Horned Frogs are primarily nocturnal and will spend most of the day buried in the substrate layer of the terrarium.

A 12-hour day/night cycle will benefit your frogs and stimulates live plant growth. Providing UV-lighting is not absolutely necessary, but we do recommend the use of our Exo Terra® Reptile UVB100. The low levels of UVB-rays produced by these bulbs are beneficial for the animal’s overall health while the UVA rays stimulate appetite, activity and reproductive behavior.

Incandescent lights, like the Exo Terra® Daytime Heat Lamp or the Night Heat Lamp are recommended to provide heat if temperatures are too cool (see “Heating” section).

Given the opportunity, Horned Frogs will spend most of their day buried in the thick, moist substrate layer. Their preferred day time temperatures is about 75-82°F or 24-28°C with a 3-7° F or 2-4°C nighttime drop.

An Exo Terra® Light Dome or Reptile Dome with Light Bracket and a Daylight Basking Spot, Halogen Basking Spot or Swamp Basking Spot will provide them with a perfect temperature gradient during daytime. The Night Heat Lamp can be used for 24-hour heating if it’s used in combination with a light emitting bulb during the day. Refer to the charts in the Lighting section to select the right bulb wattage.

An Exo Terra® Heat Mat can also be used if applied to one side of the terrarium, creating a temperature gradient. Do not apply the Heat Mat under the terrarium, as this will dry out the substrate rather quickly.

Use 2 Digital or Analog Exo Terra® Terrarium Thermometers, place one in the warm and one in the cooler side of the Terrarium, this allows you to keep a keen eye on matching the preferred temperature gradients. The Heat Lamp or Heat Mat wattage may need to be adjusted depending on the ambient room temperature and the terrarium type used. To ensure the perfect ambient temperature for your Frogs, an Exo Terra® Thermostat can be used (see Monitoring section).

Temperatures below 65°F or 18°C and above 86°F or 30°C for longer periods can be fatal to Horned Frogs.

Monitoring

Horned Frogs are strictly terrestrial and need a 4 to 8 inch or 10 to 20 cm thick layer of substrate to burrow and hide.

The substrate layer can consist of a single layer, or for advanced drainage and aeration, you can use the multi-layered Bio Drain System. In the Bio Drain System, you use an inorganic bottom drainage layer, like Exo Terra® Bio Drain Substrate or Exo Terra® Sub Stratum, which you cover completely with the non-decomposable Bio Drain Mesh. This will allow proper water drainage and aeration of the substrate layers you will built up on top. The actual substrate layer that the frogs will use for burrowing can consist of the Exo Terra® Sub Stratum or a mix of Exo Terra® Plantation Soil with Sphagnum Moss or Forest Moss and some Coco Husk chunks. Both the Sub Stratum and the Plantation Soil mix (with some Coco Husk chunks) allows for proper drainage and aeration, preventing foul smells often associated with damp soils.

The Exo Terra® Sub Stratum is a natural volcanic soil with live beneficial bacteria. The porous surface and low-density structure allow for excellent drainage and aeration, but it also promotes a flourishing population of beneficial, nitrifying bacteria, creating a self-sustaining, living terrarium ecosystem. The active beneficial bacteria of the soil will decompose biological waste, keeping the terrarium clean and healthy.

The Exo Terra® Plantation Soil is a 100% natural, biodegradable terrarium substrate made from sustainable, ground coconut husk fiber grown on plantations in tropical Asia. The unique hygroscopic properties of this ecological substrate regulate the terrarium’s humidity in a natural way and is totally safe for frogs, salamanders and other burrowing or digging animals. The unique coir pith used for the Exo Terra® Plantation Soil consists of a mixture of short fibers and coco-peat grain sizes ranging from coarse granules to fine clumps resulting in improved soil drainage and aeration. The improved aeration of the substrate promotes the cultivation of healthy waste-reducing organisms keeping your terrarium fresh and clean.

