African dwarf frogs are completely aqua. They, if ever, rarely come out of the water. They are a relatively small frog. The male frog is smaller then the female(as in most species of animals)and a darker color. The female is light in color. The frogs contain webbed feet for powerful kicks that let them escape fast from an enemy. They are excellent swimmers. Although they spend their entire life under water they still need air. Every now and then they go up to the surface of the water to fill up their lungs with air. These frogs eat whatever they can fit in to their mouths! They will eat dead or alive food. These frogs live in warm temperature waters. These frogs are also common in the pet trade. The next section will explain a good environment and treatment for these frogs.
TANK SETUP
Planning on buying these frogs as pets? This section will tell you how to care for them. First you need to find an aquarium that is the right size. This depends on how many you want to keep. If you are plannig to breed them then I recommend a big tank(10 gallons or more). If you plan to keep three or less then you can buy a small aquarium such as a plastic one. This could range from 1 to 10 gallons. After you have bought your tank you will need to buy gravel or sand for the bottom. I recommend gravel because these frogs like to dig around for their food and sand will just make it harder for them. Try finding a special gravel that some companies offer. It is treated with a special bacteria that will decade uneaten food or frog waste faster. After selecting your gravel of choice it's time to find some decorations for your tank. Buying a plant will make the tank look more nature like and give the frogs a feeling that there at home. The plant will also help decade frog food and waste faster. You should also get a small figure for the tank. It would be a good idea if the figure contianed holes. African dwarf frogs like to hide so if they can use your decorations as a cave or rock they will enjoy it very much. Now all you need is the frogs and water. Go to a local pet store or buy your frogs online to obtain them. After getting your frogs fill up the tank with water. Remeber that these frogs need air to live. DO NOT fill the tank all the way up with water. Leave an air space from the lid to the water that is about an inch. Now your frog tank is complete. The next section is on feeding.
FEEDING
One amusing thing about these frogs is that they will eat dead or alive food. Some alive food you can feed these frogs is blood worms or tublifex worms. Some dead food you can feed these frogs is freeze dried blood or tubiflex worms. You can also feed them certain kinds of frog food pellets. Feed one or two frog food items per frog once or twice a day. Be careful not to overfeed them or pollute their home. They can go for a day or two without food. The next section is on frog care.
FROG CARE
These frogs do not need a tank heater or light if kept in a warm area. Their tank water should be from 65 to 85 degrees warm. Don't worry if your frog does not move alot. That's normal behavior. These frogs don't move often unless looking for food or getting air. They also shed their skin, if they do they will sometimes eat it. If you have two frogs in a tank and they decide to mate then I suggust a bigger tank for them, because if you want the eggs to hatch then you are going to have alot of new African Dwarf Frogs. These frogs are very easy to care for and contain low mantiance. If you have a well setup tank then you will not have to clean as often. The next section is on cleaning.
CLEANING
Cleaning is quite simply if you do it right. First remove any decorations from the tank. Then dump the water into another container with the frogs. Rinse the rocks out with replacement bottled water. Wipe off the decorations and tank with the new bottled water. Do not use tap water for any part of the cleaning, the chlorine will kill them. Put the rocks and decorations back in the tank the way you want it to look. Fill up the tank with the new bottled water and let it sit until it is room tempature. Put the frogs in the tank, cover the tank, and you are done with the cleaning.
For further reading on the frog care click here to go to froggy care and get a basic view on how to care for many kinds of frogs.
|
