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Care Sheet: Dwarf Clawed Frogs (Hymenochirus sp.)

Common Name: Dwarf Clawed Frog, Dwarf Underwater Frog, and Congo Frog.

Scientific Name: Hymenochirus boettgeri & Hymenochirus curtipes.

Distribution: Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria, Zaire and introduced to Florida.

Size: 3.5cm.

Life expectancy: 2-3 years

Sexing: Males can be heard making a clicking call. Females are often larger than males and have a stouter abdomen. In males the tympanum is twice the size than in females and appears as a swollen area at the back of the head. When males are in breeding condition a whitish spot will appear on the back of the fore legs.

Colouration: The normal colouration is brown - grey with small spots. H. curtipes has a rougher appearance to the skin.

Requirements: These aquatic Frogs are ideal as a "fish tank pet" and may be kept in a communal set up with a number of fish species. A 24"x12"x12" tank would be adequate for 6 adults. They require a totally aquatic set-up with a substrate of gravel or sand. Furnishings such as large pebbles 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 8-10". The water will need to be filtered using a submersible power filter to avoid the build up of ammonia and bacteria in the water, and partial water changes should be carried out at regular intervals. It is also a good idea to lightly oxygenate the water with the use of an air-stone. Clawed Frogs require a water temperature of 18-25°C, and a low wattage fluorescent tube should be used as a light source.

Feeding: Dwarf Clawed Frogs should be fed daily with a mixture of suitably sized insects including Daphnia, mosquito larvae, brine shrimp, tubifex, and whiteworm. These frogs can also be trained to take fish pellets, and if kept in a communal fish tank will also eat any fish smaller than itself.

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