The substrate should be kept moist, but not soaking wet, at all times. Make sure to offer different gradients of moisture inside the terrarium. Some parts can be kept rather moist while other parts should be kept somewhat drier. Young frogs prefer a somewhat more moist environment compared to adults. Also, try to vary the moisture depending on the season, spray more frequently during the warmer parts of the year.

The Exo Terra® substrates will help maintain the substrate moisture at an optimal level. Providing a top layer of Exo Terra® Leaf Litter or Forest Moss will also facilitate the substrate’s moisture retention and prevent it from drying out. The Leaf Litter or Forest Moss also provides hiding spots for the reptiles and amphibians foraging the forest floor and at the same time, facilitate the natural ecosystem where beneficial organisms will break-down waste products and thus reduce odors.

The secret to growing healthy plants begins with the soil. Naturally, healthy soil contains living microorganisms — from bacteria to fungi, protozoa and arthropods. Together they form a choreographed exchange from the recycling of nutrients to the decomposition of organic materials.

Considering their natural behavior, spending most of the day buried in the substrate, Horned Frogs should be provided with visual barriers to hide and feel secure. Adding decorative live and Exo Terra® artificial plants to your terrarium will provide extra cover and increase the frog’s sense of security and reduce stress.

Using live plants, such as Pothos, provides hiding spots and contributes to the bioactive process in the terrarium. Many hobbyists choose to introduce live plants in pots that are buried in the substrate and concealed with decor items, like cork bark or rocks. The Exo Terra® Snake Bowl can be used as a decorative planting pot. Its extra deep design makes it suitable for small to medium live terrarium plants. The Exo Terra® Large and X-Large Water Dish can be used for multiple plants. Planting your live plants in Exo Terra® dishes prevents them from being dug up by the frogs.

DISCLAIMER Make sure they have no pests before introduction and rinse leaves thoroughly to remove any pesticide residues.

Exo Terra® offers a wide range of artificial plant with the same advantages as live plants; they’re decorative, they provide shade and they create hiding spots and visual barriers to let your reptiles and amphibians experience an increased feeling of safety and reduced stress. Exo Terra’s artificial plants are exact copies of their natural counterparts to blend in well with live plants but are much easier to maintain. A combination of live plants and Exo Terra’s artificial plants allows you to fully plant a terrarium, even in the hottest or driest parts.

Exo Terra®’s Bromelia’s and Ground Cover Plants are easy to clean & maintain, while the weighted base allows you to easily position the plant after maintenance.

In captivity, Horned Frogs feed on live prey such as crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms, wax worms, cockroaches, earthworms and even the occasional pinkie, fuzzy or adult mouse, depending on the size of the frog. Offer as much variety of insects, in your Horned Frog’s diet, as possible, to make sure that your frog receives all possible essential nutrients. All live insects should be gut-loaded with nutritious foods, like apple slices, sweet potato, oranges, cereals, bee pollen, etc. 24-48 hours prior to being fed to your frogs.

Because commercially raised insects tend to be deficient in calcium and several vitamins, they must be supplemented by coating with a reptile vitamin and mineral supplement such as Exo Terra® Multi Vitamin blended with an equal part Calcium. Always dust your feeder insects with a 1:1 mix of Exo Terra® Multi Vitamin and Calcium + D3 powder supplement using the “shake & bake” method of coating insects.

Exo Terra® Canned or Vacuum-Packed insects can be fed right out of the can/pouch as these insects are well fed and vitamin-calcium coated.

