Providing a wide variety of live foods is one of the main stumbling blocks to keeping most frogs healthy in captivity. African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus laevis, and several related species), however, take non-living foods.
African clawed frogs get their name from the three claws on their hind feet, which are used to tear apart food. These aquatic frogs, which are found mainly in ponds and rivers throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, have become popular pets in large part because they're easy to care for and live a long time.
The African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis, also known as the xenopus, African clawed toad, African claw-toed frog or the platanna ) is a species of African aquatic frog of the family Pipidae. The species is found throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria and Sudan to South Africa), and in isolated, introduced populations in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
African clawed frogs are sometimes confused with dwarf clawed frogs. However, the African clawed frog has eyes on the top of its head while the dwarf frog's eyes are on the sides of its head. Moreover, African clawed frogs have flat snouts while dwarf frogs have pointed snouts.
Here's a few different ideas with links to introductions, caresheets, and where to find them. If you ever need any help with figuring out new foods for your pets or aquariums, give me a shout as I'm always looking for new foods myself to feed my critters. I also have really small nematodes for fish babies that spawn in my tank and small African Clawed Frogs will eat them as well.
Read also: What to Wear: Morocco Edition
In the wild, African clawed frogs are considered an invasive species on four continents. They are hardy predators, with some even able to survive cold weather that other frogs could not.
Physical Characteristics
An African clawed frog's body is flattened with a smaller, wedge-shaped head. The positioning of the eyes and nostrils on the top of the head, along with camouflaged skin, help this species hide from predators, such as herons. The smooth skin is often multicolored with blotches of greenish-gray or brown on its back. The underside is off-white with a yellow hue. The frogs' front limbs are small with non-webbed fingers used to push food into the mouth. Their hind legs are large and webbed, and the three inside toes on either foot have "claws," which are not true claws but cornified tips.
African clawed frogs also have a lateral line system that is very sensitive to vibrations, enabling them to detect predators and prey in murky water. The Pipidae family of frogs is unique in that members lack a tongue and a visible ear. The males also lack vocal cords.
Natural Habitat and Adaptations
Read also: Discover Essaouira, Morocco
African clawed frogs are highly adaptable and occur in a wide variety of both natural and manmade habitats such as lakes, ponds, streams, wetlands, and canals. They prefer stagnant waters of ponds and slow streams, but are also found in fast-moving waters. Although a water-dependent species, African clawed frogs have the ability to migrate across land in search of new habitat and are capable of aestivation during dry and drought periods.
African clawed frogs are native to sub-Saharan Africa and were imported into the United States for laboratory use and the pet trade. They were originally, and continue to be, introduced into the wild by escaping from, or being released by, laboratories, research facilities, and pet owners, and disperse in the wild by swimming, moving overland, or being carried by water flows.
Feeding Habits in the Wild
African clawed frogs have voracious appetites and will eat anything they can catch, whether dead or alive, including aquatic invertebrates, frogs, fish, and birds, as well as their own tadpoles and recent metamorphs. As a result of these feeding behaviors, African clawed frogs prey upon and out-compete native frogs and other aquatic species. In addition, they serve as a vector for parasites and diseases that can be transmitted to native frogs. African clawed frogs are a known carrier of chytrid fungus, which causes the potentially fatal skin disease in frogs called chytridiomycosis.
All species of the family Pipidae are tongueless, toothless and completely aquatic. They use their hands to shove food in their mouths and down their throats and a hyobranchial pump to draw or suck things in their mouth. Pipidae have powerful legs for swimming and lunging after food. They also use the claws on their feet to tear pieces of large food. They have no external eardrums, but instead subcutaneous cartilaginous disks that serve the same function. They use their sensitive fingers and sense of smell to find food.
Read also: Morocco Time Information
Clawed frogs are carnivores and will eat both living and dead prey including fish, tadpoles, crustaceans, annelids, arthropods, and more. Clawed frogs will try to consume anything that is able to fit into their mouths. Being aquatic, clawed frogs use their sense of smell and their lateral line to detect prey rather than eyesight like other frogs. However, clawed frogs can still see using their eyes and will stalk prey or watch predators by sticking their heads out of the water.
