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FAQs About Xenopus laevis, African Clawed Frogs,
Related Articles:
Keeping African Clawed Frogs and African Dwarf
Frogs by Neale Monks, Amphibians,
Turtles,
Related FAQs:
Xenopus in General,
Xenopus Identification,
Xenopus Behavior,
Xenopus Compatibility, Xenopus Selection,
Xenopus Systems,
Xenopus Disease, Xenopus Reproduction,
& Amphibians 1,
Amphibians 2,
Frogs Other Than African and Clawed,
African Dwarf Frogs,
Turtles, Amphibian Identification,
Amphibian Behavior,
Amphibian Compatibility,
Amphibian Selection,
Amphibian Systems,
Amphibian Feeding,
Amphibian Disease,
Amphibian Reproduction, |
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AACF. Xenopus hlth.,
fdg.
11/10/09
I have a Albino African clawed frog in a ten gallon by her self with
natural river rocks and a cave. I feed her Tubifex worms and red
wigglers.
Recently I noticed that the one side of her stomach looks purple-ish
almost like from the inside out. I was wondering if this is normal. I
had a aacf when I was little and don't remember her ever looking purple.
<Hello Faith. No, it's not normal. Do read here and see if the symptoms
you're seeing matches anything described.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/FrogsArtNeale.htm
Note that bacterial infections of the skin (such as, but not limited to,
Red Leg) are usually caused by physical damage, poor environmental
conditions, or both. I'd also make the point that live Tubifex worms are
notoriously disease-laden and haven't been recommended as "Safe" foods
for decades. Bloodworms and mosquito larvae are better, and small
earthworms best of all. Wet-frozen foods should be safe though, and
while freeze-dried foods are safe, they should be used only sparingly
because they tend to cause digestive tract problems. Cheers, Neale.>
Water issues -FW, frogs 11/03/08
What is the best product to use to get rid of ammonia and other toxic substances
that are in the water?
<Most modern dechlorinators should remove chlorine, chloramine, ammonia and
copper from tap (or well) water. If yours doesn't, switch to a brand that does.
Do understand that no ammonia-removing water condition does ANYTHING about
ammonia from your fish or frogs. That's the job of the filter. All the water
conditioner does is remove any small traces of ammonia in your
water supply.>
I have well water and I always use that without adding in any dechlorinators. Is
that water to hard for my ACF?
<Unless ridiculously high (i.e., above 25 degrees dH) hardness shouldn't be an
issue. If you have very hard water, you could mix 50/50 with rainwater; that's
what I do. Otherwise, don't worry about it: most fish and frogs can adapt to
harder water in aquaria than in the wild, provided water quality is good.>
Plus his diet usually consists of Reptomin Sticks, lean raw beef, and
occasionally a worm if I can find one. What types of foods do they like?
<Aquatic frogs mostly feed in invertebrates of various types, particularly
aquatic insect larvae. These are widely sold frozen.>
Plus I think my frog has seeing problems because his pupils are shaped like
teardrops. Is that normal?
<The eyes should be bright and the pupil essentially circular.>
When he was little he used to nibble at my finger and eat freeze-dried
bloodworms. But that changed overtime. Then I had to start wiggling my finger on
the surface to get his attention. I don't think that he has very good depth
perception. I'll put a Reptomin stick on the surface and wiggle my finger. At
the time he acted like he really wanted it but he'd always "pretend" like he was
getting it by shoving his little hands into his mouth but never actually getting
the food. That continued to happen so I switched to beef, then I'd wiggle that
in front of his face, he'd eat it immediately. But now nothing. What's happening
to him, he's only 10 months old.
