# African Dwarf vs Clawed Frogs



## RCinAL (Nov 14, 2010)

I had some _Clawed_ Frogs 30 years ago and really enjoyed the experience. Somehow I got them confused with _Dwarf_ Frogs over the years and just acquired a couple of these smaller cousins thinking I was ready to own some more. Boy, are they ever different critters. 

My Clawed Frogs held their own in a 55 gallon community aquarium with a host of tank mates ranging from small African cichlids to catfish and larger tetras. They quickly became tame and knew who fed them. They would see me coming from across the room and swim to the top to greet me and eat from my hands. They would scrap it out with almost any fish in the tank to get their fair share of food. If food of any kind hit the water they made a bee-line to it and ate. They claimed certain rock coves and ornaments as their own and would take up residence and then defend their turf against all intruders. They were as easy as any fish to care for and were much more interesting to watch than most. They were always visible, curious, and getting into something. They had personalities and seemed intelligent. Best of all, they thrived. They were just delightful critters to have around and required no extra effort. The only drawback was they got fairly big and were rambunctious so you had to choose tank mates carefully. 

These Dwarf Frogs couldn't be more different. They are tiny, defenseless, and wild as bucks. They flee at the first hint of my shadow on the tank. They stay completely hid 24-7 if they have a choice. I had to remove them from a community tank with Glofish and small Tetras on the 3rd day because I hadn't seen them once since they were released - literally - and I feared they were dead or would die. I set them up in their own small tank and tried again. At feeding time they wander aimlessly looking for food as if they are blind and have no sense of smell, if they even come out at all. A blood worm can land on their head and they will not be able to find it if their life depended on it, and it does. If you try to feed them with a pair of tweezers or something they panic and take off, sometimes slamming into things and hurting themselves. I put a Beta in the tank with them in the hopes that a calm, free-swimming tank mate would curb their timidness and fear, but it had no effect. The Beta pays them no attention and is thriving as they struggle to survive. I removed all the gravel hoping they would be able to find food easier on a bare glass bottom, but they are simply to unintelligent to do it. They just flay their arms around, usually knocking the food away in another direction. I even made a little "feeding hut" from a ceramic cave and drilled a 1" hole in the top of it. From the hole I ran a piece of 1" tubing to the surface so I could drop frozen treats through it right down onto their heads without ever disturbing them if I saw them inside it, which is rare. They will just flail around and manage to kick all the food outside where the Beta gets it or it threatens to foul the tank and has to be vacuumed out. It has been 2 weeks and I guess they are determined to starve in a 5 gallon tank with food all around them. I will keep throwing in food, giving them 30 minutes, and then vacuuming it out, but I don't have much faith. I have given them plenty of special attention and my conscience is clear.

I haven't seen clawed frogs for sale in years. Does anyone know of a good supplier?

Ralph


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

*hmmm*

as far as the clawed frogs they have been outlawed in many states...so you may not be able to find them..and that is strange that your frogs are not eating.you may have goten a bad batch so to speak.usualy they will accept all sinking fairs especialy blood worms.are ther any nitrates.have you tried live foods.if live food doesnt work then maybe there is more than meets the eye...as you may have seen most people post about how cool there dwarf frogs are.sorry to hear you are not having the same experience.


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## RCinAL (Nov 14, 2010)

badxgillen said:


> as far as the clawed frogs they have been outlawed in many states...so you may not be able to find them..and that is strange that your frogs are not eating.you may have goten a bad batch so to speak.usualy they will accept all sinking fairs especialy blood worms.are ther any nitrates.have you tried live foods.if live food doesnt work then maybe there is more than meets the eye...as you may have seen most people post about how cool there dwarf frogs are.sorry to hear you are not having the same experience.


I have checked and clawed frogs are not illegal in my state. 

The dwarfs are trying to eat. They just can't find it for love or money. They do go into "feeding mode", but just wander around aimlessly biting at nothing as the food putrefies around them. It is an exercise in frustration trying to get enough food inside them to keep them alive. For every piece they happen to find you must drop in a hundred. If you drop only one or 2 pieces in they will go crazy looking, but just can't "home-in" on it. Like I said, it is like they are blind, can't smell, and are mindless, but I know this is not true because they see me and panic. I have never fed live foods and am not really equipped for it. I am feeding frozen, like I have successfully for 38 years. 

I don't test for nitrates and never have, but I guess I have cycled 50 tanks in the past and never lost a fish doing it. I am being forced to do partial water changes each day to keep the uneaten food cleaned up. I know the water is at least a hundred times better than the toxic soup they were delivered to me in 2 weeks ago. The Beta is doing great and there are no smells. The temperature is stable at 77-78 degrees Fahrenheit. The tank has a good filtration system with a bio-wheel. The water is crystal clear, but it has been a daily struggle trying to achieve all this with all the wasted food in the tank that has to be removed after every feeding. 

