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Thread: Rescued my little albino ACF from a foreclosed home

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    Default Rescued my little albino ACF from a foreclosed home

    I named her Hope, because in the midst of a dark, cold, dreary foreclosed home, she was still alive in a filthy half empty tank after months of abandonment.

    She's my second African Clawed Frog. I got my first one when I was thirteen and just assumed I could treat it like any other fish, because no one at the pet store informed me otherwise. There I was, purchasing angel fish and mollies and no one said a word about how to raise that cute little frog in the corner over there. It never got any bigger, it was never fed anything but fish flakes, and after a good five or six months, it died.

    Today, as I was cleaning out a foreclosed home, there sat a little 3-gallon tank that was half empty with dark green, musty sewage water. I was just gonna dump it out off the back deck and throw it away, but I saw a little cream colored being sitting at the bottom. I assumed it was dead, but as I was picking up the tank, it darted behind a hot pink plastic plant, kicking up clouds of dirt in it's path. There was one thing I knew for sure, no one had fed this frog in AT LEAST two months. The electricity had been out longer, and it had been 50 degrees in that house since mid October. I couldn't wrap my head around how this frog survived. I saw a little container of fish flakes in the corner and threw some in and wished the frog good luck as I turned my back. But I just couldn't walk away from it. Anyone who knows me knows I love animals, and just last night a fire took out our local pet store, all the animals inside, as well as my mom and little brother's apartment above it. I was feeling kinda hopeless, having been crushed under the stress of cleaning out this house, working my busy AAA call center job, and now this whole fire situation that made my family homeless. But that little cream colored frog had survived months without food, warmth, and habitat. If she could, we could. She was a little glimmer of hope and I couldn't walk away. So I took her home.

    I scrubbed that tank clean and now she's resting on top of my dresser! I did a little research and found that the little bump between her legs meant she was a girl. At least, I'm ASSUMING what I'm seeing is a bump. She's half the size of my pinky and so skinny I can see every vein and organ in her body. I'm sure once she grows a bit, that "bump" will either be more defined or completely non existent and then I'll know for sure if she really is a Hope or a Hector. I also found out that fish flakes wont do her any good at all. Feeding her fish flakes is like humans eating ice cubes to survive. Since my local independent pet store has been wiped out, I'll be going to PetSmart tomorrow to see if they have any frozen blood worms, as well as some turtle pellets. Those are good for her, right?

    This is my first time properly raising an ACF and I really want to do it correctly. I found out from the home owners that the frog is like eight months old, from the time it was purchased. I was looking at pictures and youtube videos and couldn't believe that this little frog was the size of noodle when it should be the size of my palm. I really REALLY would like advice on how to get her to proper nourishment and size. I guess I'm technically nursing her back to health, because even it's normal for them to survive months without food, there's no way that's healthy, right? I don't know. I literally have no clue. All I know is that I want her to grow up and have a normal frog life.

    Right now, what I have is a less than five gallon plastic tank (I'm assuming it's three gallons, although I'm not totally sure), with a blown out light bulb and a non functioning filter. I don't know why the filter doesn't work, I assumed that it was because the electricity in that house was turned off, but when I plugged it up in my apartment it wouldn't come on. It doesn't look broken, but the tank in it's entirety looks pretty cheap. It also has blue pebbles that I scrubbed clean, three different plastic plants, and an oyster shell.

    What steps do I need to take to properly raise this frog? Please help!

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    Default Re: Rescued my little albino ACF from a foreclosed home

    Hello and welcome to FF ! It's very nice of you to rescue and try to help the abandoned frog. It's probably malnourished and barely surviving from it's ordeal . You can use this information to provide it basic care: http://www.frogforum.net/care-sheet-...are-sheet.html.

    For food you can use the Reptomin and earthworms. Walmart and bait shops sell Night Crawlers (get the plain not dyed ones) and they offer good nutrition. Will have to cut them into smaller pieces frog can swallow, sized around distance between frog's eyes for little frogs, and then around frogs length for bigger ones. Cut them from pointy end and the worm will heal up. Try not to offer freeze dried food; it's not nice to their digestive system. Frog should gain weight; but unsure at this time if it's stunted and will remain smaller than normal.

