# African Clawed Frogs have trouble eating



## Fiddy (Dec 2, 2011)

Hi, I have a 55 gal tank with 4 African Clawed Frogs, 2 Spotted Pimelodus, 2 Sailfin Plecos, and a bunch of Goldfish num nums for the frogs. The Frogs seem to be having a problem catching the Goldfish. I usually buy 4 dozen at a time, and when I first put the Goldfish in the tank the Frogs can eat them. Now they almost seem uninterested in the Goldfish. I had been hand feeding the Frogs Nightcrawlers since they were babies. Over the past 3-4 months I've been trying to switch them to Goldfish, but I have about 10-15 that have been in there for a month now. I'm sure the frogs are eating, bc they probably would have died by now if they weren't. Anyone know if there is anything I can do, or know if there is an alternate food I can feed them instead?


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

I keep African dwarf frogs and use to keep clawed frogs.

I found this at African Clawed Frog Housing and Feeding
Depending on size and age of African Clawed Frogs they can eat a wide variety of food. Froglets (up to one year) should be fed daily with a staple pellet being their main diet. Adults should be fed every 2-3 days.

TYPES OF FOOD
specially formulated pellet food : Reptomin, HBH Frog and Tadpole Bites, Xenopus Express Homepage sells a special ACF formulated food in diffrent sizes, sinking/floating and tadpole powder.
Live guppies
Frozen food : blood/glass worms, brineshrimp, krill, silversides, beefheart, Marine Cousine, any type of carnivore diet
Freeze-dried food : krill, tubifex worms, gammarus, bloodworms
Other live foods : earthworms, night crawlers, crickets (remove females ovipositor)
Other pelleted foods : trout chow, cichild pellets (color enhancing pellets are said to enhance the coloration in reticulaed albino frogs) sinking brine shrimp pellets
FOOD NOT TO FEED

GOLDFISH or MINNOWS (rosey reds, tuffys, etc) contain an enzyme called thamanise which blocks the frogs ability to absorb vitamin B. They also have a seraded spine which can damage the frogs internal organs.
BEEF HEART is very fatty and if fed on a regular basis can clog their arteries and can cause heart failure (just like in people!). But this is a favorite treat and I use it to bring back the appetite of a sick frog.
FLAKE FOOD lacks just about all essential nutrients your frog needs to survive. Flake food is for fish, not frogs.
SINKING PELLETS ON GRAVEL can be dangerous because your frog can ingest pieces of the gravel while foraging for food. I suggest putting a small plate on the bottom of the tank (bottoms for terra cotta pots are great, and come in many sizes) and placing all sinking food on it.
African Clawed Frogs need a calcium rich diet for proper bone growth, especially as fast growing froglets. Specially formulated pelleted foods contain the calcium that they need, so that is why froglets should be fed primarily on pellets to ensure they are getting the proper amounts of calcium and nutrients. Once adults, then a varied diet is the best diet.
Sometimes African Clawed Frogs can go through a "fasting" period, refusing to eat for a week or sometimes even a month! And then begin eating again as if nothing ever happened. You know your frogs, if they act sick or lethargic then something may be wrong, otherwise, they are just being a typical ACF.

During the winter months ACF's metabolism will slow down and they will eat less often and in less amounts. I STRONGLY suggest cutting feedings to only once a week for adult frogs during the winter months.

HOW TO FEED THEM

You can throw the food in the tank and in a matter of seconds they will sense or "smell" the food and start going into a frenzy looking for it. Remove any leftover or uneaten food, it will just foul up the water.

You can hand feed your frogs. This is a fun way to feed them and it makes them very tame. Just hold a piece of food in your finger tips and chase them around the tank until they take it. Eventually they will associate your hand with food and swim up too. Sometimes they will nip arms and fingers, but since they have no teeth, it doesn't hurt.

You can also use a turkey baster to feed your frogs. This method works really well with froglets. just suck up the food in the turkey baster and slowly squirt it out in front of the froglet. You can make a fun game out of it by having them chase the food around the tank.

