Scientific Name: Xenopus laevis.
Common Names: African Clawed Frog, Clawed Toad, and Strange Foot.
Distribution: Eastern and southern Africa.
Size: 6-11cm.
Sexing: Males can be heard making a trilling call, and black nuptial pads can be seen on the fingers, palms and forelimbs during breeding season. Females are slightly larger, more pear shaped and have visible swellings (papillae) around the cloaca.
Colouration: The normal colouration is a shade of brown with lighter brown / grey marbling. Captive breeding has created several albino strains, some of which are now more common in captivity than the wild colouration.
Requirements: These fully aquatic Frogs are rather large and require a large aquarium. A 24x12x12" aquarium would be adequate for 2 adults or a 36x12x12" aquarium for a trio. They require a totally aquatic set-up, this can have a bare bottom for ease of cleaning and feeding or a substrate of smooth gravel or sand may be used. Furnishings such as large pebbles, crockery, and aquatic plants can be arranged to provide a number of hiding places. The water should be clean de-chlorinated or spring water at a depth of 8-30cm and will need to be filtered using an under-gravel filter or submersible power filter to avoid the build up of ammonia and bacteria in the water. Partial water changes should also be carried out at regular intervals. These frogs are very hardy and will cope well with a wide range of temperatures but for optimal care a water temperature of 21-25°C should be maintained with a guarded aquarium heater. Lighting is optional for these frogs but if live plants are being used it is advised to provide a low-wattage flourescent tube for upto 12 hours a day.
Feeding: Juvenile Clawed Frogs should be fed daily with a mixture of suitably sized foods including pellets, tubifex, bloodworm, grindalworm, whiteworm, chopped earthworm, chopped fish, chopped mussle & chopped prawn. Adult Clawed Frogs should be fed three times a week with a mixture of pellets, earthworms, bloodworm, slugs, maggots, bits of fish, and chunks of lean raw meat such as heart.