<Do need information on the environment. Xenopus are subtropical frogs that need
a fair sized container containing clean (zero ammonia/nitrite) water at around
18-22 degrees C; Hymenochirus frogs are smaller and need tropical conditions,
around 25 degrees C, but still need clean water. So depending on the frog you
have, you may need to review environmental conditions. Almost always when frogs
get sick it's because of water quality issues. Take care not to overfeed: these
frogs need small amounts of food, around 2-3 times per week. Change the water
regularly, and make sure the filter is in good condition, rinsing the media if
required. The shed skin often clogs small filters. Cheers, Neale.>
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Smelly Xenopus Laevis 03/26/2008
Hi Crew, I have a question for you. I have searched everywhere but am unable
to find specific guidelines on how much to feed my adult African Clawed Frog.
Lot's of information on how often, etc. . I had cycled a ten gallon tank to move
my little Dwarf frogs into and while out purchasing some Corydoras for another
tank we found Robin. She is just beautiful, green with markings, the size of my
fist. Sweet as a button, too. Eats from your hand and will even let you rub her
head. My whole family loves her and everyone loves to watch her eat. We feed her
every other night a diet consisting of blood worms, Krill, nightcrawlers and
occasionally feeders (until I found out they are hard for her to digest). Lately
I have taken to the night crawlers and krill as they are less messy. Usually I
rotate what I feed her Mondays are Krill, Wednesdays bloodworms and so on). Here
is my problem. After we had her a week and a half her tank started to smell
foul. Like urine. I have been doing 20%-50% water changes every other day I have
two other tanks I am cycling with 1 small Danio each, so I am doing water
changes anyway). I started doing daily 80% water changes, with no improvement so
I moved herewith her substrate, cave and other content) to a 20 gallon long
tank. Again after a week her tank smells foul again. I use Prime as my water
conditioner, pH is 7.8, KH is 180, GH is 150. Due to the move the tank is
cycling again but with water changes I am keeping Ammonia under 1ppm(still toxic
I know). The Nitrites are .5-1 and Nitrates are 20. I am worried I am over
feeding her, but her belly looks just bulgy when we are done. I was concerned at
first I wasn't feeding her enough. I feed her 3-4 cubes of frozen Krill or
Bloodworms or 2 good sized Nightcrawlers. I watch her belly to decide how much
is enough. So all that being said, any idea's on my odor problem? I wanted to
get a male for her to hang out with but if one is stinking what will two be? I
will not be able to continue these water changes endlessly. We love her very
much my Pug is much consumed with jealousy), and I don't want to lose her, but
really cannot tolerate a stinking tank in my Dining room! Nothing I have read
ever read mentions an odor in association with them. My Dwarfs don't stink.
Please could you help? Thanks so much ahead of time.
<Debbie, if the tank smells, it is GROSSLY under-filtered, overstocked, or
over-fed. Possibly a combination of the three. Since you have ammonia and
nitrite in the water (at critically dangerous levels, by the way) you really
need to ramp up water changes and filtration. I'd be looking for a filter that
provides not less than 4 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour, and
realistically at least 6 times. Undergravel filters work great with Xenopus
frogs. Water changes should be 50% per week if filtration is adequate. Feeding
can be reduced: these frogs honestly don't need very much food. I'd be feeding
an adult Xenopus the equivalent of a small (5 cm) earthworm 2-3 times per week.
Until you get water quality in hand, I'd stop feeding altogether.>
P.S. How many Hikari sinking wafers should I feed 3 Corydoras schwartzi nightly?
I am feeding 3 and they eat them all overnight, but I am noticing algae buildup
on tank that isn't in sun. Once or twice a week I throw in some (frozen) brine
shrimp or blood worms. No other tanks have this issue so I figure maybe
overfeeding? It is very hard not to overfeed. I am learning and getting much
better.
<Are we talking about the small wafers about 10 mm across? One of those four
nights per week is ample. Remember: fish are cold blooded. About 80% of all the
food you eat goes into temperature control, since you're a warm blooded animal.
