Mike La

[tgampper]

Thanx for all the info Terry. Another couple of questions . . . What is involved in breeding? I mean, should it be in a tank of their own? Whet type of food is needed? Do they start a tadpoles? Size of tank etc.?
Also, do the frogs breath off the water surface only, as I see them taking water through the mouth all the time just a fish do?
Mike La

Well, Mike, breeding clawed frogs is relatively simple. Since these frogs have a long history of being lab specimens, many feel that you need a hormone kit to get them to breed. My frogs have naturally bred many times. I have no special method other than having a male and female. I keep my frogs in groups of three - two females and one male. To simulate natural breeding, you will need to reduce the water level to 5 inches and raise the temperature to 85(F). The female will begin to produce eggs (see my photo album, under Pipidae, to see what the female with eggs looks like). Once the female develops eggs, raise the water level to original depth and put ice cubes in the water to simulate flooding. Or, you can just leave them alone and hope for the best. The male gets active and courtship begins at a frantic pace. I recommend a 20 gallon tank minimum, although I have seen breeding done in a 5 gallon tank. Bigger the better. Keep them together with no other species.

Since both males and females call, you can tell if the female is ready to mate or wants to dump the male. If the female is ready, you will hear a slow rapping or buzzing noise; if she isn't, you will her a ticking sound and her body gets quite rigid.

They do produce tadpoles that eat only plant material.You can feed them liquid fish fry food or make a solution of strained baby food - peas or green beans and feed daily.

Adult clawed frogs do well on a diet of blackworms, night crawlers or prepared food like Tetra's Repto-Min. Bloodworms are not a good food source because of the lack of nutritional value.

Most likely the reason that frogs take in water is for the purpose of smelling or tasting, it allows the frog to access its environment. If you take a close look at the skin you will see stitch-like patterns, this is a lateral line system, like in fish, which allows the frog to detect wave motion.

Some scientists say that Xenopus are the only frogs in which long-term memory and complex learning have been shown! They can demonstrate that they can associate sensory imputs with variable meanings and learn complex relations in its environment. Very cool! [Source: Andreas Elepfandt, "Naturalistic Conditioning Reveals Good Learning in a Frog (Xenopus laevis)", Naturwissenschaften 72:492-493 (1985).]

[John]

Welcome to the forum Mike.