Dwarf frogs mixed with clawed frogs?

[Dan]

Hi everyone,
as i said in my last post, one of my clawed frogs died. i still have one more, but i was wondering if i could get a dwarf frog to go with him. it is a five gallon tank and i originally intended to get dwarfs to begin with , but i got mixed up thinking that there was a dwarf clawed variety (forgive me, i am a veteran at fish keeping, but new to frogs). I know the dwarfs are social animals so they would want company, would a clawed frog make good company? or would it be bad to mix them? and would i need a bigger tank?

[Dan]

also, im feeding the clawed frog frozen daphnia, they told me at the fish store that they would help with digestive issues, at least in fish, and im trying to avoid another case of bloat. any idea if this will help or hurt? i know blood worms can cause problems

[Jenste]

You CAN NOT mix them - the dwarfs grow less than 1.5-2 inches, the clawed frog would make an easy meal of the dwarf.

Also, a 5 gallon tank is ok for 1-2 DWARFS, but is not acceptable for even 1 clawed. The minimum size tank for one clawed frog is 10 gallons - again, minimum.

A good, healthy diet for clawed frogs is Reptomin sticks -readily available in the USA. Find it in the reptile/turtle section. They are floating sticks, will take the ACF a bit to get used to them but they are great for them. Treat with an earthworm here and there if you want.

[Dan]

Jenna,
I read on your website that there are different spiecies of clawed frog that are different sizes, how can you tell the difference between xenopus laevis and Xenopus borealis?

[Jenste]

If you read my website, then you also read all over it - "Do not mixed dwarf with clawed"

Laevis and borealis have a few differences - size, coloration, and availability.
Size - Laevis up to 6 inch, Borealis up to about 4.5 inch
Coloration - Laevis = natural/wild type spotting of brown/green, albino, reticulated albino, leucistic, piebald. Borealis = only natural/wildtype which is a grayish blue body, with a blue sheen over it, a yellow underside with gray/purple spotting. Laevis generally do not have spotting on their undersides.
Availability - Laevis is the one you find in pet stores. Borealis is usually found by tracking down a breeder - I have not heard of Borealis in stores.

Most stores cannot even tell the difference between Dwarf and Clawed - never mind different species of Clawed!

Again, unless you upgrade your tank, the 5 gallon is not even suitable for the one frog you have remaining.

Dwarfs and claweds should never be mixed for the safety of the dwarf frog. Doing so is for the benefit and enjoyment of the keeper, not the animal.