    Water should be dechlorinated (Seachem Prime works great and goes a long way) and recommend change around 25-50% daily (same temperature water) until you get a filter or a larger tank. Eventually frog might need a 10 gallon tank if kept alone or a 20 Long, if kept with one or two buddies. Keeping ACFs with fish or other animals is not a good idea. PETCO has random tank sales for $1 a gallon and it's a great deal to grab needed tanks then. For substrate can use a bare bottom or fine sand. Good luck and my prayers are with you and your family !
    Remember to take care of the enclosure and it will take care of your frog !​

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    100+ Post Member Louis Charles Bruckner's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rescued my little albino ACF from a foreclosed home

    To expand on Carlos's excellant instructions.

    I feed my Dwarf african frogs frozen ( not freeze dried) blood worms as a treat and reptimin frog/tadploe pellets as a staple.
    I have 7 of them in my 46g bow front. among with other fish. (since they are dwarfs they will not eat the fish and the fish I have are not aggressive.)


    I do recommend a sand substrate, get the better sand from the pet store I know it is more expensive
    but it is worth it.
    And probably the most important thing you can get is a water testing kit.This will help you keep a eye on things while your tank is cycling.
    This is a process that helpful bacteria are forming to break down wastes that your frog makes.
    If you have a friend that has a aquarium that is well-established you may want to ask
    If you can get a small amount of their gravel and put it in a small piece of cheesecloth or pantyhose.
    And placed that in your aquarium after you have it set up to help seed the tank with helpful bacteria and start things off good.

    The next important thing to get is some kind of water treatment solution that will condition the tap water.
    I would use the conditioner even if you have well water.
    Do not use distilled water. Trust me it is not good for aquarium use.

    Caribsea Aquarium Sand from petsmart
    I highly recommend the white sand because food will show up
    better on white sand and these frogs don't have great eyesight.

    When I bought mine it came with a clarifying agent.

    get a new 5 gallon bucket from a home hardware supply store.
    you want a new one because you don't want to have any chemicals from a used one
    with soapes ect ect.

    Put the new sand in the bucket and rinse with tap water.
    I know it might be cold out but this is best done outside with a garden hose.
    have the water on but not blasting.
    Use your hands or something to stir the sand slowly to get rid of the finer particles.
    that will take for ever to settle out and make the water cloudy.
    Also destroy water filter pumps.

    I recommend a tall aquarium.
    since you will need to have at least 4 inches of air from the top of the aquarium
    to the water line. This is to prevent accidental escapes even with a hood.
    Also this will make it safer for your water filter.
    having the water intake too close to the sand will cause the water filter to
    suck up sand and destroy the motor bearings.

    I really like the LED kits that petsmart has.
    Led lighting last virtually forever. and has a moonlight feature.

    The Aquarium kits have just about everything you will need.

    I also recommend a small air pump and air stone to aid in the filtration of the water.
    These frogs do breath air but do get some oxygen via their skin.
    So having the air stone is a good thing.

    I would get the smallest air pump you can find.And air stone that is designed to lay on top of the substrate.
    In this case I would place it on top of a pice of slate or a flat rock and not the bare sand.

    Now you don't want to have so much airflow that it kicks up the sand or makes it impossible for your frog to rest.
    You need some way of controlling the airflow.
    Most people just get a single valve to control the airflow.
    This will work but it puts stress on the pump and will shorten its life.
    What I do is that I get a two valve manifold and another small Aristone.
    I use the second valve and air stone to divert the extra air to relieve pressure on the pump.
    You may ask why do I use another Air stone, I use it as a muffler.
    Another thing that most people don't get and they really need is a safety thing is a one way check valve
    This prevents water from back flowing from the aquarium.
    To balance the valves is really really easy.
    We'll cover this later after you have to tank setup.


    Another thing these frogs are very skittish, they need places to hide to feel safe.A small terra-cotta pot set on it's Side Will do fine.
    With that being said placement of the aquarium is pretty important.
    Try to find a spot has low traffic and not too close to a window or air conditioning vent.
    Being too close to a window can cause overgrowths of algae.
    And being too close to a air-conditioning vent can cause swings in temperature.


    This is what I would do.

    Get all of the above items ready.
    The sand thoroughly rinsed.Then a final rinse with treated tap water to remove the chlorine.
    Scoop the sand from the 5 gallon bucket to the empty aquarium.

    Smooth it out with your hand.
    Place any ornaments like the terra-cotta pot.


    Make sure that you place the water heater minimal waterline to 4 inches below the rim of the aquarium.
    Take the filter cartridge and rinse thoroughly under cold water until no more carbon dust
    Comes out of it if you don't it will cloud the water.


    Put the filter on the back corner of the aquarium.
    Get the hood and check and see if you need to make some cuts in the back of the Hood
    To accommodate the filter. This can be done with a good pair of scissors and if you're really careful
    a sharp box cutter Will do the job nicely.
    Check that the intake of the filter is at least 2 to 3 inches above the sand.
    Most filters have tubes that can be adjusted or come in several parts and you can remove a section to shorten it.

    Remove the pump and I would experiment with it on the five gallon bucket ( with out the filter cartridge) to adjust the flow to the minimum
    amount before putting the pump in operation in your tank.
    So you don't kick up too much sand.
    use a cup to put some water in the filter to prime it. Or it will damage the motor.
    Take a look at the water pump it should have some way of controlling the flow of water.
    Some times it is just a dial on top of the intake tube or it might be how far you push the intake
    tube into the filter.

    Keep the hood off.
    Now it's time to place the air stone.
    I found the best place for air stones is usually at the back of the tank in the middle.
    You can get small suction cups to secure the airline to the back of the tank and route the airline up and out at the back corner.
    The same corner where the filter and heater is good.

    place a small plate in the middle of the aquarium on top of the sand
    Gently pour water on top of the plate, this will prevent mixing up the sand.
    Fill it until you get to the four-inch Mark.
    Once you have all the water in remove the plate.
    What I have done in the past is to fill the 5 gallon bucket to 2/3 full ( easier to lift)
    and place it on the corner of the tank. and use a small pice of airline to siphon the water from the bucket
    to the tank.
    This way it fills the tank slowly and doesn't kick up any sand.

    Instal the water filter and the cartridge.
    Now put the hood on.

    Remember to put some water in the filter to prime it.


    On my fist setup I got a pice of slate and put it under the pump on top of the sand
    to help keep the flow of water from kicking up sand.


    Everything is installed and water is in the tank you can plug everything in.
    Now it's time to get everything set.

    Most water heaters are preset from the factory at 77° Fahrenheit which is perfectly fine for your frog.
    The heater that came with the kit may be adjustable so it's important to look at it and make sure it is set for 77°F
    If your sand came with a clarifying agent in a separate little packet now is the time to add it.
    Note: if you even have to remove the heater or when doing water changes unplug you heater for at least 30 min
    before to let it cool down or you take a chance of it breaking. Trust me you don't want the heater to break.
    Even if the heater is all plastic it is still a good practice.



    It's time to balance the valves on your air system.
    Open both valves fully then look to see if you have any bubbles in your tank.
    If you do and the bubble stream is not too violent and everything is good.
    If you don't have any bubbles then slowly turn off the valve that goes to the air stone that is not in the tank.
    You should start seeing bubbles in the tank soon once you get the desired flow stop.Now if you have a lot of bubbles and both valve are open then slowly close the valve that's going to the air stone in the tank until you get the desired flow.


    You're almost done!
    I would let the tank sit like this four day or so to let the temperature stabilize and any Sand particles to settle.
    Now would be a good time to call your friend that has an aquarium and get that sachet of gravel in the tank.
    Now if you don't have a friend with a aquarium if you go to a small mom-and-pop pet store more than likely they will give you some aquarium gravel from a well-established tank to start yours.
    It wouldn't hurt to ask.
    Then I would put a pellet of frog/tadpole food in the water and let it sit for at least 2 to 3 days before adding your frog.
    This will help with the cycling of the tank and it is so little of food that it won't cause a problem.
    Only add one pellet!
    Test the water before adding your frog and make sure all is ok.

