ALBINO ARGENTINIAN HORNED FROG

Quick Care Guide

Scientific Name: Ceratophrys cranwelli (Albino morph)
Adult Size: 10–15 cm
Lifespan: 8–15 years
Activity: Terrestrial • Mostly nocturnal • Ambush predator

📏 Size

• Females typically grow larger than males.

• A stocky frog with a very large mouth and a tendency to bury itself in the substrate.

🏠 Housing

• Adult enclosure: approximately 60 × 45 × 30 cm.

• Use a secure, well-ventilated glass or plastic terrarium.

• Provide 8–10 cm or more of soft, burrowable substrate, such as moist coconut fibre or amphibian-safe soil.

• Include a shallow water dish and sheltered areas.

• Keep singly; horned frogs may attack or eat other frogs.

🌡️ Temperature

• Daytime: 24–28°C.

• Warm area: around 28°C.

• Night: 20–24°C.

• Avoid temperatures above 30°C.

• Use thermostatically controlled heating and monitor both air and substrate temperatures. Avoid heat rocks and direct underfloor heating.

💡 Lighting

• Provide a regular 10–12-hour day/night cycle.

• Albino frogs have light-sensitive eyes, so avoid intense, unshaded lighting.

• UVB is optional but may be beneficial at a very low level, provided shaded areas are available.

• Follow the lamp manufacturer's guidance for safe positioning.

💧 Humidity

• Aim for approximately 60–80% humidity.

• Keep the substrate moist enough to burrow into, but never waterlogged.

• Mist with suitable dechlorinated water as needed.

• Maintain good ventilation to prevent stagnant conditions.

🍽️ Food

• Feed a varied carnivorous diet of appropriately sized crickets, locusts, roaches and earthworms.

• Juveniles generally eat every 1–2 days; adults usually need feeding less frequently, around every 5–7 days depending on body condition.

• Use feeding tongs or a feeding dish to reduce accidental substrate ingestion.

• Supplement with suitable calcium and vitamins according to the frog's age, diet and UVB provision.

• Avoid routine feeding of pinkie mice; they are fatty and nutritionally unbalanced as a regular food.

💧 Water

• Provide a shallow, sturdy dish large enough for the frog to sit in safely.

• Use dechlorinated water and change it daily, or immediately if soiled.

• Ensure the frog can enter and exit the dish easily.

🐸 Shedding

• Frogs shed their skin regularly and commonly eat it.

• Maintain suitable humidity and hydration to support normal shedding.

• Do not pull skin away forcibly.

• Persistent retained shed may indicate husbandry or health problems.

🤲 Handling

• Avoid routine handling.

• Their skin is delicate and absorbs chemicals easily.

• They can deliver a painful bite due to their large mouths.

• When movement is necessary, use a suitable container or clean, damp, powder-free gloves.

❤️ Health

• Healthy frogs are plump, alert when active and responsive to food.

• Watch for unusual redness, sores, swelling, weight loss, abnormal posture or persistent refusal to eat.

• Overfeeding can cause obesity, while unsuitable temperatures and poor supplementation can lead to illness.

• Contact an amphibian-experienced vet if concerning symptoms develop.

🧹 Cleaning

• Remove faeces, shed skin and leftover food promptly.

• Change the water daily and clean the dish regularly.

• Replace soiled substrate as needed; avoid allowing waste to accumulate.

• Use amphibian-safe cleaning products and rinse thoroughly before reuse.

✅ Before You Bring Your Animal Home

☐ Secure, suitably sized enclosure ready
☐ Deep, moist burrowing substrate installed
☐ Temperature checked and heating thermostatically controlled
☐ Shaded areas available
☐ Shallow water dish filled with treated water
☐ Suitable live food and supplements ready
☐ Separate enclosure prepared for the frog to live alone

⚠️ Important Bits

• Albino morphs have light-sensitive eyes; avoid bright, unshaded lighting.

• This frog is a sit-and-wait predator and may spend much of its time buried.

• Never house with another frog, even one of similar size.

• Avoid overfeeding; horned frogs are prone to obesity.

• Keep substrate moist, not swampy, and remove waste promptly.

• Never handle unnecessarily or place fingers near its mouth.