Valley Veterinary Group

Common names: White’s Tree Frog

Scientific Name: Litoria caerulea

Description: White’s Tree Frogs are the most common type of tree frogs to be kept as pets. They come in a range of colours from bright green, to olive green and even to shades of blue, but they also have the ability to change colour in reaction to their mood and surroundings. They have a chubby appearance and faces which seem always to be set in a smile. They are designed well for life in the trees, with strong hind legs and a good grip.

Size: White’s Tree Frogs can grow between 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inch), with females growing larger than the males.

Life span: White’s Tree Frogs can live between 15 and 20 years with appropriate care.

Origin: White’s Tree Frogs are native to Australia and Indonesia, but can also be found in New Guinea and New Zealand.

Habitat: White’s Tree Frogs live in rainforests and similar tropical forests. They are arboreal so spend much of their time off the ground. They are usually found near to ponds or other water sources.

Captive Care

Temperament: White’s Tree Frogs are placid creatures, so they make great pets. They have good personalities and are fun to watch.
White’s Tree frogs can be housed with other tree frogs, but care must be taken to ensure they are similar sized to avoid cannibalism, as White’s tree frogs may eat smaller frogs if given the opportunity.

Housing: Adult White’s Tree Frogs are arboreal, so require a taller terrarium than most amphibians. Try to give them more height to enable you to incorporate the thick branches on which they will spend the majority of their time.

Exoterra terrariums are great for White's Tree Frogs and come in a range of sizes.

Your White's Tree Frog's terrarium should contain:

Substrate: A coco husk substrate, sandy top soil or compost (without fertilisers), orchid bark chips, sphagnum moss, peat, live moss and a selection of live plants will help increase the humidity in the setup.

A place for your White’s Tree Frog to hide and climb: White’s Tree Frogs need plenty of branches and plants within their terrarium for climbing purposes. They will spend the majority of their time on these branches, so it is important that they are sturdy enough to carry their weight.

All amphibians require somewhere to hide and may become stressed if this is not provided. In the case of Whites Tree Frogs they will spend more time at the top of the tank, so place hides here. Large Bamboo canes provide great hiding places for Whites Tree Frogs and can be hung horizontally across the tank with wire.

Logs and cork bark make good natural looking additions to your terrarium and make great hiding places. Plants and stones can also be used.

Stones or branches from the wild need to be debugged by soaking first in chlorine/water solution, then rinsed thoroughly, soaked in clean water, then left to dry in the sun. Some live plants may be harmful to your White’s Tree Frog.

A change of scenery: White’s Tree Frogs are very inquisitive animals and like to explore new surroundings. Once in a while change the layout of the terrarium; this will keep your White’s Tree Frog from becoming bored. You will notice once you put your White’s Tree Frog(s) back in the tank it will start to re-explore its new surroundings.

Water

All amphibians need fresh water daily. A large water bowl should be given (no deeper than the White’s Tree Frogs height when at rest) with de-chlorinated or bottled spring water. The water should be changed daily to avoid the build up of bacteria.

White’s Tree Frogs like most amphibians will soak up water through their skin and since their water bowl is used as the main place to defecate it is important that it is cleaned regularly.

Feeding your White's Tree Frog

White’s Tree Frogs should be fed 2-3 times a week with a varied diet of appropriately sized gut loaded insects, including locusts, crickets, earthworms and caterpillars. Feed 4 or 5 insects per White’s Tree Frog per feeding. The live food should be dusted with calcium and vitamin supplements once a week.

As adults your White’s Tree Frog should be able to feed on the occasional pinkie mouse, but you should regard this as a treat item as regular feedings on mice can cause your Tree Frog to become obese. In the wild, White’s tree frogs may also eat small lizards and other, smaller frogs, but these are harder to obtain as a food source in the pet trade.

HORNED FROGS

Common name: Horned Frog or Pacman Frog

Scientific name: There are many different species of Horned Frog, but the two most common Horned Frogs in the pet trade are:

The Ornate Horned Frog or Bell’s Horned Frog: Ceratophrys ornata
The Cranwell’s Horned Frog or Chacoan Horned Frog: Ceratophrys cranwelli

Other Horned Frogs are less commonly kept in captivity, but here are the scientific names of the other Horned Frogs in the Ceratophyrs family:

Amazonian Horned Frog or Surinam Horned Frog: Ceratophrys cornuta
Great Brazilian Horned Frog: Ceratophrys aurita
Columbian Horned Frog: Ceratophrys calcarata
Peruvian Horned Frog: Ceratophrys stolzmanni
Joazeiro Horned Frog: Ceratophrys joazeirensis

Description: Horned frogs are large bodied frogs that are so called because of their fleshy horn-like upper lids above their eyes. They have large mouths that seem too large for their bodies in comparison to their legs and front arms.