Clawed frogs will dig through substrate to unearth worms and other food. Their tongue is unable to extend like other frogs, so clawed frogs use their hands to grab food and shovel it into their mouths.
These frogs are particularly cannibalistic; the stomach contents of feral clawed frogs in California have revealed large amounts of the frog's larvae. Clawed frog larvae are filter feeders and collect nutrients from plankton, allowing adult frogs that consume the tadpoles to have access to these nutrients. This allows clawed frogs to survive in areas that have little to no other food sources.
Clawed frogs are nocturnal and most reproductive activity and feeding occurs after dark.
Feeding in Captivity
Many owners feed their African clawed frogs floating reptiles or amphibian sticks. While these sticks are typically well-balanced, feeding a variety of foods is still a good idea. Items, such as waxworms, earthworms, feeder fish, bloodworms, brine shrimp, and freshwater snails are all good options. In addition, commercial food for clawed frogs can be purchased from some companies. In general, overfeeding is more of a problem than underfeeding.
Feed daily, and keep an eye on the body shape of your frog. If it seems to be overweight, cut back your feedings to once every other day.
It is well known that African clawed frogs will eat anything that will go into their mouth, but it still is a good idea to feed well balanced foods. I feed my ACFs exclusively Tetra's Repto-Min. Of all the prepared foods, this is the only one that I personally recommend.
Young ACFs should be fed 4-5 times a week, while fully grown adults 3 times a week. Of course, any uneaten food must be removed ASAP (within 20-25 minutes of feeding) as it can foul and adversely affect the water chemistry. Overfed or stressed frogs may regurgitate the food, so do not disturb them during feeding to about 2 hours after.
Oh gosh, you can feed African Clawed Frogs, as an earlier poster said, just about anything that will fit in their mouths. They're like small aquatic pacman frogs lol. Our ACF loves live food, and honestly at this point I wonder if it would eat anything else. If it stays well fed, it stays away from my $15-$20 fish I have swimming around in the same tank.
Suitable Food Options
- Black Worms - Small aquatic worms that is similar to Tubifex (the sewage worm), except that they grow in the silt beds of clean rivers in California. I wouldn't recommend you feed wild blackworms, as they can contain diseases, but the ones below are farm raised and tested clean. These might be a lil small for your frog if hes bigger than your fist, but generally they will still eat the large clumps of worms like spaghetti.
- Silkworms - Caterpillar that feeds on mulberry leaves. Generally sold with processed mulberry chow to eat. Grow to 3" long, but start off as very small black hairy caterpillars, and grow from there.
- Lesser Waxworms - Similar to the more common greater wax worm, except with being 1/4-1/3 the size of its larger cousin. These are entirely prolific, needing only an food and nesting medium to breed, although they are usually bred in artificial honey combs mixed in cups with beeswax.
- Maybe a better worm choise would be California blackworms (Lumbriculus variegates).
- Chopped night crawlers of appropriate size will be eaten with gusto.
- They will eat earthworms like "night crawlers" which are very nutritious and readily available from Walmart and/or local bait shops (get plain ones without chemical dyes).
Here is a table summarizing the feeding recommendations for African Clawed Frogs:
| Food Type | Frequency for Juveniles | Frequency for Adults |
|---|---|---|
| Live Crickets | 4 every other day | N/A |
| Bloodworms | Pinch every other day | 3 pinches every other day |
| Small Earthworms | 3 every other day | Large earthworms 3-4 items twice a week |
| Comets or Rosies | 1-2 every 3 days | 3-4 items twice a week |
| Feeder Goldfish | N/A | 3-4 items twice a week |
Important Considerations
Insects should be sized no bigger than distance between frogs eyes and gut loaded with carrots, lettuce, oats, and cherios for 24-48 hours before feeding frogs.
Can cut the worms from their pointy end if the frogs are small froglets or juvies and the worms will heal.
Probably try mixing some dead insects into the current formula that you are using, but be careful: A sudden change in diet can have bad results in any animal, including humans.
