African dwarf frog

African dwarf frogs are cheerful amphibians, and you will love to see them making splashes in the water. African dwarf frogs are pure aquatic amphibians, and therefore they make the best pets. As they can easily be kept in aquariums.  

However, it is best to keep them alone in their separate aquariums. Why? Because as their name suggests they are so small and can be easily eaten by larger aquatic animals.

African dwarf frogs are very slow. They move and eat very slowly and therefore if you keep them with other fishes it is sure that they will consume its food. 

African dwarf frogs should have their own aquarium of almost 10 gallon in size. The setup should include several places and tools so that the little creature can spend the time while exploring and they also need a shelter too. The goodies you can place in the setup include soft substrate, plenty of freshwater plants, and small rocks etc. 

You have to keep the aquarium lid closed for most of the time because these frogs can jump and to prevent it, it is better to close the lid.

African dwarf frog lifespan

On an average, the African dwarf frogs have a lifespan of five years. These dwarf frogs can grow about three inches.However, depending upon the food availability and the external circumstances these frogs can live for up to twenty years.

There is a great mistake which people do while expecting the lifespan of African dwarf frogs. Most of the people confuse the African dwarf frog with the African clawed frog, however they both belong to the different genus. American clawed frogs are more aggressive and bigger than these.

African dwarf frog food

If you are keeping your African dwarf frog in the same aquarium with the other smaller fishes, then it is very important to give them plenty of food. Or else, those cute little fishes will be their next diet.

However, the fishes may also become the villain. The African dwarf frogs are very docile and slow and they take a lot of time to consume their food. So, the fishes can eat the frog’s food as well.

While feeding the African dwarf frogs, keep these things in mind:

• The frog’s main diet should include the pellets. Pellets drop down the bottom and that is where the frog usually hides. 
• Your frog will love to have some treats occasionally and therefore, you can give them frozen treats like shrimps and blood worms etc.

How can you keep your African dwarf frogs healthy?

Things you should do daily:

• You should feed the above mentioned diet to your frog twice a day; in the morning and in the evening.
• Regulate the water temperature and try to keep it constant.
• Always keep an eye on the frog and make sure that it is behaving and moving like a healthy frog.

Weekly:

• On a weekly basis, you should change 10% of the aquarium water.
• Cleaning the aquarium is very necessary. Remove any algae you see in the aquarium at least one a week.

Monthly:

• Change twenty-five percent of the aquarium water.
• Make sure the water in which the frog is living. Is getting filtered properly.
• Make sure that the vacuum is working properly.
• You can check the water quality by running out several tests to ensure the safe levels of water salts and soluble.

African dwarf frog care

African dwarf frogs are aquatic animals, and are mostly kept as aquarium pets.  These species should be kept in aquariums containing almost ten gallons of water. The tank should be covered with a soft substrate to ensure the maximum comfort. The aquarium should contain a large gravel, because they can gulp up the small gravel while they search for food.

The aquarium should contain clean and filtered water. For filtering purposes, you can use the sponge filters, undergravel filters, and several other filters can be used.  Make sure that ten to twenty percent of the water should be replaced with the fresh chlorinated water daily.

To reduce the burden on the filters, you also have to physically remove the shedded pieces, feces etc to make the water safe and clean. African dwarf frogs do not need bright lights in the aquarium because they have to sneak in their shelters. To keep them busy, and exploring you can place little toys and stones.

The safe temperature ranges from 78-82 F. Make sure that the temperature is between this range and never below and above it. African dwarf frogs need to have fresh air frequently and they have to come on the top so that it is better to have a stone or plant that is placed near the edge. In this way, it is easy for the frog to get on the top without a lot of hustle.

As far as the diet is concerned, pellets are a great option that are made for carnivorous fish.  But, you cannot rely completely on the pellets you also have to give them treats as well for a complete nutritional diet. The frozen things you can give to the African dwarf frogs include blood worms, black worms, white worms and shrimps etc.

These frogs can live on average for two to five years if they are given appropriate care.

