Frog Husbandry

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A frog is swimming in the water near some grass.

Housing

Tanks can be either glass or rigid plastic. Xenopus should have 2-5 gallons of non chlorinated and chloramine free water per adult. Allow them to have places to avoid light if so desired. Frogs do like to bask if allowed to do so. Keep water level so frogs cannot escape or use a soft top enclosure with good ventilation.

Feeding

A person holding a blue object over a yellow frog.

Feeding ideally should be done daily. Animals should be fed as much as can be consumed in about 15 minutes. Xenopus should be give a nutritional high quality balanced diet such as Xenopus express' exclusive FFF FLOATING/SINKING FROG FOOD 3/32”. Tanks should be cleaned after feeding to remove uneaten food. This can be done using a siphon or even a turkey baster.

Temperature

Xenopus Laevis should be housed at 20-23 degrees C (68-75 degrees F).

Xenopus Tropicalis should be housed at 23-28 degrees C (75 -80 degrees F).

If the water temperature is sub optimal... frogs will not eat and their metabolism and immune systems will be depressed. Xenopi cannot raise their body temperature by producing metabolic heat. They must rely on external heat sources. Tanks in cool rooms should provide a heating source. Low wattage rare earth phosphorous bulbs are useful and prevent burns. Submersible heaters can be wrapped in plastic mesh to protect frogs from burns. Xenopi are sensitive to temperature changes within the room as well as the temperature changes of water.

Water Quality

If using tap water, it is necessary to let the tap water sit for at least 24 hours to allow dissolved gases and some chlorine to dissipate before the water is used. This also allows time for the water to adjust to the current room temperature to reduce stress to frogs. A de-chlorinizer / water conditioner should also be added to water. If de-ionized water is used...be sure to verify a correct pH range (6.5-8.5). Water that is over saturated with dissolved gases can cause gas bubble disease (bubbles under the skin and in the webbing of frogs).

Recommended Water Hardness

A GH of greater than about 200 ppm works fine for increasing oocyte firmness and normal embryo development rates. 200 ppm (mg/liter of CaCO3) and alkalinity > 50 ppm (mg/L of CaCO3).

Effect of Water Hardness on Oocyte Quality and Embryo Development in the African Clawed Frog (Xenopus laevis) Earl W. Godfrey, PhD and George E Sanders, DVM

Lighting

Enrichment

Housekeeping

Cleanliness is the key to healthy and productive animals. Cleaning should be done a couple of hours after feeding. When changing the water or handling animals you should wear gloves. Traces of soaps, hand lotions, colognes and ointments which remain on the hands can be harmful to Xenopus. Frogs have permeable skin and are very sensitive to toxic substances.

New Arrivals

Our frogs are shipped in sealed eps foam containers with damp sponge to prevent drying out and to cushion any bumps during transit. Our shipping containers provide appropriate temperature, space and oxygen. Frogs should not be left in warm areas like loading docks. They should be promptly unpacked.

We recommended if possible, that new arrivals should be housed in separate holding tanks and should have separate nets for quarantine animals. Frequent hand washing procedures and glove changes between tanks of different shipments and between individual frogs.

HUSBANDRY AND ENRICHMENT IDEAS

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Gp4r6GMJ0fZg1tjKqmmRA/featured

NEVER release your animals into the wild, and ALWAYS wash your hands after feeding, cleaning, and/or handling.

LIVE ROBUST HEALTHY CAPTIVE BRED XENOPUS GROWN AT OUR FACILITY