Cranwelli Jewel Horn Frog "matcha" - Ceratophrys cranwelli

The Pacman frog Ceratophrys cranwelli in the color "Matcha" is intensely green with green, only slightly contrasting markings - like the eponymous light green matcha tea, which plays an important role in the Japanese tea ceremony. In addition to its interesting color, the matcha pacman frog has a funny, unusual body shape with its large mouth and two horns made of skin flaps above the eyes. The wild form, Cranwell's Jewel Horned Frog, comes from the South American rainforest.

Female Cranwell's Jewel Horn Frogs can reach an impressive body length of up to 22 inches, males remain slightly smaller, but even they are still very impressive size-wise.

As an aggressive and very territorial loner, the Matcha Pacman Frog does not tolerate conspecifics around it in the terrarium. Smaller conspecifics are simply eaten without a second thought. Fights between specimens of about the same size usually end badly for at least one of the participants - the Matcha Horned Frog is therefore always kept individually in the terrarium. Also a socialization with other terrarium animals is not possible, because the horned frog also eats smaller reptiles and amphibians without further ado. Large reptiles, on the other hand, perceive the pacman frog as prey or at least stress it severely.

Despite the rather large size the Matcha Pacman Frog can reach for a frog, it is a rather quiet fellow that is satisfied with a relatively small terrarium: 60 x 30 x 30 cm is the minimum size for keeping a Pacman Frog in a terrarium. The chilling matcha pacman frogs are lurking hunters or rather hunters in wait. The frogs partially burrow into the substrate and wait there for their prey.

The Matcha Pacman Frog cannot swim, which is why it can even drown in deep water. Therefore, it does not need a deep water part in the terrarium, but a shallow water bowl as a bathing place. Because the Pacman Frog is not a herbivore, the terrarium can be planted rainforest style. The Matcha Jewel Horned Frog likes roots and other hiding places as shelters. In the terrarium for a South American Jewel Horned Frog, the soil should be loose and high enough so that it is suitable for burrowing. An absorbent substrate such as coco humus or leaf litter is suitable. Terrarium heating is not needed at room temperature, lighting is only needed for the plants in the rainforest terrarium for the Matcha Pacman Frog should meet the requirements of the plants.

The Matcha Pacman Frog is a rainforest inhabitant and therefore needs a high humidity of 70-90% in the terrarium, where the daytime temperature can be 22-28 °C, the night temperature 20-22 degrees. In winter, Matcha Jewel Horn Frog needs 15 °C and short-day lighting to go into hibernation.

Jewel Horn Frogs in natural habitats can eat very large prey with their wide mouths, adult specimens can even handle medium-sized rats! On the menu of voracious frogs are small mammals, amphibians and reptiles, depending on the size of the frog, as well as worms, ants, other insects and other animals. In the terrarium, the voracious Matcha Jewel Horn Frog will happily eat frozen food or live food appropriate to its size. After some habituation, the frog will also accept food from tweezers. Pacman frogs often show very different food preferences in the terrarium, what the frog likes now, you have to try. Suitable for feeding the Pacman frog in the terrarium are crickets, grasshoppers or cockroaches, also sometimes an earthworm, other worms, a small frog mouse or thawed smelts. It makes sense to enrich the food animals for the Matcha Pacman Frog with lime powder and a vitamin preparation.

A small Matcha Pacman Frog up to about the size of a 2 Euro piece gets something to eat every two days. When it grows up, only every 3-4 days. Attention, jewelry horn frogs can bite. Especially the teeth of bigger frogs can be felt!

Matcha pacman frogs are absolutely not easy to breed. The cannibalistic female can easily eat smaller males, moreover, Jewel Horned Frogs are difficult to bring into mating mood. For some specimens, the seasonal simulation of a cooler dry season with  15 °C and short day lighting is sufficient, while others need additional hormone treatment to even get in the mating mood. After the cool, dry winter dormancy, the temperature in the terrarium is increased again to initiate mating, the lighting is switched to long day and the terrarium is irrigated more strongly. The frogs are also well fed with high quality food. If mating and egg laying are successful, strongly cannibalistic tadpoles hatch, which are rather difficult to raise.