Hop to a horn frog (Frogs)

Member Name: polypterus

Product:	Frogs
Date:	22/09/00 (230 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No walks necessary. Relatively easy to keep in terms of amphibians.

Disadvantages: Does not like being handled, can bite .

I have kept a few hornfrogs over the past years. These are frogs which originally came from South America, but are bred in captivity in many places these days. These frogs are usually bought as young frogs, and are very pretty and appealing but they soon put on the weight. They need a tank which has to have a thermal gradient, one end warmer than the other, with the cool side being at about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. A water dish and an appropriate substrate for them to hide in is also needed. I have tried various substrates but have found compost and a bark chip mix kept moist to be the best in terms of practicality and ease of change. The water dish should not contain too much water, as these frogs are really land frogs and not swimmers as such. They are very sedentary frogs, lying around all day in the same place, in fact they can remain in the same spot in the tank for days on end. But their charm comes from their extraordinary appetite, and great beauty-if you like your frogs heavy and aggressive, with a glint in their eye these are the frogs for you. From a diet of small fish or crickets, they can eventually be fed on bigger prey such as the different sizes of mice, but as they grow older they need fed less frequently for obesity is often a killer of such a frog. These frogs are often kept on their own, the company of smaller frogs would mean certain disappearance. They are by nature ambush predators and simply wait till their food appears in front of them. As they get larger you have to be careful when feeding as they regard your fingers as a tempting morsel. I had a friend who waved his hand once in front of the vivarium, and my frog launched itself at his hand, leaving the traces of its moist lips on the glass of the tank. Visitors are always fascinated by such a beast.

Summary: