My new Xenopus Tads

[Namio]

Thanks Joh! Awesome diary of ACF tadpoles. Even though I'm about a month late from discovering this thread, I'm glad that I finally caught on! Lol!

[BugBoy99]

It is my pleasure. I'm only too glad to share with fellow frog enthusiasts. Between last night, and this afternoon, 9 more tadpoles morphed. there are now 13 froglets.

Also, that picture that I've been threatening to post but never have. This is the pool where I caught the tadpoles. It was taken directly after they cut the grass. The pool has dried up, and reformed, a few times since then. The only Xenopus tads that made it are the ones that I kept.

[IrishRonin]

Thanks for be so informational and so willing to share you experience. I know all who are following this thread are appreciative.

[rodsboys]

How far away is the nearest body of permanent water from the pool?

[BugBoy99]

There is a large pool about three to four meters away. But, even if there are clawed frogs in it(I don't know because its on private property) I don't think they'd be able to make the steep climb over the pool's wall. There is a good 50 centimeters between the water and the ground above it. But, about a 100 meters down the stream bed, which the pool in the picture is in, there is also permanent water, which washes down the stream bed when it rains. I think that the tads originate there.

[tgampper]

I don't actually know, I just know a lady in Texas that has two albino clawed frogs. She is sending me eggs next time they lay (she says they lay frequently). I will ask her if she knows the species. Does it make a difference on husbandry?

The husbandry of both species is the same. I do know that X. muelleri can tolerate slightly warmer temperatures than X. laevis.

[tgampper]

For the most part, the tadpoles have been doing very well. I lost a couple just after I last posted. And, thinking that it might have been some kind of bacterial problem, I switched them over to highly diluted rooibos tea. These last two days, I lost fifteen tadpoles, I don't know why.

Interesting that you used a "red tea" as a treatment. Did you check the pH of the water to see if it was in proper range. I would think the tea would make the water more acidic. If this is the case, the water was out of tolerance. However, there is an interesting thing happening in the Western Cape region. X. laevis is hybridizing with X. gilli (an endangered species). X. gilli can tolerate pH as low as 4.0. It seems that X. laevis is able to adapt to more acidic waters over time. X. laevis is larger and more aggressive and will easily mate with X. gilli.

And, there are now four or five tadpoles that have four legs. This makes me very happy.

Great job! Keep up the good work

[tgampper]

I don't know if this is common with the tadpoles of domesticated clawed frogs, but my tadpoles have a habit of floating along the bottom of the tank, and then blowing upon the food on the bottom. This pushes the food into the water, where the tadpoles easily suck the food into their mouths.

Hi Joh:

There isn't much known about the feeding ecology of tadpoles in the wild. Tadpoles are superior suspension-feeders. They are able to extract virus-sized particles from the water and their filtration rates are better than that of most other species. The scientific explanation is quite complex but the behavior you are seeing is typical. Don't forget to keep good notes.

[gemzjames]

This is so neat! I'm really interested in learning more about these guys in the wild, so I can't wait to see pics Do you know which Xenopus species you have? Have you seen adults before? Do you think that the adults stay buried in the mud at the pools? or do they "hop" to the pools when they form? They are so awkward on land, I wonder how they could do that.

I was in Tanzania last year and I found Xenopus borealis in a well hand-dug by the Iraqw people in the Nou Forest. The well was too deep for me to catch him or get a close look, but it was SO cool.

Hi - ive worked with wild caught xenopus for many years in the uk - they can actually travel quite some distance on land - it has been documented then can travel 200m plus on dry land as they can crawl in a strange kind of way and move from pond to pond. I have 3 wild caught xenopus laevis that i caught in the UK and they were about just over a year old and they have grown tremendously. Its so satisfying to see wild caught xenopus tadpoles and juviniles grow. When ponds dry up, they do bury themselves in the mud and survive if the mud stays moist.

[gemzjames]

I also have 2 xenopus muelleri that were wild caught from s.africa and the physical characteristics are actually very different from laevis so you will definately be able to tell the difference - colouration, sensory 'wiskers', and adult sizes.

Really enjoying this thread ... keep up the good work :-)

[tgampper]

I also have 2 xenopus muelleri that were wild caught from s.africa and the physical characteristics are actually very different from laevis so you will definately be able to tell the difference - colouration, sensory 'wiskers', and adult sizes.

Really enjoying this thread ... keep up the good work :-)

Thanks for your input. I find it amazing that these frogs are so adaptable.

FYI: here are two drawings showing the subocular tentacles, muelleri on left, laevis on right.

[BugBoy99]

Wow! Where to begin. Thank you so much for all the information and input, this thread wouldn't be nearly as interesting without everyone else's contributions.

Interesting that you used a "red tea" as a treatment. Did you check the pH of the water to see if it was in proper range. I would think the tea would make the water more acidic. If this is the case, the water was out of tolerance.

Honestly, I barely ever check PH levels. Ph testing kits are very, very expensive around these parts. One small kit costs R150 which is not exactly within my price range. So, I go on feeling. If I think that I'm having Ph problems, I make sure to boil the water before I use it. As far as I know, Rooibos tea does not affect the water's PH too much, but it does increase the amount of tannins in the water, and has been proven to have fungicidal properties. I tried it on a small amount of tadpoles that I raised once before, and it doesn't seem to have any negative effects.

Oh, and the hybridization is becoming a very serious problem in the Western Cape. If residents there find a species of Xenopus in their garden ponds, pools, etc. they have to have them identified before they can move them. Otherwise, accidental introductions of X. laevis into the habitat of X. gilli would be more common.

Don't forget to keep good notes.

I'm afraid that I'm going to have to work on that before I can study at university. keeping the forum updated is my version of notes. That, and what I can remember.

they can actually travel quite some distance on land

Well, I can believe that now. Last week, when I was moving the frogs to clean water, one of the froglets jumped onto the ground. One wouldn't think that they'd be any good on land if one looks at them, but those frogs can really move!

Thank you for the pictures, I've never seen pictures that distinguish between the species this well.

Please feel free to ask if there are any questions. I find that it helps me to fully understand my methods, and the frogs' behavior sometimes.

Sincerely,
Joh

[BugBoy99]

I took the time today to count all the frogs and tadpoles. Out of an original 136 tadpoles, 112 remain. 17 of them are frogs, and 10 are close to morphing.

One more question, what does everyone else feed their Xenopus? What can one feed them? Please bear in mind that the frogs are wild-caught, and I will be releasing them back into the wild.

I have been feeding bloodworms, mosquito larvae, liver shavings, and today I tried a small earthworm. Which they seemed to enjoy.

Thanks,
Joh

[rodsboys]

I took the time today to count all the frogs and tadpoles. Out of an original 136 tadpoles, 112 remain. 17 of them are frogs, and 10 are close to morphing.

One more question, what does everyone else feed their Xenopus? What can one feed them? Please bear in mind that the frogs are wild-caught, and I will be releasing them back into the wild.

I have been feeding bloodworms, mosquito larvae, liver shavings, and today I tried a small earthworm. Which they seemed to enjoy.

Thanks,
Joh

It sounds like you are already feeding them well. I would not hesitate to get them on a commercially prepared food though. If they can learn to eat that they will eat anything in the wild.

[BugBoy99]

Thanks for the advice. Commercially prepared food is not available here, though. I'd have to order it from the city, which would cost a fortune. I could add feeder fish to their diet. Is that recommended?

[rodsboys]

Thanks for the advice. Commercially prepared food is not available here, though. I'd have to order it from the city, which would cost a fortune. I could add feeder fish to their diet. Is that recommended?

I'd say no. Feeders come with their own set of problems. If you want to use fish try some "human grade" cut fish from the grocery store. I occassionally give my frogs some cut up raw salmon, trout, and tilipia from the grocery store when we happen to be having it for dinner.

[BugBoy99]

Thank you. I had read that feeders can cause problems. But, I always like to run it past someone who has experiential knowledge rather than someone who is just writing an article on something that they researched. I'm guessing that saltwater fish pieces are out of the question. Would they be okay if they've been thoroughly rinsed?

[BugBoy99]

Oh, and just another update. We have been having stormy weather for the last week, and the pool is now much larger than it was when I took the picture. I took the picture after a few days of evaporation. I will try and take photos when the storm lets up.

[rodsboys]

Thank you. I had read that feeders can cause problems. But, I always like to run it past someone who has experiential knowledge rather than someone who is just writing an article on something that they researched. I'm guessing that saltwater fish pieces are out of the question. Would they be okay if they've been thoroughly rinsed?

I think you will be fine as long as you avoid any species that contain thiaminase.

[BugBoy99]

Good to know, thanks. I don't know what thiaminase is, but I'll look it up. What is the recommended size for a group of these frogs in captivity? Is three too few?