Cold blooded animals need tiny amounts of food compared with warm blooded
animals. A good rule of thumb is this: feed only as much as your fish can eat in
1-2 minutes, and ALWAYS remove uneaten food at once. A turkey baster is a great
tool for this if you don't want to be messing about with nets and siphons. Fish
that receive enough food will have a gently convex belly but shouldn't look fat
or as if they have swallowed a bowling ball.>
Thanks again
Debbie
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Smelly Xenopus
Laevis -03/27/08
Thanks for the quick reply Neale. So I am over feeding her-very much, it
seems. She seems hungry all the time. I will quite feedings and cut back
to 1/4 of what I currently feed when I resume feeding her. Can she eat
Meal worms or wax worms?
<Small mealworms perhaps, but amphibians often find the larger ones too
difficult to deal with because they can't chew their food. You may
prefer to stick with (wet) frozen foods like bloodworms; half a cube of
bloodworms per meal should be ample for an adult frog. There are also
floating pellet foods on the market designed for feeding frogs. While
not to be used as a staple, once a week these make a good adjunct to a
balanced diet.>
The night crawlers I get are rather large. I do like to feed live foods
as much as possible and I can get the others easily as well. And
crickets of course-they kind freak me out. Suppose I could suck it up,
though. I did forget to mention I have a penguin 150 on the tank with 2
cartridges in place. I used Bio-Spira at introduction to both tanks as
well. I have been doing daily water changes with extra Prime for damage
control. No other chemicals. She seems alert and happy-and hungry! All
the time. We really are very attached to her so I will take extra care
to correct my mistakes-quickly. Surely the over feeding is responsible
for the toxins coming up in the tank even after water changes.
<Sounds likely.>
I will also cut back immediately on the Hikari pellets for my Cory cats
as well. They are the round ones with the picture of the julii on the
front. I will also make sure if I feed them brine shrimp or blood worms
that I won't feed the pellets. These I am sure I do good with as I share
one frozen piece among several tanks and have learned to be stingy from
feeding my dwarfs. It doesn't take much. I am stingy with flake food as
well (I only have the two Danios that eat that for now-they will be
dinner after my tanks cycle). My Xenopus just seems so large that she
must need a good amount to eat. Guess not.
<Indeed not. Many of us humans are overweight because we're terrible at
knowing how much food our species needs to eat. We're even worse with
animals!>
Thanks again so much and have a good night,
Debbie
<You're welcome, Neale.>
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Albino long clawed frog, hlth. 12/19/07
Hi
You helped me once before with advice for my African long clawed frog, which
worked and she recovered. She loved live earthworms and couldn't get enough, and
is now twice as big.
All was well until recently. She has trouble keeping a worm in her mouth, she
keeps stuffing it in with her hands but it wriggles out and she gets fed up. So
its been back to frozen bloodworm for a while.
However, today when I went to see her she is totally bloated. All her skin is
distended by air. She looks like a balloon. We have limited vets in the UK with
knowledge of these animals.
Have you any clues? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
Regards
Jill
<Sounds like a gut blockage issue to me. Best to hold off on feeding for a few
days, see if the obstruction moves. Smaller food items might work better. Bob
Fenner>
African Clawed Frogs, gen.
care 8/30/07
Hello,
<Hi there>
I am writing with many, many questions. Last year, when I lived in a college
dorm, I found myself really wanting a pet, but could not get one because of
rules regarding aquariums at school. Next year, I'm moving to an apartment, and
think that I am ready to start taking care of my first "solo" pet (my family had
a dog when I was a kid, but this will be the first time I'm taking care of
something on my own).
<Can lead to growth, reflection>
I was originally going to get a couple of low-maintenance fish because I wanted
to ease myself into the caretaking business, but a friend of mine asked if I
would like to take her two 3-year old African Clawed Frogs instead.
<Neat animals Xenopus...>
I've met these frogs and they are kept by her parents in pretty pitiful
conditions (unfiltered, separate, very small tanks in which they can barely
extend their legs fully, and they certainly can't swim around!, and they are
only fed pellets). So I've decided to take them and give them a better life.
However, I have to do this on a limited student budget. Additionally, school is
in Chicago, but during the summer and on breaks, I live in L.A. with my family.
