New Article: African Clawed Frog Diets: the 2 Best Variations

Hi All,

Please check out: The 2 Best Diets for African Clawed Frogs (Dry-Based and Live Food Based)

Today I’d like to highlight two different diets that have enabled some of my African Clawed Frogs to reach 20+ years of age, and to breed as well. Read article here

Comments and questions appreciated,

Thanks, Frank

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Bio: That Pet Place welcomes Zoologist/Herpetologist Frank Indiviglio to That Reptile Blog | That Reptile Blog

Very interesting article - -
I keep and breed Xenopus Laevis, and keep but have not yet bred Xenopus Borealis.

I would love to link to your article on my personal site if you are alright with this.

I was wondering if you might want to go into more detail about appropriate and inappropriate fish for feeding. Minnows and goldfish for example are can actually be harmful to the frog if fed often and minnows have serrated edges to their fins which can cause internal damage.

Hello,

Than ks for the kind words and for raising the impt point concerning fish types. Years ago, a co-worker of mine discovered that steady diet of goldfishes has been linked to liver problems/fatalities in mata mata turtles; necropsies of our collection (at the Bx Zoo) did not allow vets to pinpoint the exact reason for this, but since then I caution against over-use of goldfish. Here is a related article.

I've never had problems with fins on minnows; I'm always careful to use very small individuals (compared to what the frog can actually swallow); other species that sometimes arrive in minnow shipments, such as small sunfishes and catfishes, can be dangerous. Minnows are usually raised in outdoor ponds, and so are a more nutritious item in gen than goldfishes (due to the diet...algae, inverts plus commercial foods) but other species sometimes get mixed into shipments.

Xenopus are adapted to feed primarily upon inverts; some introduced populations seem to consume a great many tadpoles and fishes, but an invert-based diet is the safest route to go, fish as a useful supplement.

Yes, please feel free to link, thank you; send me your site's address when you have a moment as well. Your readers can post questions directly after my articles...I am notified of them very quickly, and of course the blog sponsors like to see hte activity.

Best regards, Frank

Hello Frank,
My site is www.jenstefrogs.com

I am in the process of editing most of the pages and will post your article with in the next few days if all goes well.

Hi,

Thanks...good luck with it; I'll take a closer look shortly and will keep your info on hand for others. Pl let me know when the article is posted.

You might enjoy this article on some unusual Xenopus behavior that I've come across. Please let me know your thoughts when you have time, best, Frank

Hi Frank, always a pleasure to read your articles. I have had a female who dropped eggs (twice) without a male present. How do you train your frogs to eat reptomin sticks? I keep my frogs in a 14" deep tank (to reduce temp fluctuations and maintain water quality) and have had no joy in getting them to eat floating reptomin sticks, if i reduce the depth to about six inches they will find and eat them but ignore them when the tank is full. My females tend to hang on the surface more than the males but they generally ignore reptomin and seem to be holding out for their customery worm. Other than trying to starve them, what can i do to encourage them to eat reptomin? Thanks.

Hi, Thanks so much for the kind words and info concerning egg-laying.

It will take longer for the scent to reach them in a deep tank, but they will become aware of it in time.

It's more likely a matter of their not being hungry enough. As you suspect, the only way to induce them is to keep them hungry...they are amazingly resilient, great at converting food to fat, and can fast for surprisingly long periods, even in the wild (captives generally have even more reserves than wild individuals). If you have access to trout chow, that is a good replacement for reptomin and, due to the very fishy scent., is usually taken right away. But I've never known one that will not take either food in time.

I see you're in the UK; I've read of an introduced population in England that lives in the underground water supply system of a castle (details escape me, but I have the book somewhere...)...water never gets much above 14 C or so; they seem not to breed, but several individuals are in their teens! Another group lives in a series of ponds that are sometimes subject to salt water incursions or spray from the sea, which is nearby...so other than susceptibility to ammonia toxicity, they are great at putting forth a "stiff upper lip"!

Best, Frank

findi said:

I

I see you're in the UK; I've read of an introduced population in England that lives in the underground water supply system of a castle (details escape me, but I have the book somewhere...)...water never gets much above 14 C or so; they seem not to breed, but several individuals are in their teens! Another group lives in a series of ponds that are sometimes subject to salt water incursions or spray from the sea, which is nearby...so other than susceptibility to ammonia toxicity, they are great at putting forth a "stiff upper lip"!

Best, Frank

Click to expand...

There is a population in Bridgend South Wales which has been there for nearly twenty years, it has escaped the customery eradication by the UK authorities as it is being studied for information on xenopus invasive capabilities. The population appears to have been started by a mass introduction at one time, yearly recruitment is low but they do seem to be able to withstand a UK winter, they are probably helped by Bridgend being in a coastal region, so the temp will be a few degrees warmer than the in land temp. Where is the castle that you mentioned? i like to follow the progress of xenopus in the UK. Also what is "trout chow", is this a brand of pellets or just a generic term?

Hi Ian,

Thanks for that info...I'll search for the book and let you know, but it will be awhile, unfortunately.

Trout chow is a commercial pellet used to rear trout on trout hatcheries; salmon pellets are similar. Here in the US they were also used to rear aquatic turtles (very good) but are less common now that other pellets have been developed. Turtle Interest Groups and Clubs sometimes still buy them in bulk from hatcheries, and then sell smaller quantities to members..perhaps same in UK? Best, Frank