Scientific Name: Ceratophrys cranwelli.
Common Names: Cranwell's Horned Frog, Chaco Horned Frog, Chacoan Horned Frog, Escuerzos, and Pacman Frog.
Distribution: South America.
Size: Males normally average out at around the 7-8cm mark, females slightly larger at around 10cm.
Sexing: The females of this species are the larger of the sexes when fully grown, males have nuptial pads on the inside of the first digit when in condition and will make a very load squarking call.
Colouration: The typical coloration for the species is a light shade of brown marked with various other shades of brown. Captive breeding has helped to create a variety of colour morphs including greens & various levels of Albinism.
Requirements: Although these frogs are large they are not overly active and can be maintained in relatively small enclosures; in fact they often fare better in a smaller enclosure than when provided with a large amount of space especially when young. My normal recommendation for housing these frogs is an enclosure with a floor area of 8-10 times the size of the frog, this frog:space ratio can be maintained from froglet to adulthood. Glass tanks or deep plastic tubs are best for Horned Frogs as you will need to provide a good depth (10-15cm) of damp substrate for them to burrow into. I personally have a preferance for coco-based soils as they make it much easier to maintain the correct level of moisture than when using sedge peat or sphagnum moss, this is especially important when it comes to aestivation. A shallow water dish should be provided at all times with clean de-chlorinated or spring water. Decoration in the enclosure can be kept to a minimum usually several pieces of cork bark arranges to form hides will sufice. Live plants will be easily trampled or dug up by the frogs but silk plants can be used to add some aesthetic interest. The tank will need to be heated to a daytime temperature of around 25-28°C with a drop at night, this can be done with the use of a heat-mat controlled by a thermostat. It is not advisable to use spot / heat lamps with amphibians as they dry the air lowering humidity. A separate light source may be provided by the means of a low-wattage fluorescent tube.
Maintenance: Water will need changing daily to avoid the build up of ammonia and bacteria. Whilst changing the water it is a good idea to spot clean the tank and remove, clean, and replace any soiled items. At least once a month the entire terrarium and it's contents should be striped, cleaned, and sterilized using an amphibian friendly disinfectant.
Feeding: Juvenile Horned Frogs should be fed daily with a mixture of suitably sized insects including crickets, waxworm, earthworms and well grown juveniles may also be fed occasional fish and pinkies. The food items should be dusted with a calcium and vitamin supplement every feed at first dropping to every two-three feeds as growth begins to slow. Adult specimen should be fed every three-four days with a mixture of earthworms, adult locusts, cockroaches, morios, slugs, and snails, adults will also take suitably sized rodents, chicks, and fish, if feeding rodents/chicks/fish the feeding frequency should be altered to suit, adult frogs being fed medium sized mice should only be fed every 10-14 days. For adults the food items should be dusted with a calcium and vitamin supplement once a week or so.
