My new Ornates

[John]

This post is about the Ornate Horned Frogs (Ceratophrys ornata) I got this past week.

I got this one last Sunday at a show - I was impressed by its size, considering how small they usually are when first sold. Of course when I opened the tub to show Kurt, the little fellow jumped straight out and fell about 4 feet onto the hard floor, on his back. He seemed to go into shock, going limp and all splayed out. Thankfully he made a full recovery. Kurt was surprised by how well such a chubby pacman could jump!

I semi-impulse bought this next one on Tuesday because he was mislabelled as a Cranwell's/Chacoan Horned Frog - Ceratophrys cranwelli (or as the pet shop called him, "Green Pacman"). The mislabelling meant he was much cheaper than ornates are normally. I'm very happy with how much red he has:

Here are the two together. This is a 5.5 gallon Critter Cage sold in the USA with a slide-locking lid. I've divided it in two using a sheet of Lexan from Home Depot that has been siliconed into place, giving a water tight divider between the two compartments. These two could never share a terrarium - the larger one would make a quick meal of the froglet!

If you're ever wondering how to tell this species from the other Pacman/Horned frogs that are commonly seen for sale, it's actually quite easy.

Firstly, Ceratophrys ornata has a much more dome-shaped head than C. cranwelli (Chacoan, Cranwell's or "Common" Pacman/Horned Frog). C. cranwelli is the only albino species for sale so that helps if you see an albino. Normal C. cranwelli have a more triangular looking face when you compare them to C. ornata.

Secondly, C. ornata has the shortest "horns" on the eyes of any of the pacman frogs available in the the pet trade.

Lastly, C. ornata usually has a single dot on the back of each eye and this is usually absent in the other species we can buy - you can just see the dots in the photo with the two ornates - don't confuse the dots with the mark that links the sides of both eyes - the dot is on the back side of the eye. Note, C. ornata can also have the mark that links both eyes, just like this C. cranwelli:, but C. cranwelli won't have the single dots on the back of each eye:

The other two pacman frogs available are the Surinam Horned Frog, Ceratophrys cornuta, and the "Fantasy Frog" which is an infertile hybrid between C. cornuta and C. cranwelli. C. cornuta has the longest eye horns of the 4 kinds of Pacman we see in captivity. They are also the most difficult to look after - they don't feed as readily as the other species. Fantasy Frogs have the second longest horns and they tend to make better pets than C. cornuta because they eat more readily. Fantasies are infertile though - they can't be bred.

Back to my 2 ornates. I think the larger one may be female due to the light throat, but he/she is still very small to be any way sure of sexing. The froglet has exhibited some aggressive behaviour like this, just not as extreme:

(you'll have to click this first video and watch it on youtube because the author won't allow it to play outside of youtube's site)
YouTube - Angry Frog

YouTube - ONE PISSED OFF PACMAN!!!!

[Jace]

Congratulations on the new additions! I have to admit I am not a huge fan of Horned Frogs, but you have two very nice looking ones. The colours are just amazing! I can't wait for more pictures to watch them grow!

[John]

Thanks Jo-Anna. I'm not a big can of horned frogs in general (too boring - they just sit there all the time) but I've always wanted to keep Ornates, just never seen them in person to buy before now.

[John]

Actually, looking at their markings I think my two are related. Given their distance in time (the larger is probably a month or more older than the smaller), they're most likely cousins or half-siblings. There aren't many commercial breeders of Ornates in the US. In fact to the best of my knowledge there are only two - one in California (The Frog Ranch :: Welcome!) and one in Florida.

[Ebony]

Hi John, Great looking frogs, Their colours are beautiful. Congrats, They always looked like they should have bigger bodies to me, but I still think they are kinda cute. I look forward to watching them grow. Thanks for your awesome pictures.

[Kevin1]

I couldn't of put it better than Jace.
You don't see very many solid greens these days. The red one looks like a fiery orange color. I've never seen a red like that, though it could be your great pictures.