Exo Terra® offers 11 varieties of Canned and Vacuum-Packed Foods which allow you to bring more variety in your Horned Frog’s diet. Horned Frogs will readily accept canned or vacuum-packed foods if you use tweezers to make the insects appear to be alive. Just hold the insect in front of the frog and slowly wiggle it so it appears to be moving. Loosen the tweezers as soon as the frog grabs the insect. The Exo Terra® Canned and Vacuum-Packed Specialty Reptile Foods are a convenient way to feed insect eating reptiles, turtles, amphibians, fish and birds. These insects (and snails) have been cooked in the can to maintain nutritional value, flavor and aroma. The retorting process also softens the exoskeleton of the insects for easier digestion and breaks the bonds between the collagen protein to make it absorbable by reptiles. Collagen is an important fiber that aids in building bone, cartilage, skin and claw structures. Canned and Vacuum-Packed insects have the same nutritional value as live insects but are easier to digest. Visit our Canned and Vacuum-Packed Foods webpage for more information.

We recommend feeding juvenile Horned Frogs daily and adults every third or fourth day.

Few amphibians are easier or take less time to maintain than Horned Frogs. Total maintenance time for a single terrarium will be less than twenty minutes a week.

Juvenile Horned Frogs should be fed daily, while adults only need feeding every third or fourth day.

Horned Frogs will often defecate in their water dish while bathing, so it is extremely important to clean the dish and provide fresh water on a daily basis.

The terrarium should be misted daily, preferably with purified or distilled water to prevent mineral stains on the glass.

Spot-clean your Horned Frog’s enclosure once a week, or more if necessary, in order to prevent harmful bacteria to build up; remove fresh or dried faeces, dead insects, leftover foods, etc. For a more thorough cleaning, remove all the decor pieces and clean these with warm water. Stirring and mixing the moist substrate will allow soil bacteria to break leftover traces of waste down. Always keep a keen eye on the substrate; as long as the substrate is not degrading or does not have a foul odor, the spot cleaning process is sufficient. Once the substrate starts to degrade or spreads a foul odor, it needs to be replaced completely.

Live plants should be watered once a week whether in pots or planted directly in the substrate.

Clean the inside glass and decoration once or twice a week with plain water to remove any waste matter. The outside (NEVER the inside) glass can be cleaned with a paper towel and window cleaner.

In nature, Ornate Horned Frogs aestivate during the colder, drier winter season. They bury themselves and cover their skin with a protective layer to shield themselves from dehydration. In late spring, when temperatures rise and abundant rainfall creates shallow temporary pools, they emerge to indulge themselves in the mating process.

In order to simulate these conditions and induce mating behavior, Horned Frogs must go through an aestivation period. Because your Horned Frogs will no longer eat or drink during the aestivation period, you can only aestivate healthy, well-fed animals. Even though Ornate Horned Frogs can become sexually mature at 12 months of age, we recommend waiting until they’re about 18-24 months old before attempting to breed them.

In order to condition your Horned Frogs for the aestivation period, you need to feed them abundantly for 1 month so they can gain weight and strength. Once they’re well fed and strong, stop feeding them for 2 weeks, so they can empty their gastro-intestinal tract. Since the frog’s metabolism slows down during the aestivation, the frog will no longer be able to digest, and any food left in the digestive system will decay and cause health problems. Once you are convinced the frogs have emptied their digestive tract, they’re ready to go into aestivation.

Make sure the substrate layer is deep enough for the frogs to completely bury themselves, and keep the substrate damp but not wet. Always provide fresh water in the frog’s water dish. Now gradually reduce the light cycle from 12 to 8 hours daily and lower the terrarium temperature from the average 75-82°F or 24-28°C to 20° or 70°F over a 2-week period. Also reduce the amount of daily spraying to simulate the dry season.

At this point in time, with the lower temperatures and the somewhat lower humidity, the frogs should start burying themselves. If the frogs do not actively proceed with the aestivation process, reverse the cycle to normal temperatures and spraying intervals, and attempt the aestivation at a later point in time. If the frogs are buried, and no longer showing themselves, the temperatures can be gradually lowered to 16°- 61°F and the spraying intervals should even be more reduced, so the upper layer of the substrate somewhat dries slightly. The frogs will now start to cover their skin with a protective layer to shield themselves from dehydration. The aestivation period should last anywhere between 1,5-3 months depending on the frog’s age. Younger frogs should receive a shorter aestivation period, older frogs can aestivate longer. Check regularly if the frogs are still in their cocoon, without disturbing them.

