Latin name: Cornufer guentheri
Multiple unsexed young adults available. Photos representative of general stock. If you’re able to do in-person pickup you can choose your individual frog.
Lifestyle and Habitat: These beautiful and interesting frogs evolved to blend in with the leaf litter on the forest floor. Their colors and patterns can vary greatly between individuals. They are ambush predators who keep very still and then launch themselves at their prey which can be insects, smaller frogs and lizards and even fish.
They are native to the tropical rainforests of the Solomon Island archipelago.
Size and lifespan: As adults they reach lengths of 3”–4” nose to hind end, with females being larger than the males.
Their lifespan in human care is not well researched but it is believed that they can live up to 15 years.
Quick care stats:
Temperatures: 75 degrees Fahrenheit on the warm end, 70 degrees Fahrenheit on the cool end.
Humidity: 60% Misting twice daily manually or set up a mister to achieve the same level.
Tank size: 10 gallons for babies/juveniles, 30 gallons for adults.
Tank type: Standard rectangle - allow for ample floor space.
Lighting: Both a heat pad and a dimmable heat lamp are recommended for housing this species in glass tanks. They don’t like to to get too hot(see temperature guidelines). Use use these heating elements to keep temperatures steady in the winter but feel free to turn one or both off in the summer if the tank is reaching the ideal temperatures. Thermostats are always helpful.
This species is a deep forest animal so full spectrum UVB lighting is not required but is highly recommend for overall welfare and to establish a regular day/night cycle.
Substrate and furniture: Peat moss/sand mixture, coconut fiber, or soil substrate 2”-3” deep. Provide lots of hiding places in the form of logs, cork bark or coconut huts. Line the terrarium floor with moss or leaf litter. Provide a wide but shallow water dish, these frogs aren’t very good swimmers and will need to be able to get in and out of their water dish easily.
Handling: Due to the delicate nature of an amphibian’s skin, it’s best to keep handling to a minimum: 1-2x per week at most. While handling, watch for signs of stress and try to limit sessions to 10-15 minutes.
When not to handle: When you first bring your frog home or move it to a new enclosure, wait at least 3 days before handling it to give it a chance to settle in to the new environment.
Diet and feeding: Offer live crickets/small feeder roaches 2-3 times per week. Gage the number of insects your frog will eat based on the number they leave behind. We recommend starting with an offer of 5 feeder insects and then adjusting from there. Fattier food items like worms can be offered 1x weekly for variety and as a treat!
Always remove uneaten feeder insects if they have not been consumed after a day.
*All food items must be dusted with both vitamin and calcium powder prior to feeding.*
Food size: The feeder insect should be able to fit width-wise between your frogs’ eyes.