Ornate Horned Frogs tend to be a medium to dark green or yellow colour with red and black patches in their patterning. Cranwell’s Horned Frogs usually start out a bright green colour, but this will change as they grow into various combinations of brown, beige, green, orange and yellow.

Cranwell’s Horned Frogs can also appear in an albino form.

Size: Ornate Horned Frogs tend to grow larger than the Cranwell’s Horned Frog, with Ornates reaching up to 13-15cm (5-6 inches), while Cranwell’s average at about 10-13cm (4-5 inches). Females tend to grow larger than males in both species.

Life span: Horned Frogs can live up to 10 years with appropriate care, but average at about 6-7 years generally.

Origin: South America.

Ornate Horned frogs can be found in Northern Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, whilst Cranwell’s Horned Frogs originate from the Chacoan regions of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia.

Habitat: Horned Frogs spend a lot of time buried just below the surface of the ground. They stay there camouflaged amongst the undergrowth and wait for prey to come to them. They are not very active and can grow a cocoon of skin around themselves in cool temperatures to help keep moisture in whilst they hibernate. This is called Estivation (see topic below).

Ornate Horned Frogs are found in rainforest areas, while Cranwell’s are native to drier, sub-tropical grasslands.

Interesting Facts about the Horned Frog

Horned Frogs are sometimes called the Pac Man frog in reference to the computer game character. This is because the Horned Frog sometimes appears to be all mouth and has a very large appetite like the Pac Man character who tries to eat every ‘pac-dot’ on the board.

In South America, where the Horned Frogs originate from, they are many myths and superstitions about the Horned Frog. The locals call them ‘Ezcuerzos’, meaning simply ‘toad’ in Spanish. Some myths are positive about these frogs, stating that they are protective spirits of the water, whilst some stories claim that these frogs are so ferocious that they will kill large livestock like cattle and horses by biting onto their lips and not letting go until the poor beast has died.

Temperament

Horned Frogs are great first amphibians for beginners, because they are relatively easy to care for. They are also a very hardy species, so it is unlikely that your pet will become ill.

The only thing to worry about with Horned Frogs is their predatory tendencies. They will generally eat anything that moves, including other Horned Frogs, so should be kept singularly.

They can be aggressive, so be careful where you put your fingers. If they mistake your hand for food they have a very powerful jaw and grip, so it can be quite painful to experience.

If you are bitten by your Horned Frog it is unadvisable to pull your hand away from the bite as you can damage to your frog’s jaw that way. Holding the frog under running water should encourage your Horned Frog to let go and a simple antiseptic should be applied to the bitten area.

Juvenile Horned Frogs should be fed daily, with calcium and vitamin D3 supplements added to the meal 2 to 3 times a week. Juveniles will eat small earthworms, pinkie mice, crickets and waxworms.

Adult horned frogs can handle larger prey items such as earthworms, locusts, crickets, cockroaches, mealworms, fuzzie to large mice, feeder fish, slugs and snails. Adults should be given supplements a least once a week.

Culturing your own food source is an interesting part of being an amphibian keeper. Earthworms, mealworms and crickets are all relatively easy to culture and simple to keep.

Cleaning

Your terrarium should be completely cleaned out on a weekly basis. Your Horned Frog should be moved to a temporary tank whilst being cleaned. All substrate and décor should be removed and refreshed. Use an amphibian safe disinfectant to clean the terrarium to prevent the build up of bacteria, but always ensure that all chemicals are thoroughly rinsed away, so that there is no chance that they will harm your Horned Frog.

Handling

Handling your Horned Frog should be avoided if at all possible.

Horned Frogs do not appreciate being handled and may become stressed or aggressive at the prospect.

All amphibians have delicate, absorbent skin and the oils and salts on our skin can cause them harm. If handling your Horned Frog is unavoidable, wearing latex gloves or washing your hands beforehand is advised.

Horned Frogs can give a nasty bite, so be extra careful when placing your hands and fingers near your frog’s mouth during handling.

Sloughing

Horned Frogs shed their skin at regular intervals as they grow. The old skin is pushed off with the hind legs and the skin peels off from the back end. The skin should come off in one piece and is normally eaten by the frog. The skin is pushed forwards using its legs towards the mouth.

Estivation

Estivation is the term given to the period of hibernation that wild Horned Frogs usually go into during the cooler months. They create a cocoon from old skin that helps to seal in moisture whilst the frog buries itself in the ground to wait for the summer to come.

Your Horned Frog is unlikely to go into estivation if temperatures are controlled successfully, but if you experience a drop in temperatures or humidity within your terrarium, your Horned Frog may start to estivate.

You should not feed or disturb your Horned Frog during estavation, but fresh de-chlorinated water should always be available.

Bring your Horned Frog out of Estivation by slowly raising the temperatures or creating higher humidity over a few days. This should awaken your Horned Frog and bring them back to normal activity.