I have 2 clawed frogs that were purchased at the same time. One albino, one wild type. When I got them they were pretty much the same size. Both appear to be females, but the wild type frog is almost twice the size of the albino now. Neither is done growing yet either. I am sure part of the reason is that the albino had an injury and has been regrowing her left hand. As a result she eats less and of course more of her energy is devoted to healing/regenerating.
At what point should they be seperated to prevent cannibalization? I had this type of frog years ago and know first hand that smaller individuals can "disappear" without warning, well fed or not. I definately want to keep them together in the long run. I think seperate they can even up in size as I can regulate who gets what as far as food.
Actually, wild type frogs are nearly twice as large as albinos. My albino males are about 2 inches SVL while my wild type males are over 3.5 inches. The wild type female is nearly 5 inches. It is likely, since albinos are captive bred, that the smaller frogs are easier to keep in lab conditions.
Personally, I keep my albinos and wild types separated. In the wild these frogs live in large groups and will establish a "pecking order". There are instances of cannibalism if the there is too much difference in their size, but I haven't experienced any serious behavior problems among my frogs.
Terry Gampper
Nebraska Herpetological Society
“If we can discover the meaning in the trilling of a frog, perhaps we may understand why it is for us not merely noise but a song of poetry and emotion.”
--- Adrian Forsyth
I may have mislead you there, by "wild type" I ment pigmented. I am sure she was also captive breed. Don't know if that makes a difference.
OK, I was thinking "wild caught". These frogs are very large and quite hardy. It is possible that your pigmented frog may have been wild caught or if not it's parents were. I have found that captive bred individuals are usually smaller. I have included photos of a pair of my wild type frogs. At the time the photo was taken, the female was with eggs.
Terry Gampper
Nebraska Herpetological Society
“If we can discover the meaning in the trilling of a frog, perhaps we may understand why it is for us not merely noise but a song of poetry and emotion.”
--- Adrian Forsyth
Part of my worry has been the fact that the albino only eats a little bit. Last night however I was highly pleased. We had fresh salmon and I cut a piece off and cut it up. She ate like a pig. First time I have ever seen here gorge herself like that. It was a big hit. I froze a bunch of small pieces for them and it will definately be part of their food rotation from now on.
By the way I did some research to make sure it was one of the food fish that did not contain thiaminase before deciding to try it out. I may try tilapia next.
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