[John]

Thanks Kevin. Yes the little one is really that red. The big one only has a hint of red on the back of the eye lids.

[mike494]

This post is about the Ornate Horned Frogs (Ceratophrys ornata) I got this past week.

I got this one last Sunday at a show - I was impressed by its size, considering how small they usually are when first sold. Of course when I opened the tub to show Kurt, the little fellow jumped straight out and fell about 4 feet onto the hard floor, on his back. He seemed to go into shock, going limp and all splayed out. Thankfully he made a full recovery. Kurt was surprised by how well such a chubby pacman could jump!

I semi-impulse bought this next one on Tuesday because he was mislabelled as a Cranwell's/Chacoan Horned Frog - Ceratophrys cranwelli (or as the pet shop called him, "Green Pacman"). The mislabelling meant he was much cheaper than ornates are normally. I'm very happy with how much red he has:

Here are the two together. This is a 5.5 gallon Critter Cage sold in the USA with a slide-locking lid. I've divided it in two using a sheet of Lexan from Home Depot that has been siliconed into place, giving a water tight divider between the two compartments. These two could never share a terrarium - the larger one would make a quick meal of the froglet!

If you're ever wondering how to tell this species from the other Pacman/Horned frogs that are commonly seen for sale, it's actually quite easy.

Firstly, Ceratophrys ornata has a much more dome-shaped head than C. cranwelli (Chacoan, Cranwell's or "Common" Pacman/Horned Frog). C. cranwelli is the only albino species for sale so that helps if you see an albino. Normal C. cranwelli have a more triangular looking face when you compare them to C. ornata.

Secondly, C. ornata has the shortest "horns" on the eyes of any of the pacman frogs available in the the pet trade.

Lastly, C. ornata usually has a single dot on the back of each eye and this is usually absent in the other species we can buy - you can just see the dots in the photo with the two ornates - don't confuse the dots with the mark that links the sides of both eyes - the dot is on the back side of the eye. Note, C. ornata can also have the mark that links both eyes, just like this C. cranwelli:, but C. cranwelli won't have the single dots on the back of each eye:

The other two pacman frogs available are the Surinam Horned Frog, Ceratophrys cornuta, and the "Fantasy Frog" which is an infertile hybrid between C. cornuta and C. cranwelli. C. cornuta has the longest eye horns of the 4 kinds of Pacman we see in captivity. They are also the most difficult to look after - they don't feed as readily as the other species. Fantasy Frogs have the second longest horns and they tend to make better pets than C. cornuta because they eat more readily. Fantasies are infertile though - they can't be bred.

Back to my 2 ornates. I think the larger one may be female due to the light throat, but he/she is still very small to be any way sure of sexing. The froglet has exhibited some aggressive behaviour like this, just not as extreme:

(you'll have to click this first video and watch it on youtube because the author won't allow it to play outside of youtube's site)
YouTube - Angry Frog

YouTube - ONE PISSED OFF PACMAN!!!!

is it possible to bread Ceratophrys ornata with C. cranwelli ?

[falconez]

Who knows...maybe Mikey will be able to answer in the next future

[GrifTheGreat]

Yes, but it is a very rare occurrence. The offspring are called Orwells .

[Namio]

Hi John, I am glad you finally got on the Ceratophrys Bus. I'm a big fan of these frogs and I thought you've made the right choice because they are wonderful pets to have!

[GrifTheGreat]

Hi John, I am glad you finally got on the Ceratophrys Bus. I'm a big fan of these frogs and I thought you've made the right choice because they are wonderful pets to have!

Sorry Namio. this is an old post that someone revived from the depths of 2009. It says above that he doesn't have them anymore.

[Namio]

Sorry Namio. this is an old post that someone revived from the depths of 2009. It says above that he doesn't have them anymore.

Thanks for letting me know =-(