilian Rainbow Boa Care
      • Burmese Python Care
      • California Kingsnake Care
      • Cornsnake Care
      • Dumeril's Boa Care
      • Eastern Kingsnake Care
      • Emerald Tree Boa Care
      • Garter Snake Care
      • Green Tree Python Care
      • Western Hognose Care
      • Mexican Black Kingsnake Care
      • Rosy Boa Care
      • Sand Boa Care
      • Western Fox Snake Care
      • Inclusion Body Disease
    • Sugar Gliders and Marsupials
    • Turtles and Tortoises >
      • Alligator Snapping Turtle Care
      • Bell's Hingeback Care
      • Box Turtle Care
      • Chinese Box Turtle Care
      • Common Snapping Turtle Care
      • General Tortoise Husbandry
      • Leopard Tortoise Care
      • Mud Turtle Care
      • Musk Turtle Care
      • Painted Turtle Care
      • Red Eared Slider Care
      • Russian Tortoise Care
      • Soft Shelled Turtle Care
      • Sulcata Care >
        • Diet For Sulcata Tortoises
      • Common Health Problems
      • General Care of Aquatic Turtles
      • Redfoot tortoise Care
  • Contact
    • Referrals
  • Vets, Externs & Shelters
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    • Shelters
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    • About Us April Fools Page
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  • Lacy Act Summary