<I see>
I've found some conflicting reports about the frogs online, so I'm going to say
what my research has led me to thinking is the way to provide for the frogs that
strikes a balance between proper care, cost, and time.
<You are wise here>
I would appreciate it if you could correct me where my information is wrong, or
where I could save money, as well as where I shouldn't. Additionally, if I am
being too extravagant in terms of maintenance, it would be great if you could
let me know, because I am still a student, and thus, have limited amounts of
time (and, as I said, money).
<Okay>
It seems like I should invest in a 20 gallon long tank, at a minimum (unless
completely wrong, this will probably be the size I get, as it seems like the
price goes up as the size goes up.
<Is a good size, shape>
if I can go down, that's great, but i am guessing it's not a good idea, as most
estimate there should be 10 gallons/frog). Aquarium gravel depth should be 1 1/2
to 2 inches,
<I'd keep in shallow unless the grade is rather large... for ease of cleaning>
and water depth should be 6 to 12 inches, with plenty of air on top.
<Yes... among other things to prevent escape>
Plastic plants and a few good hiding places seem to be a good idea. A
non-escapable, netted top seems to be a must. A light is not necessary. It is
okay to keep these frogs together, but I probably shouldn't put any other fish
in there unless I want the frogs to eat them.
<Correct>
A varied diet of bloodworms, shrimp, and worms (Tubifex or earth?) is good.
<Mmm, expensive, inconvenient, unnecessary and too much likelihood of pest and
disease introduction... I'd settle on a bag of frutti de mar... mixed frozen
seafood... defrost bits of this...>
Feeding them 3-4 times a week is good. I can use pellets occasionally, but not
all the time, as they will probably be cheaper, but less nutritious than other
food sources. Where can I get these kinds of food? Do I have to go through mail
order, or will the local, independently owned pet store carry them? Any
providers that are particularly good and not expensive?
<Again... I would get the mixed seafood from the supermarket>
This is my first time keeping an aquarium, so I'm a little hazy (pun!) on how to
take care of the water. Here is what seems to be the case.
I need to treat the water before I put it in the tank with a dechlorinator (any
brand in particular?).
<I like Novaqua or Amquel...>
I should have a filter that is not too loud, because ACFs have good hearing.
Additionally, I should be testing the water with a testing kit to make sure
ammonia, nitrate, and chlorine levels are, not just low, but at 0. pH should be
around 7.4. (I assume the filter and a dechlorinator take care of these
problems?).
<Likely so and your tap is likely close enough pH wise>
Temperature should be between 68-75, though I've seen you guys recommend raising
the temperature up to 80. For a tank located in a heated apartment in Chicago,
will that require a heater?
<Mmm, depends on your room/setting... if there's money available I would get/use
a small submersible heater for sure>
A 10-15% water change every two weeks, or a 25-33% water change every month with
a gravel vacuum is enough to keep the water clean. How often should I clean the
tank itself (scrubbing the glass), and what should I clean it with?
<I would gravel vac once a week and do the water changes at that time... about
25%... A dedicated clean sponge>
Product recommendations would be great, especially if you know of something that
is cheaper that doesn't sacrifice too much quality (especially if you know where
I can get the tank for not too much money, since that seems to be the most
important thing to buy). Do you know about how much it is going to cost to get
this tank up and running? How about general maintenance once the tank is up?
<Likely a hundred dollars or so... and ten dollars a month or so for food,
power...>
Assuming I keep the tank very clean, will it be smelly?
<Hopefully not>
This question is to know whether to keep the frogs in my bedroom or in the
living room, where they might be more susceptible to my roommate and guests
doing something (I'm still a college student, and am afraid that somehow things
might get rowdy...I heard the frogs are skittish, and I don't want to scare them
with loud music or TV, and I certainly don't want someone to break the tank or
something like that...is that likely?).
<Mmm, depends on "friends"... Do check re how noisy the proposed filter will
be... perhaps an in-tank power type will be best here...>
What about tank setup? Should I scrub the tank clean before I fill it? How?