I watch them carefully to see if they ever get any food and they RARELY do. Honestly, I don't see how this species ever survived in the wild. If food doesn't land INSIDE THEIR OPEN MOUTH they just won't get to eat. I think the folks who successfully keep this species of frog do so in a shallow dish and must cram food down their throats.

UUUGH! I give up. These frogs are now looking for a home and I am in the market for some CLAWED frogs.


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

*hmmm*

once again my experience with many of these frogs is differnt ...infact mine predate on the guppies in the tank...and the over 20 at my place of employment eat pellets readily..once again you must just be having a bad experiene..or maybe the frogs have been captive raised and inbred to a point of evolutionary stupidity..but i highly dought it...good luck findong your clawed frogs...and post some pics when you do...i havnt seen any for years..


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## RCinAL (Nov 14, 2010)

badxgillen said:


> once again my experience with many of these frogs is differnt ...infact mine predate on the guppies in the tank...and the over 20 at my place of employment eat pellets readily..once again you must just be having a bad experiene..or maybe the frogs have been captive raised and inbred to a point of evolutionary stupidity..but i highly dought it...good luck findong your clawed frogs...and post some pics when you do...i havnt seen any for years..


Badxgillen,

Maybe these are just babies. :hmm:I have nothing to compare them to but they certainly wouldn't predate on anything bigger than a house fly. Their bodies are about the size of my middle finger's nail. 

Tell me about these pellets. Maybe this is something worth trying. Part of the problem with frozen foods might be a tendency to float away as they are moving in on it.

Thanks,

Ralph

BTW... I have found clawed frogs on-line for $8 plus shipping and there is also something called "Grow a Frog" kits. From what I can tell you get a clawed frog _tadpole_, something to feed it, and maybe even a small container to raise it in. This might turn out to be fun and educational. I bet if you pulled it off the resulting adult would be as tame as a kitten! :lol:


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

*foods*

they are called frog and tadpole bites..they are little stinky pellets that sink and seem to do the trick..


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## RCinAL (Nov 14, 2010)

badxgillen said:


> they are called frog and tadpole bites..they are little stinky pellets that sink and seem to do the trick..


Thanks, I will certainly try these before I give up.

Happy Holidays!

Ralph


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

*thanks*

cool...and same too you have a happy holiday..


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## RCinAL (Nov 14, 2010)

badxgillen said:


> they are called *frog and tadpole bites*..they are little stinky pellets that sink and seem to do the trick..


Hey, these do seem to do the trick! :-D Thanks, badxgillen. Just threw some of these in for the first time and they went straight to them and gorged themselves. And as a bonus, the Beta isn't the least bit interested in eating this treat so the frogs will no longer have to compete with him for nurishment. 

These frogs must be just babies though because one pellet is about all their mouths can handle. You can see they must struggle mightily to get one down, but they eventually do and then go for another. Their bodies are now about the size of a dime, if it were egg-shaped. If they manage to get twice or three times this size I will certainly keep them.

Again, :thankyou:

Ralph


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

RCinAL said:


> Maybe these are just babies. :hmm:I have nothing to compare them to but they certainly wouldn't predate on anything bigger than a house fly. Their bodies are about the size of my middle finger's nail.


They do sound like VERY young frogs. A friend of mine has a pair and the bodies on her frogs are at least the size of a quarter.


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

*good news*

good to hear man...i am glad things worked out...thank you world wide comunications..well i am sure they will grow and become acustom to new foods as well...happy fish keeping...


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## RCinAL (Nov 14, 2010)

aunt kymmie said:


> They do sound like VERY young frogs. A friend of mine has a pair and the bodies on her frogs are at least the size of a quarter.


Hi Aunt Kymmie.

Thanks for confirming my suspicions. I guess I will just have to be patient and "pamper" them for a while. They do seem to go for the food Badxgillen recommended so maybe the struggle is half over.

My 9 year old brought them home from school. It seems that each year the science teacher brings some into the classroom for educational purposes and then gives them away to students who have the desire and means to keep them as pets. I just wasn't quite prepared mentally for raising _babies_ and didn't know that is what he would be getting.

Ralph


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## RCinAL (Nov 14, 2010)

*Follow up*

Just so anyone doing research happens to land on this thread:

The frogs are doing great on the frog and tadpole bites badxgillen recommended. They are now gaining weight and are becoming more active. It is a lot less trouble keeping the tank clean now that the food gets eaten. It does take them a while, but they do manage to find and eat just about all of it. I think I will hang on to these for a while now. 

Thanks again, badxgillen! It is great to have the help of others on this forum.  

Ralph


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

*frogs*

i happend to pick up 3 more after chating with you on this thread...after experimenting with some foods particularly smelly ones like the tadpole bites i found i really do like these little guys so now i have 5.


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