WHAT I DO

I feed my guys a pelleted food mixture of Reptomin, Nutriafin Gammarus Pellets, OmegaOne Kelp Pellets and Krill Pellets. My frogs are surface feeders and as soon as I open the top of the tank they know it's feeding time. They also get a treat of live ghost shrimp or guppies about once a month.


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## Fiddy (Dec 2, 2011)

That site is very informative. It is getting close to winter so their metabolism has probably slowed down. I'll probably give the Goldfish away, and feed them solely on guppies, pellets, and earthworms. The Frogs are almost full grown so I would have to feed them like 1000 guppies. lol


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

I wish I could have a 55G just for clawed frogs, If I do it will have to be in the shop.

I love frogs.
I use to have a 8X16 out door pond that I transplanted two 5 gal bucket full's of tad pols from the local lake and I ended up with 10 or so bull frogs.
They lived in the pond for 4 years.
I had to replace the pump and the new pump had a problem with the intake screen so I left it off to get a new one and the next morning I went to check on the pond and the water fall was not running! 
I checked the pump and I found one of the larger bull frogs stuck to the intake.
His adomen was lacerated and some of his large intestine was protruding. 

I used a bath of 80 mg/l of Propofol for 15 min as a general Anesthetic.
I figure that would give me at least 20 min to work with.
I also added 5ml of melafix as a antibacterial agent. 
The intestine looked in good shape still pink and no tares.
I gently stuffed the intestine back in the abdominal cavity.
Removed some of the necrotic tissue form the laceration.
I used some derma bond to close the wound. 
Put her in my 20 gal hospital tank and in two weeks she was eating well
and making stools just fine. 
I kept her though out the winter since she didn't have chance to 
build up her fat stores to last the inter.
The released her the next spring.


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## Fiddy (Dec 2, 2011)

Wow, that's an amazing story. Most people would have given up honestly. That's so cool how you knew exactly what to do to help the frog out. I'm gonna tell my mom about that. The frogs are actually "her's," but I have to feed them, clean their tank, take care of them, etc. lol She made me put my tropical fish in a 45 gal in my room so she could have the frogs in the living room. >< 

I didn't know you weren't supposed to feed the ACFs Goldfish. I blame the petstore (they told me to feed them Goldfish) and my lack of knowledge. Hell, I should just feed them my wallet. That's what they are doing anyway, because I have 4 of them. lol We got those big ol' Canadian Nightcrawlers here in Ohio, so I'll feed them those. That's what they seem to like best.


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## ScurvyGoat (Dec 1, 2011)

I love ACFs! I have three right now, sub-adults. I feed mine $4 of feeder guppies once or twice a week and swap in crickets and small superworms (crush the head. Ick) to keep things varied. I tweezer feed so I grab the superworms by the head and give each frog a couple. BE CAREFUL: they can and will eat so much it kills themselves. Not the smartest things ever lol. My big albino will take anything from my hand as I hand fed him before getting feeding tongs. He'll jump right in my hand and hang out, the goober lol!!! Oh! You need to crush the superworm heads because I have heard stories of them killing frogs from the inside. I was advised to do it by my friend who breeds them. Better safe than sorry! They really liked them though!


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## Fiddy (Dec 2, 2011)

I went to a bait store and bought 2 dozen night crawlers. The frogs slurped them down quick. I think they are either uninterested in the Goldfish, or are too dumb to catch them. My 2 female frogs are pretty smart, but the 2 males are dumber than a flying rock. I might eave the Goldfish in there for color, and feed them Guppies, Ghost Shrimp, and Nightcrawlers until I can get some of that pellet stuff.


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

you do remember reading that gold fish is not good for them,


> GOLDFISH or MINNOWS (rosey reds, tuffys, etc) contain an enzyme called thamanise which blocks the frogs ability to absorb vitamin B. They also have a seraded spine which can damage the frogs internal organs.


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## Fiddy (Dec 2, 2011)

Yea, but I have nothing else to do with the Goldfish. I can't put them in my community tank, and I'm damn sure not gonna flush them. If they eat them they will get that enzyme or w/e from the worms I feed them. Not rlly wise I know, but I think they will be ok.


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