    I wouldn't just plop your frog into to its new home.
    Get 1 gallon Ziploc bag and put the frog and some water from its old home in the bag and seal it up.
    Then place that bag in the new aquarium and let it float for about 15 to 30 minutes to equalize the temperature.
    And during that time I would take cup full or so of new water and add it to the bag this will let the frog get used to the new water a little easier.

    I know this seems a lot but I have been keeping fish and aquatic frogs for many years.

    Good luck and your new frog will love you for it.
    If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask.



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    Default Re: Rescued my little albino ACF from a foreclosed home

    Quick question while I'm on the go, can I feed her "sun-dried" shrimp? Ive seen yesses and Ive seen nos on dried products in general.

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    Default Re: Rescued my little albino ACF from a foreclosed home

    Quote Originally Posted by tayhub View Post
    Quick question while I'm on the go, can I feed her "sun-dried" shrimp? Ive seen yesses and Ive seen nos on dried products in general.
    Dried products are a no-no because they cause bloating.
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    “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.”
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    Default Re: Rescued my little albino ACF from a foreclosed home

    Quote Originally Posted by tgampper View Post
    Dried products are a no-no because they cause bloating.
    How much/how often should I feed her? I did get some of the Reptomin sticks and I fed her two halves last night, so I guess one technically. Because she is so malnourished, I don't want to make her sick. I'm just at a loss of how much I should give her and how often per day.

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    100+ Post Member Louis Charles Bruckner's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rescued my little albino ACF from a foreclosed home

    I know in humans that feeding too much to a person that is in late stages of starvation can kill them.
    But in the animal world it might be a normal thing to go for long periods with out food.
    To be on the safe side I would only feed 1 half of a stick a night. for a week or so.
    Then as the baby starts to get filled out some then we will go form there.

    I think baby steps is the best approach.



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    Default Re: Rescued my little albino ACF from a foreclosed home

    Quote Originally Posted by Louis Charles Bruckner View Post
    I know in humans that feeding too much to a person that is in late stages of starvation can kill them.
    But in the animal world it might be a normal thing to go for long periods with out food.
    To be on the safe side I would only feed 1 half of a stick a night. for a week or so.
    Then as the baby starts to get filled out some then we will go form there.

    I think baby steps is the best approach.

    Thank you Such a great feeling to feed her and see her eating with her little hands. I've been looking forward to it all day!

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    100+ Post Member Louis Charles Bruckner's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rescued my little albino ACF from a foreclosed home

    Agreed,
    I miss having ACF's but they are outlawed in my state.
    I use to have a pair in my office at USC Aiken many years ago.

    Watching them play and eat made my day.



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    Default Re: Rescued my little albino ACF from a foreclosed home

    Please do not post advertisements on frog forum. You joined, and posted a link to a site where you can get a loan on a thread that is quite old. If you have any questions or experiences about frogs or amphibians please do share. Otherwise please do not post ads.

    Litoria
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    Aphonopelma hentzi 0.0.1 (Texas Brown Tarantula)
    Avicularia avicularia 0.0.2 (Pinktoe Tarantula)
    Brachypelma smithi ex. annitha 0.0.1 (Mexican Giant Red Knee Tarantula) Monocentropus balfouri 0.0.2 (Socotra Island Blue Baboon Tarantula)
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    Default Re: Rescued my little albino ACF from a foreclosed home

    Quote Originally Posted by catedav View Post
    In this time of slow economy there are foreclosure home that has been in the market because of the recession. RealtyTrac's quarterly report on the foreclosure industry showed that more than a fourth of all domestic home sales during the first quarter of the year were deals on xxxxxx properties.
    Quote Originally Posted by Frogman1031 View Post
    Please do not post advertisements on frog forum. You joined, and posted a link to a site where you can get a loan on a thread that is quite old. If you have any questions or experiences about frogs or amphibians please do share. Otherwise please do not post ads.
    Hello Eli! When you see a spammer, please use the Report Post button (triangle shape in post's lower left) so mods get alerted and can take action; thank you !
    Remember to take care of the enclosure and it will take care of your frog !​

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