<Posted on WWM... just no soap, detergent...>
Do I need to put a bacterial start in the water when I am first filling it up?
<Not likely... the frogs will bring their own>
Do I need to let the tank sit for a day or two before I move the frogs in?
<Yes I would>
When I leave for university breaks, will there be a problem if the frogs aren't
fed for a bit?
<Mmm how long>
My breaks range from four days to 3 weeks. I am guessing the 3 weeks will be a
problem, but four days probably won't.
<Correct>
Is there a way to give them staggered food, or will I need to find a frogsitter?
<The latter is a good idea... but barring this, an automated feeder to offer
pellets will work>
I know that I will be taking the frogs for the next two years while I finish
college, and hope that I can take them with me wherever I head after that. I
know that the frogs will still have a home with the parents they are with right
now when I go home for the summer, or after I am done with school. My hope is
that after I get them a nice new habitat with filters, new food, etc., they will
receive better care, because the family has just not spent the money on giving
them the right environment. My concern here is whether or not it will be
relatively easy to transport the aquarium back to the house (a 20 minute car
ride) when I go home and come back for the summer, and indeed, if it will be
possible, though not easy, to fly the frogs cross-country should I end up taking
a job outside of Chicago when I graduate.
<Not impossible to take as carry on...>
My last questions are frog-specific. These two frogs have obviously not lived in
the best of conditions. Will it shock their systems to just move them in
together straight away?
<Mmm, not likely>
Should I acclimate them to their new surroundings, and if so, how?
<Move and place their existing, yes stinky, water with them... change this out
weekly as stated above>
Should I move one frog in first, let him get used to the new place, then add the
other frog? Or should I put them in together for a day, and then move them back
to their old tanks for a day, before putting them in for good?
<I'd move both in all at once>
What about acclimating them to the new food they are going to eat?
<Almost never fussy eaters>
I am guessing since they are really made to eat what I am going to give them
that there won't be any problems with changing their diet.
Thanks for reading an e-mail this long. I really want to make sure that these
ACFs get the care they deserve, and wouldn't want to just take them without
taking care of them.
Best,
Jessie
<You have read the FAQs files here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/afclawedfrgfaqs.htm
Above? Good to peruse. Bob Fenner>
Feeding African Clawed Frogs 5/16/07
Hi, I'm new to the African Clawed Frogs and I have a few questions.
I have 2 Albino African Clawed Frogs along with 2 tiny black frogs. They were in
the same tank as the African Clawed Frogs in the pet store as well is now, at my
home. They are much smaller than the African Clawed Frogs. I don't know what
they are, if you can give me a name for them, that would be great.
< Look at the genus Xenopus online>
Also, the pet store gave me Newt and Salamander sinking pellets by HBH for my
frogs. I've had the frogs for about 5 days now, but they're not eating. The food
sinks to the bottom and stays there, dirtying their tank. Do you have any
suggestions on what I should feed them instead? That would be a big help!
-Adena
< As far as food goes I would recommend some "Tubifex worms" that they sell at
the local fish store. Frogs usually require moving prey items since they hunt by
site. Once they get going they will eat anything that moves.-Chuck>
Albino African Clawed Frog feeding/digesting problems 02-05-06
I recently bought an Albino Clawed Frog about a week ago. I have had quite a
few frogs, my last one of six years died last month. I bought this small one
now (about 3 inches) and she does not seem to want to eat anything I give her.
<Very unusual for Xenopus laevis not to feed>
The shop I had bought her from was feeding her cut up meal worms, and so I have
reluctantly started to feed her those. I was wondering if meal
worms are okay, seeing as my last Clawed frog had problems digesting them when
he was this small.
<Not by themselves, no>
I am also worried because her stomach seems to be growing and I am worried about
intestinal blockage. How should I deal with
this? and How would I know if it is? Any help would be AMAZING.
Thank you!
Mallory Wynne
<Perhaps a level teaspoon of Epsom Salt per ten gallons of system water will
move this blockage. Bob Fenner>
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