Helmeted Water Toad, Chilean Helmeted Bull Frog or Wide Mouth Toad (Calyptocephalella gayi, syn. Caudiverba caudiverba)

[Eridu Serpent]

Does anyone have one of these?

If you do I´d like to know what you think of them, are they as much fun to keep as an African Bullfrog? etc

[tgampper]

I have known people who keep these frogs. I understand that they have a mean streak, so be careful. I would love to have a pair of these frogs!

[GrifTheGreat]

Are these the giant Chilean frogs??

[Eridu Serpent]

Yes

I can get one delivered for $65...I already have toads and I am starting to keep frogs now.

Are they meaner than African Bufrogs?

I can not find a lot of info on the internet about keeping them, looked on a few forums but no one seems to have them.

[GrifTheGreat]

Yes

I can get one delivered for $65...I already have toads and I am starting to keep frogs now.

Are they meaner than African Bufrogs?

I can not find a lot of info on the internet about keeping them, looked on a few forums but no one seems to have them.

As far as I know there isn't a lot of info out there on them and they don't pop up in the pet trade very often. As I've read their diet is pretty similar to the diets or PyxiFrogs, Horned Frogs,and Budgetts. Their diet consists mainly of other frogs.

I'll see if I can find any info on keeping them, but I have a feeling that I won't find a lot of captive care sheets.

Whether they're meaner or not I'm unsure. I'ver never even seen one of these and from what a fellow member I speak to says they're pretty aggressive, but that's to be expected with any very large predatory species. I would assume that there could even be docile individuals among them like with most other frog species. You just have to wait to see how yours turn out.

[Heatheranne]

This is the frog you speak of? Very cool! It will be interesting to follow your posts.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calyptocephalella_gayi

[tgampper]

You may want to check out this thread, if you haven't already, it may give you some insights to keeping these frogs.
http://www.frogforum.net/aquatic-cla...ging-eyes.html

[GrifTheGreat]

You may want to check out this thread, if you haven't already, it may give you some insights to keeping these frogs.
http://www.frogforum.net/aquatic-cla...ging-eyes.html

That's very sad Terry. Did you ever hear of what happened to the last CHWT?

I'm going to advise that if the member gets a pair of these that as was stated in the thread in your link that they be kept seperately and that only spring water be used. No treated tap water. Probably chilled some how so that it matches the water temps of its natural environment.

You probably want to see a Herp Vet so that you can treat them with Panacur and flagyl of correct dosage per weight so you don't accidentally overdose them.

[tgampper]

You have given some sound advise. I would also add that these frogs should only be kept by intermediate or advanced keepers since there is little reliable information about them. I haven't heard about what happened to the remaining frog - I hope it's OK. The person I communicated with in the thread seemed very reliable and obviously concerned. As you well know, large frogs can be tricky. For the average person, keeping the temperature that low maybe quite a challenge. CHWT are endangered and IMHO should not be collected for the pet trade unless there are breeders who are serious about establishing a captive breeding program. They are native to central Chile and one of their biggest non-human threats is Xenopus laevis, which has taken over that part of Chile with a vengeance.

That's very sad Terry. Did you ever hear of what happened to the last CHWT?

I'm going to advise that if the member gets a pair of these that as was stated in the thread in your link that they be kept seperately and that only spring water be used. No treated tap water. Probably chilled some how so that it matches the water temps of its natural environment.

You probably want to see a Herp Vet so that you can treat them with Panacur and flagyl of correct dosage per weight so you don't accidentally overdose them.

[Eridu Serpent]

Yes I read that thread, very sad.
The guy here said he buys them from a breeder located here in Spain.
So I think health wise they should be alright.

[tgampper]

Great! Hope all goes well for you. Keep us informed of your progress.

[GrifTheGreat]

Yes please keep us updated. I'd really like to see some of these survive in great health in captivity.

[Eridu Serpent]

I have decided not to get one now, well not yet.
First I am going to focus on growing my earth worm colony.

If I get one later on in the year I will tell you

[GrifTheGreat]

I have decided not to get one now, well not yet.
First I am going to focus on growing my earth worm colony.

If I get one later on in the year I will tell you

Ok then. Do let us know.

[smashtoad]

That's very sad Terry. Did you ever hear of what happened to the last CHWT?

It died.

These amazing frogs are flowing into the country again now...must be that time of year. Many of those being sold are being sold as "farm bred". I have no idea what ramifications that will have on their success in captivity, but hopefully it will help.

If anyone buys some of those coming into the country, I would be VERY grateful to know how they do for you. I have been wanting to set up a 75 gallon display tank for one of these aquatic giants since about 1992. But many years they don't even show up, and when they did, the three perfect frogs I got were dead in around a month. As you can read above, they all died of the same ailment.

If you buy them, as soon as (if) you see any cloudiness in their eyes...get them to a vet if you can afford it, because they are most likely going to die.

[Scags]

New guy here...long time lurker, but this thread made me want to post something. I have been interested in obtaining a breeding pair of these giants for a long time. Haven't done it based on lack of free time and not much space in my current frog/aquarium room.
However, before I cam across this thread and the subsequent thread about smashtoad's sick frogs, I cam across a site about Chile's rare frogs and breeding programs to save them. One of the threats they site is a fungal infection carried by African Clawed frogs. Normally I wouldn't think much of it, however, if you purchased WC frogs from a dealer who obviously isn't concerned with anything but money- he may have inherently exposed them to this ACF fungus, or all kinds of diseases imagining his terrible husbandry.
It's really sad that smashtoads 3 frogs died, a good necropsy would have been informative- and could have saved future frogs from the same fate.

I really hope that anyone else who keeps these cool frogs informs the rest of the community on their husbandry and care. A captive breeding program would be beneficial to hobbyist as well as the threatened frogs!