African clawed frogs can be fun pets to watch, but they’re not meant for handling. As aquatic frogs, their skin dries out quickly when they’re out of water. However, some African clawed frogs can learn to take food from their keeper’s hands, which can be a fun alternative to holding your pet. They do sometimes accidentally nibble on fingers, but this is not an issue because they lack teeth.
A 10-gallon aquarium is considered the minimum appropriate size for one African clawed frog. While African clawed frogs don't need a land area, the water should only be 7 to 12 inches deep for the frogs to easily reach the surface to breathe oxygen. The water must be dechlorinated using a product from a pet store designed to remove chlorine. Or it can sit out for at least 24 hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate.
African clawed frogs have a sensory system that allows them to sense vibrations in the water. Thus, some experts believe using filters causes constant stress to the frogs, similar to a human constantly being exposed to noise from a jackhammer. However, some owners opt to use gentle filtration, which keeps the water a lot cleaner than going without a filter.
A heat source usually isn't required for African clawed frogs, as they do well at room temperature. African clawed frogs typically don’t need special UV lighting.
Substrate is the material that lines the bottom of your frog’s aquarium. It can help to mimic the animal's natural environment and anchor plants and other decor. A gravel substrate can be used. However, avoid small gravel; you don't want your frog to ingest it.
Use items, such as rocks, wood branches, and logs, to decorate the tank and provide hiding places. (Frogs with no place to hide can become stressed.) Live plants can also be added to the tank, though the frog might dig them up.
Health Considerations
African clawed frogs are prone to bacterial and fungal infections. They can also get dropsy, or severe bloat. Bacterial infections are often marked by cloudy eyes and redness or sores on the skin. Moreover, like most aquatic frogs in captivity, African clawed frogs are prone to red-leg disease. This is a parasitic infestation that gets its name from an early symptom of reddened legs. Disease is often due to poor water quality in the tank.
If you're concerned that your frog is unwell, don't try to treat it with a home remedy.
It's best to select a captive-bred frog from a reputable breeder or rescue organization. The group should be able to tell you the animal's origin and health history. Expect to pay around $20 to $30. Healthy frogs are active swimmers that hide frequently and have clear eyes and smooth skin.
Distinguishing Features
Male and female frogs can be easily distinguished through the following differences. Male frogs are small and slim, while females are larger and more rotund. Males have black patches on their hands and arms which aid in grabbing onto females during amplexus. Females have a more pronounced cloaca and have hip-like bulges above their rear legs where their eggs are internally located.
Both males and females have a cloaca, which is a chamber through which digestive and urinary wastes pass and through which the reproductive systems also empty.
African clawed frogs are frequently mislabeled as African dwarf frogs in pet stores. Identifiable differences are:
- Dwarf frogs have four webbed feet. African clawed frogs have webbed hind feet while their front feet have autonomous digits.
- African dwarf frogs have eyes positioned on the side of their head, while African clawed frogs have eyes on the top of their heads.
- African clawed frogs have curved, flat snouts.
Personal Experiences
African Clawed Frogs do require a level of commitment as all amphibians do. They have an instinct to leave poor water quality “pools†by crawling up onto land to find a better home. If you neglect their enclosure, they will escape in search of a suitable body of water. However, your home does not have other pools like their native home of South Africa. Henceforth, this usually does not end well for the frog in a human environment.
A fun fact about these frogs is that they do not have a “traditional†frog tongue, they have no tongue at all!
African Clawed Frogs are nocturnal, meaning they rest during the day and are active at night. They typically hide away in hides or plants within their enclosure to rest. sleep in the day.
African Clawed Frogs are fully aquatic freshwater frogs. Meaning they require aquariums filled to the proper level needed for your filtration system. An important feature for African Clawed Frogs is a large space to allow them to bolt around their tank. It is key to not use small pebbles for substrate. African Clawed Frogs will consume them and become impacted, usually leading to death. I personally suggest placing a layer of Fluval Plant and Shrimp Stratum. This promotes plant growth and can be passed through the frog if ingested.
A variety of live plants will add cover and good nutrients to your enclosure. Java Moss, Java Fern, and Hornwort have flourished in my enclosures with African Clawed Frogs.
