Calcium deficiency in African dwarf frogs

[Geoff]

I believe that you're worrying needlessly due to the facts that you've successfully maintained these frogs for two years, which is an achievement in itself; many people seem to have difficulty keeping them alive for more than a few days or weeks. You also say that "Other than the missing toenails, the frogs seem very happy and healthy. They are active, have a great appetite, clear skin, etc.". If that's the case, you don't want to run the risk of trying to mend something that isn't broken by adding stuff to the water that will alter its chemistry and possibly do more harm than good.

I'm offering this advice on the basis that I kept and bred Hymenochirus frogs for over 20 years. Frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms are fine in my experience and I've bred them when those two frozen foods have formed their staple diet. Live foods like tubifex, Daphnia and white mosquito larvae are ideal. Not only are they more nutritious but the frogs' hunting behaviour, which is sometimes cat-like, is very engaging to observe. Like you, I never had any success in getting them to accept dry, pelleted food and there were never any bad consequences as a result.

To summarise then, my advice is to just keep doing what you've been doing and don't worry about their claws not having black tips or appearing to be missing.