African Clawed Frog Won't Eat & Shakes

[amandaglad]

Hello!

I have an ACF who will be a year old in July. Everything has been fine until a couple of weeks ago when he stopped eating! He is still active and moves around normally but at times he will stop moving and start shaking, almost like he is having a seizure. This is really starting to worry me!
Here is some information about his tank, any further questions let me know! But I really appreciate anyone who can help!

Tank Size: 10 Gallons, filled all the way
Lives alone
70-72 degrees F
Filtered tank
Diet: tubiflex worms, brine shrimp, frog pellets, blood worms, crickets, krill.

Water Quality Levels:
pH: 7.0
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0

Thank you for any help! I would really appreciate it!

[SwimminSteve]

Hello,

I'm sorry your frog isn't feeling well. I have a couple more questions that might help us to help you.
What kind of filter do you use?
How often do you change the water/what percentage to do you change?
What do you use to treat the water?
Is there a light on the tank? Does he seem to have "seizures" when you startle him? Does his whole body shake? or just his hind legs?

Others here may have better ideas of what is going on. I'm no expert on water parameters, but what you've listed is fine.
It would be very helpful if you could show us a video of the shaking/seizures. Is your frog noticeably thinner? They can technically go for many weeks to months without eating, although we don't recommend you let it get to that point. I would cease feeding any freeze-dried food (tubifex worms, etc.) as they don't offer much nutritionally. You may have luck handfeeding earthworms if he won't take anything else.

My 8 year old albino ACF has been having "seizures" since he was around 3 or 4. I don't know much about it, but I only see him do it after I startle him by approaching the tank or turning on the lights when the room had been dark. He will dart around the tank, eventually smack into something, and then kind of shiver for 30 seconds or so. His front legs twitch back and forth. It's upsetting for me, but he recovers quickly and I very rarely see it happen anymore.

[amandaglad]

I use a Tetra Whisper PF 10 filter.
I change 25-50% weekly and then I change everything every month and scrub the rocks, etc.
I use AquaSafe Plus to treat the water and this time I added a little bit of Stress Coat Plus.
I keep the light off on the tank because it is a LED light and is too bright for me so I figured it would be too bright for him. Sometimes when he is startled, he will have these "seizures" but that has only been twice. It is mainly when he comes up to the top of the tank when trying to eat. When he has been startled, it has been his whole body and then he darts around too. But when he comes up to eat, it is his front limbs. I also noticed tonight that he has been shedding a lot more than normal.
He just started looking a bit thinner today, but not too much. For the earthworms, can I get them at any pet store and they would be okay for him? I always thought about getting some for him but since he stopped eating I haven't tried.

[Felis]

Hi,

are you sure about the 0 NO3? That is highly unlikely (impossible in a cycled tank). Your other readings are fine, but I would check the test kit to make sure that it works correctly.

100% changes disturb the natural bacteria fauna a great deal and shouldn´t be done on a regular basis; just stick with your weekly 25-50% changes.

The food you use is fine as long as it isn´t freeze dried; wet frozen or life would be ok.

From what you describe, the "seizures" seem to be simple startle responses (although I can be wrong here without seeing it myself). The forearm movements match the normal ACF foraging behaviour as far as I can imagine from your message. However, an ACF wouldn´t stop eating for no reason. The frequent shedding also shows that something might be out of order; are you sure that he doesn´t show any other symptoms? Sorry, I´m at a loss here But earthworms are worth a try, I don´t know of any ACF that doesn´t love them. The ones you can buy are fine.

[amandaglad]

I can try retesting the NO3. I will grab a new master kit at the pet store when I go there to get earth worms. It is freeze dried , I can go and get frozen. Does freeze dried harm them?
He acts the same like he has the whole time. He does not move at much, but I kind of relate that to him not eating and having no energy. The only other thing I can really think of is he might have went blind. He used to go after my finger through the glass and he used to chase after the spoon when I feed him, but now he does not do anything like that. Could he have possibly went blind?

[Felis]

Hi,

I don´t think that your frog went blind; it´s more likely that he doesn´t feel well for another reason (which is yet to identify). However, amphibians in general spend much time doing nothing, so it´s possible that your frog also gets calmer because of its age (of course, he´s still very young, but he isn´t a "baby" anymore).

Freeze dried foods can cause constipation, which may lead to serious health problems in frogs as well as in fish. Also, they hardly contain any nutrients. Therefore, it would be great if you could get the frozen food and the worms.

Can you upload some pictures of the frog and your tank setup? Maybe anyone can notice something and give you further advice.

[amandaglad]

Okay, I will get frozen food and worms. How long does frozen food normally last?

Here are pictures attached!

[Felis]

Frozen food lasts several months in the freezer, but it shouldn´t thaw in the meantime (only the amount that you feed, of course; before feeding, let it thaw and rinse it so that your frog can´t eat a frozen block of food).

Your frog looks fine, I can´t see any discolorations or swellings which would hint at an infection. Maybe you should just try out the new food.

The gravel in your tank might cause problems; it can be swallowed and food can sink in and rot. I myself recommend sand for frog tanks.
Is there enough room for the frog to surface for air?

[amandaglad]

Okay, thank you very much for your help on the food!
I will look into sand, can i still siphon sand when cleaning out the tank? In the pictures it doesn't look like much room, but he sits at the top with his head peeking out for air. There is about 2 inches of space.