African dwarf frog size

The African dwarf frogs are approximately the size of three inches. They can live from five years to up to twenty years.  Their size is three inches approximately seventy-five inches. The african dwarf frogs are mainly mistaken for the Afrcian clawed frogs which belong to the genus Xenopus.

African dwarf frog eggs

African dwarf eggs are very hard to take care of. They are very gentle and delicate and can easily get damaged. The eggs of the African dwarf frogs require warm water and they should place in slightly acidic water than the adult afrcian dwarf frogs. 

The afrcian dwarf frogs can lay up to several thousands eggs in a day. According to research, the African dwarf frogs can lay almost Eighty thousand eggs each year. 

And keep it in mind that these African dwarf frogs are not loving parents. They are very wild parents and like snakes they can eat their own eggs if they feel hungry.

African dwarf frog habitat

African dwarf frogs are the aquatic amphibians belonging to the Hymenochirus. They are also known as clawed frogs which include the both Congo dwarf clawed frog and the eastern clawed frog. 

These beautiful little creatures come from the saharas of Africa and most of the time you won’t see them hopping around like other frogs. As they are aquatic, they spend most of the time inside the water. Their habitat mainly includes lowland rainforests where plenty of waters are available.

African dwarf frog diet

If you want to see your African dwarf frog healthy then it is necessary that you give them a balanced diet:

• Pellets; as african dwarf frogs are carnivorous it is necessary to give them pellets that are made for carnivorous fishes. 
• African dwarf frogs cannot rely on the pellets only therefore they also need other foods as well. Blood worms, shrimps, and other slimy frozen food are the best to be given as occasional treats. 

Do African dwarf frogs need land? 

It is a very logical question but as you know that African dwarf frogs are aquatic species. Therefore, they do not need land as their basic necessity. However, like whales they have to come up to surface frequently to get oxygen for breathing. Why? Because unlike fishes, frogs have a pair of lungs while on the other hand, fishes contain gills for the respiratory purposes. 

Can African dwarf frogs live with fish? 

African dwarf frogs are aquatic amphibians and they hardly need to get out of the water. They just need to come to the top for breathing. Many people think that being an aquatic animal they can be kept with other pet fishes. However, there are few things that should be considered. 

First, if you keep this frog with very small fishes it may eat them whenever it feels hungry and also when food is not available then these fishes will be on stake. 

Second, these frogs are very docile and slow eaters. Therefore, big fishes can easily consume all of the food while the frog will be left with nothing. Therefore, it is better to keep them in a separate aquarium. However, if you want to keep them with other fishes, you have to be extra cautious of what and how much they eat. 

How many African dwarf frogs should be kept together? 

African dwarf Frogs are social aquatic animals. Therefore it is best to keep them in pairs. Providing them company keeps them busy and manages their stress levels. 

A pair or three frogs can easily live in a tank or aquarium of Fifteen gallons. However, make sure that you keep the opposite sexes together if you want them to breed. 

If you accidentally keep them together, there are fair chances that they will breed resulting in production of unwanted eggs. 

How often do African dwarf frogs eat food? 

You should provide frogs with enough food daily. If they are with other pet fishes they may need more food than the required amounts. 

You should feed them several times a day and make sure to remove the discarded or left over food from the aquarium after thirty minutes. If taken care properly, the African dwarf frogs can easily live up to five years. 

Female African dwarf frog

The aquatic African dwarf frogs can grow up to about one or two inches. Females are dominant in size than the males. However, you can’t use this piece of information for their gender discrimination. 

If you want to know the gender then lift the leg of the frog and try to find a white spot/bump on each leg. If there are any subdermal glands present then it will mean a maleand vice-versa . 

African dwarf frog pregnant 

Technically speaking, the African dwarf frog is never actually pregnant. Why? Because we know that they lay eggs.

After the sexual process is done between the male and the female frog, the female usually instantly lays those eggs. Therefore, the female frog does not carry the eggs in her body and hence it is not actually pregnant.