When you buy your horned frog, you will need to provide it with a habitat that the frog will easily adjust to and enjoy. A stressed out frog or poor environment leads to a sick or dead frog.

I also must stress the fact that horned frogs are very territorial and can get vicious. In other words, they will eat their own kind and other frogs if they have to. It is not a good idea to keep two horned frogs in the same tank because you will almost certainly end up with a dead frog. Now that I've made my case, please read below to get all the information you need to know about housing your new pet.

Housing

Considering the size of these frogs, surprisingly they only need a 10 gallon tank even when they're full-grown. If you choose to go bigger, than the more the merrier, but a 10 gallon is usually the standard size they are kept in. These tanks usually run around $10-15 bucks. One quick note, these frogs get huge and double their size quickly, so starting off with a 10 gallon tank is your best bet. This way, you will not need to upgrade your tank later on down the road. Buying a top cover for the tank isn't necessary since horned frogs cannot jump very high. But it is a good idea to get a screen cover anyway to keep crickets in and unwanted people and pets out.

When you first get your frog, try to keep its arrival low key. Meaning don't scream and yell and play loud music near its tank. Don't go and scare it and give it a shake either during its first 24 hours with you. Let the frog get accustomed to its new surroundings so you don't stress it out too much.

SUBSTRATE:

What your frog lives on and can burrow itself is a big part in keeping your frog alive. Using gravel or reptile bark is a no no for your frog, since it most definetly will consume a piece of it down the road, resulting in choking or death. Instead, you can line your tank with various types of substrates such as peatmoss, terrarium moss, clean soil/dirt, etc. Some good commercial brands that you can purchase are "Forest Bed" and "Bed-a-Beast" which are great substrates. Just make sure that if you choose regular soil it is free of any chemicals and fertilizers. If you choose to buy any type of moss, please follow the directions on the package before you use it. Whichever you choose, make sure you have enough in the tank so your frog can burrow itself and hide in it.

SETUP:

There are many different ways to set up your tank. In my own opinion it is best to go with a land terrarium with a water dish for your frog to bath and defecate in. In the Amazon, horned frogs spend time in the water and time on the land ambushing their predators to eat. Therefore, you need to provide it with the best of both worlds.

Line your tank with the substrate you picked, making it at least 2 to 3 inches deep. This, obviously, is your frogs land area. Next, set aside an area of the land for a water dish. Buy a water dish or use a Tupperware container for your frogs pool. When you start off with a small frog, you want to make sure the frog can get in and out of the water dish without problems. Make a ramp or bury the water dish (so it is even with the land level) so your frog can have easy access in. To avoid drowning, line the water dish with large gravel so the bottom level rises, making it easier for your frog to get out. With larger frogs, the gravel is not necessary. Make sure the water in the water dish does NOT go over the frogs nostrils, or it can drown. Do not fill the water dish with tap water, use *DECHLORINATED water* (see footnote at bottom). Keeping fresh water in the water dish is very important. Your frog will tend to defecate in the water dish, and you don't want it swimming around in it all week. Clean it out every 1 or 2 days and fill with dechlorinated water.

If you would like to see an example of a setup for a horned frog, click here to see pictures of how my terrarium is set up for my frog! It might give you a few ideas!

*Using regular tap water with chlorine is bad for your frog since it takes in water from its belly. Chlorine could kill your frog so it is important to dechlorinate your water every time you change the water in its dish. Whether your misting the frog or filling up its water dish, make sure it is dechlorinated. You can achieve this by either buying a simple dechlorination solution at your pet store, or leaving water out for at least 24 hours before use. I have used the 24-hour method and it works with no problems*

DECORATIONS:

One of the best parts of being a frog owner is being able to think up of a creative way to design your tank. Since these frogs are from a tropical area, make a tropical tank. You can use plastic plants to line the tank or real plants. Real tropical plants can be found at almost any Home Depot and are fairly cheap. Use rocks and branches (clean and disinfected, not sharp ones) and anything you can find that would simulate a tropical rain forest. Buying one of those film backgrounds that depict different natural scenes for your tank could also be an added extra, but optional. For an excellent source of live plants, mosses, and substrates, please go to BlackJungle.com Terrarium Supplies! Just remember, do not overcrowd your tank. If you are just using a 10-15 gallon tank, using rocks or branches will just take up space. Stick with a some plants and that will do. Overcrowding the tank will more than likely result in your frog trampling over everything anyway when it gets bigger.

If you do choose to use real plants, remember to use nothing that will harm your frog. Some plants contains poisons or toxins or even parasites that could infest your frog and tank. Exceptable and non-poisonous plants that are OK to use in your terrarium include: Bromeliads and some Orchids, Marantha, Ctenantha, Stromanthe, Calathea, Fittonia, Dwarf Ficus, Pothos, small Philodendron and Monstera species, Anthurium, Allocasia, Anubias, Aglaonema, Tradenscantia or Zebrina and its relatives, ferns and so on. If you are unsure about any plants you buy, it's always a good idea to check with the clerk working at the store just to be safe. Also make sure there aren't any spines or sharp points anywhere on the plants to hurt your frog. Be sure to rinse the plant well first, so you don't have any pesticides, chemical fertilizers, bugs, and other chemicals that could possibly harm your frog too!