[Felis]

Hello,

you can stir the sand and suck out the dirt from the water 1-2 cm above the sand line. As you don´t have live plants, the layer doesn´t need to be thick- 1-2 cm will suffice.

Did you already get the frozen food? Most sorts will sink to the bottom, so be careful with your gravel. Also, leftovers must be removed about 30-60 minutes after the feeding, otherwise you might get problems with your water quality.

Ok, 2 inches is enough space for the frog to breath; sorry, couldn´t see it in the picture.

I googled the filter that you use. It´s rated for 5-10 gal, right? That´s pretty small for an ACF as they are very messy animals. In the long run, I would look into a filter that can handle up to 20 gal without producing a strong current. But first, your frog needs to start eating again of course.

[amandaglad]

So for the sand, I don't suck it up like the rocks, I just hold it above it?
I haven't had a chance to get frozen food, I plan on doing it tomorrow since I worked too late tonight. I'm thinking about getting a little dish for it to sink into.
I had bought the Whisper EX 30, set it up, to find out it hit the glass of the tank and vibrated it too much for me even. I hate hearing the filter since the tank is in my room. Do you recommend any filters?

Thank you so much for all of your help! This is greatly appreciated!

[Felis]

Hi!

Yes; if you would suck the sand up like your gravel, you would end up with an empty bottom Just stir it using your finger or a small rod and hold the hose into the cloud of dirt that you raise that way.

Hm, sorry, can´t really help with the filter- here in Europe, we usually use different types and/or brands. Canister filters are a nice choice, e.g. from Eheim or JBL. Given the right volume, they are efficient, the current can be easily controlled and they don´t make much noise. But I don´t know if they are readily available in the USA; I guess other brands will be just as good, but these are the only ones I have had my own. Maybe someone else can give more input here.

P.S.: the dish is a good idea, but don´t be disappointed if the frog manages to scatter the food anyway *g*

[amandaglad]

Okay! Thank you very much!
I can try just looking up some canister filters and seeing what they say about them.

I hope he's just constipated or something and he will eat this frozen stuff today!

[SwimminSteve]

Rather than switching completely to frozen foods, I would suggest you find a pellet food to use as a staple. A lot of people here use Reptomin turtle sticks (they float). My frogs prefer sinking pellets, so I use HBH frog & tadpole bites. I have to buy them in bulk online. With 6 frogs I go through about 1 container every two months or so. Pellets designed for frogs are OKAY, as long as they are a trusted brand with adequate nutrition. The problem with freeze-dried stuff like tubifex worms is they have very little nutritional value. Frozen foods such as blood worms, krill, and brine shrimp should be used as a treat. And keep in mind they are pretty messy. You don't want to leave rotting worms or shrimp in your filter for long

And speaking of filters. The tetra whisper internal filters are my favorite for small tanks. They are VERY quite and they don't disturb the water much. Since you have a 10gal, you will want to purchase a filter designed for up to a 20 gal (ACF produce a lot of waste). While canister filters are great, they are also expensive and it would probably be overkill for your small aquarium.
Check out the 20i by tetra. It's sold in petsmart and petco or you can find it online. I highly recommend it. I've used them for years and never had an issue. Amazon.com: Tetra Whisper In-Tank Filter 20I with BioScrubber, 10 to 20-Gallon: Pet Supplies

[amandaglad]

I have a pellet food right now, but the pellets are too little for him since he has gotten bigger. He used to always come up to the top of the tank to eat, but now he hasn't been doing anything. I'm going to try feeding him a frozen food that sinks today and then I will either by Reptomin or HBH based upon what he does. Maybe he wants to eat at the bottom now... who knows. I just hope he starts eating again. He looks so pale and sad...
When he was smaller, I had him in a tank with a Tetra Whisper Internal filter and I had so many problems with it. It stopped working at times, and it would start to vibrate. I had the 10i. I'll probably end up keeping the filter I have for the next few weeks since I bought him a 30 gallon tank with a Whisper EX 45. I'll have time to set it up and put it together in a few weeks.

[Felis]

Hi,

earthworms are a great staple as well (better than low quality pellets); ACFs are carnivorous, so they can´t digest plant material. If you want to use pellets, make sure that they are adequate for amphibians.

Did you already try the frozen food? Fingers crossed that he likes it!

It´s great that you will upgrade his tank 30 gal is a good size for this species, I´m sure he will appreciate all the room! Your filter will do until then.

[mpmistr]

This thread has a me little curious, you said your frog is having seizures? Can you describe this more? I've seen my frogs have 'twitchy feet' once in a blue moon but it never lasts longer than a few seconds and I don't believe this is anything to be alarmed about.

[amandaglad]

Well, I got blood worms and earthworms. And he didn't even act interested I put it right in front of him and he just sat there uninterested. His whole leg clenched up. Like he was having a muscle spasm. I tried getting a video of it, but epic fail on my part since I had earthworms in my hand. If his leg was a human's it looks like the muscles spasm almost like a Charlie horse that we sometimes get. There's no lumps in his tummy or anything so no rocks in his stomach. I don't know what to do...

[ElfDa]

Okay, I will get frozen food and worms. How long does frozen food normally last?

Here are pictures attached!

So cute and derpy!
I've heard of a number of these guys suddenly shedding more, and fasting, so I'm keenly interested in this thread.



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[ElfDa]

Also: I really hope he starts eating for you! I foster ball pythons, so I know the "why won't you eat?!" Panic all too well.

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