After the selected aestivation period has elapsed, the complete light cycle, temperatures and spray intervals should be gradually reversed back to normal conditions to simulate early spring. Once the frogs leave their cocoon and become more active, they will start feeding again. Gradually increase the food amount, so the frogs can regain their full strength.

After 1 week you place the frogs together in a Paludarium of which the entire bottom is filled with water to a depth that allows the frogs to comfortably keep their heads above water. Small groups of frogs are easier to encourage mating in the mating process than couples. A male surplus of 2 males for 1 female will definitely encourage healthy competition between the male specimens in the terrarium, resulting in successful matings and best breeding results.

The water temperature in the Paludarium section should be kept at around 78°F or 25°C. Exo Terra® Turtle Heaters are convenient to use as they are preset to 78-79°F or 25-26°C.

Continue spraying/misting the terrarium extensively to simulate the late spring/early summer rains. In reaction to the simulated rains, the males will start their mating calls to attract females and grasp them behind the front arms to hold them in an amplexus. A single female frog can deposit up to 2000 eggs within just a few weeks, that adhere to all kinds of submerged objects, like plants, rocks, branches and driftwood, etc. As soon as the eggs are deposited, remove the frogs from the terrarium as they might start to devour the freshly laid eggs.

The tadpoles will hatch after 2-4 days, depending on the water temperature. Remove any infertile eggs as they will spoil the water. Once the tadpoles start swimming, they will also start feeding on frog & tadpole food, dead insects, chopped earthworms, bloodworm, fish food flakes, etc. Providing sufficient food to the tadpoles, automatically implies to use a good water filtration system and perform regular water changes. Make sure to create lots of visual barriers in the water in the form of live or plastic plants, rocks, wood pieces, etc. so the tadpoles refrain from their cannibalistic tendencies. It takes the tadpoles approximately 4-6 weeks to fully metamorphose into air-breathing amphibians. In this stage it is critical to provide the metamorphosing tadpoles with sufficient plants, branches or a smooth levelled riverbank so they have easy access to the land area. The freshly metamorphosed Horned Frogs have a size between 20-30mm depending on the temperature that the tadpoles have been kept. Higher water temperatures lead to faster metamorphosis but smaller froglets, cooler temperatures take longer to metamorphose, but then the froglets can be up to 30mm when leaving the water. The newly emerged frogs will absorb the remnants of their tail for the next few days and will then start feeding on food items of appropriate size like small crickets, bloodworm, small waxworms, flour moth larvae, etc. As with adults, always dust the feeder insects with a 1:1 mix of Exo Terra® Multivitamin and Calcium +D3 powder supplement. The freshly metamorphosed frogs can be raised under similar conditions as used for the adult frogs, or kept in a shallow layer of water with some land area created with Forest Moss or Sphagnum Moss. When raised communally, keep a keen eye on each individual frog getting adequate nutrition, as the mutual food competition is very strong among Horned Frog youngsters.

We don’t recommend the handling of Horned Frogs when not necessary.

Horned Frogs are animals that are best observed as they do not appreciate being picked up or handled. When manipulating Horned Frogs, they become stressed and may occasionally even bite. The Horned Frog’s bite is more powerful than you would expect from a frog, but still, the scare when being bitten is worse than the pain.

Like most amphibians, Horned Frogs have a very sensitive skin, and are especially sensitive to chemicals like soap, lotion, etc. so make sure to always thoroughly wash and rinse your hands with warm water before and after handling any amphibian.

Every amphibian’s skin contains very mildly toxic substances that can irritate eyes or open wounds so always thoroughly wash and rinse your hands with warm water before and after handling any amphibian. If you accidentally touch your eyes while handling an amphibian, you might experience a somewhat burning sensation. Should this happen, make sure to rinse your eyes immediately and thoroughly with water, that should relief the burning sensation immediately.