The possibilities are endless, so have fun and make your frog feel at home. Don't overcrowd the tank so the frog cannot move or burrow itself. Just remember that these frogs get large so don't over do it and run out of space!

HUMIDITY, HEATING, AND LIGHTING:

If your frogs home is going to look like a tropical habitat, you might as well as make it feel like one too. Tropical rain forests are very humid and damp and you really need to keep your frogs tank humid and steamy. You can achieve this by spraying your frogs tank (with a spray bottle) at least two times daily with DECHLORINATED water. If you have real plants and moss in your tank, that will help keep up the humidity up too. Another option (what I do) to keep up the humidity is to cover half of the top of the tank with clear plastic wrap. This will trap humidity in as well as heat. Remember, just cover HALF of the top, not all of the top or your frog won't get any air circulation.

As for heating, common sense applies here. Since this is a tropical frog, you MUST be able to keep the tank hot and humid at all times. What's hot you say? Horned frogs need to be in temperatures around 78F(25C) to 82F(28C)during the day. For the night time, the tank shouldn't drop below about 65F(18C). Buy one of those round plastic thermometers that are designed to be in the tank. They are a lot better than the stick on thermometers because those basically read the glass temperature. The round ones are more accurate for habitat temperature. Use this to get a pretty good idea of what the temperature is in your tank.

To keep your frogs tank warm, you need to do the following.

If you live in a cold region of the world and you never really see warm or hot days, you will need to buy a undertank heating pad and keep it on at ALL times. If it gets really cold at night, use a red or black incandescent night bulb to keep the temperature up.

If you live in a rather warm region year round, such as the Southern United States, a undertank heating pad may not be necessary. Of course, if your a New Englander like me and have a summer/winter cycle, you will not need a undertank heating pad during the summer, but will need to use one in the winter. Red/black incandescent night bulbs can also be used for cold winter nights.

Key here is common sense. Either way, no matter where you live you should buy a undertank heating pad just in case if the temperature gets a little chilly. If your frog tank is kept in a real warm room, then keeping it at room temperature is suitable (as long as it is the right temperature) until it gets cooler at night.

*Do not use heating rocks or ceramic heating blocks, these will cook your frogs to a crisp. Frog legs anyone? :)

Lighting is a controversial subject. Some experts believe frogs do not require light to live and can do just fine without it. But to be on the safe side, buying a light is almost a must have.

First off, using bright household incandescent lights are a no no. Red or black nighttime heat bulbs are the only exception. Bright lights hurt your frogs eyes and could possibly even cook them. I learned that lesson the hard way with my first horned frog. During the day time, use a full-spectrum reptile fluorescent light over the tank of your frog. These bulbs are horizontal and fit in a 10 gallon hood cover and work the best for me.

Another option is to get a two bulb hood. These hoods can hold two light bulbs and are convienent if it gets really cold in your house. It holds a daytime light bulb (such as the Zoomed Daylight Blue bulb) and a nighttime bulb (such as a red or black nighttime bulb).

Whichever method of lighting you choose, keep the light on 12 hours a day to simulate the night and day cycle. Using an automatic timer might help you out if you cannot shut the light on or off if your not home all the time. Using these lighting setups will also help heat your tank without cooking your frog. If you are using real plants in your tank, this will help them grow as well as keep your tank humid.

CLEANING YOUR TANK:

Keeping your frogs tank clean should be your number one priority. Failing to do so will more than likely result in your frog becoming sick. Cleaning your frogs tank should be routine about every two to three weeks, depending on how dirty the tank is and how much your frog ate and went to the bathroom. During the week, remove any feces the frog may have produced so it is not sitting in its own excrement. Be sure to use slow movements when removing your frog from the tank to reduce stress with your frog. Put your frog in one of those plastic "critter cages" or something similar to it while cleaning your tank. Line it with damp papertowels so your frog remains moist. Work and clean as quickly as possible to reduce the time your frog is out of its habitat. Remember, do not handle your frog with dirty hands, be sure to wash up before and after!

When cleaning, be sure to take EVERYTHING out and scrub in hot water. Replace the old substrate with new and replace artificial or real plants as necessary. As for a cleaning supply, do not use regular dish wash, soap, brillo pads, bleach, etc. None of that. Even if you scrub real good and rinse you still risk poisoning your frog. Go to your local pet store instead and look for reptile/amphibian safe tank cleaner. Ask one of the staff members, they'll help you out.

Final Remarks

Now that you may have an idea of how to setup your tank, make sure you remember all the important things I went over. When going to the store, make sure you have a checklist of the all things you need!

-10 gallon tank or larger (if you choose)

-Screen cover to keep unwanted things oout

-Undertank heating pad

-Round thermometer indicator

-Water dish

-Light hood (single light or double bulb) with reptile fluorescent light or daytime/nighttime bulbs

-Substrate of your choice (moss, soil, bed-a-beast, etc.)

-Plants, artificial or real

-Reptile vitamins (covered in the feeding section of this website)

-Spray bottle

-Dechlorination solution

-Your frog :)

And that's it! I know this all may seem like a lot but it really is easy and not such a hassle once you get into the routine! I assure you that your new frog will love you and its new home if you follow all the above recommendations. Enjoy!