Ornate Horned Frog Setup

[CinnamonPearl]

I've never had problems with moss, and I've been keeping frogs for a while now.

I'll dump some water into the soil. Hopefully, that helps.

I'm going to leave the hide as it is for now. If the frog gets bigger, doesn't use the hide, or doesn't have room to burrow, then I can always make edits. I don't have a background yet so I need the frog to feel secure. Or maybe I'll get a slightly bigger tank in the future to provide the frog with more room.

How big should I expect an ornate to get? I've been trying to find the information but I can't find a specific measurement. I've gotten a range of 3-8".


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[Gibson]

You don't need a bigger tank. A 10 gallon is fine. And as for size, females will get a bit larger than males. I havent kept them in years but I think 5 inches for males and 6-7 for females would be a pretty good estimate.

[Namio]

I don't think a mature male will get to the 5-inch SVL, probably more like 4-inch. You'd be lucky if your female frog reach over 6 inches. Captive frogs typically do not grow as large as frogs you would see in the wild, for exact reasons unknown. I suspect it might has something to do with estivation. Perhaps diet plays a minor role as well, but I'm just going off on a limb here as there is no scientific proofs on what I suggested here.

[CinnamonPearl]

I got my frog! I went to the Long Island Reptile Expo today and picked one up. I don't know the gender, so I'm just gonna assume female for now. It's a 50/50 chance I'm right, anyways. I don't think she's a C. ornata, but the setup requirements for pacman frogs is pretty much the same, right?

The frog is really tiny. A lot tinier than I expected. I've read about baby pacman frogs getting uncomfortable in larger setups, so if she doesn't like it I'll let her stay in my large critter keeper until she's bigger. And I lowered the water level in the bowl so she won't drown.

Oh, she's so cuuuuuuuute! I didn't think it could get much cuter than my fire-bellies.

[Namio]

I got my frog! I went to the Long Island Reptile Expo today and picked one up. I don't know the gender, so I'm just gonna assume female for now. It's a 50/50 chance I'm right, anyways. I don't think she's a C. ornata, but the setup requirements for pacman frogs is pretty much the same, right?

The frog is really tiny. A lot tinier than I expected. I've read about baby pacman frogs getting uncomfortable in larger setups, so if she doesn't like it I'll let her stay in my large critter keeper until she's bigger. And I lowered the water level in the bowl so she won't drown.

Oh, she's so cuuuuuuuute! I didn't think it could get much cuter than my fire-bellies.

congratulations on your new froglet!!! I wanna see pictures!!! You can also keep your critter keeper inside of your 10 gallon tank or simply provide additional cover with fake plants. You are right about frogs dislike open space and will get stressed out if forced into one. Ornate and Cranwelli can have the same exact setup. I'm guessing you got a Cranwelli aka Chacoan Horned Frog. Pictures please!

[Gibson]

Yeah keep the hide if the frog you got is still a baby. Yes care is the same between pacman frogs. Also, here is a picture of an ornate:



Notice the coloring and the dots on the back of his eyes.

Also, make sure you post pics!

[CinnamonPearl]

This is my new froglet! Sorry the picture isn't good. She's burrowing so I can't get a very good one, and Frogforum decided to turn the photo 90 degrees for some reason. Not sure if you can tell by this, but is she an ornate or another type of pacman frog?

Also, how can I judge how comfortable she is so I can know if I need to move her into the critter keeper?

[Mentat]

Congrats on your new Ceratophrys cranwelli. If a baby, the large tank will stress it, so its better to keep in critter keeper (only need substrate, water dish and silk plant) until it reaches 3 in. SVL.

Recommend get a ExoTerra Combo gauge or similar. It's important for baby health temp is 82F during day with few degree drop at night and humidity stays between 70-80%. More info on their needs can be found in here: Frog Forum - Pacman and Horned Frogs - Ceratophrys - Care and Breeding. As Mike mentioned, you can place the whole critter keeper inside the 10G since it's easier to control the parameters in the larger tank. Good luck !

[CinnamonPearl]

I started setting up the critter keeper. I have dirt in it so far. I need to stop at Petco tomorrow to pick up a tiny water dish and a small plant. Can the baby wait one day?

Should I put a background around three sides of the critter keeper? I feel like the smaller tank won't do much good if the baby can still see everything around her.

I have a temperature checker, and I don't like hygrometers because they're always inaccurate. I'll be sure to mist once daily and never forget.

Yeah, I didn't think she was an ornata. But that's okay. All pacman frogs are great!

[CinnamonPearl]

Got the critter keeper set up! BMO was really startled when I moved her, and she almost got knocked off the desk in the process (entirely my fault), but she seems alright now. She sat in the water for a bit and now is moving around. She seems more comfortable already if that's even possible.

The only thing I'm worried about is temperature. BMO is now over two inches closer to the heat bulb than she was before, so I'm worried that she'll get too hot. The temperature before the critter keeper was an average of 82 F. I'll be monitoring it closely to make sure the poor baby doesn't get too hot.

Oh, and the name is pronounced Beemo for you non-Adventure Time fans.