How to Care for Albino African Black Clawed Frogs

The Albino African Black Clawed Frog is a fully aquatic species of frog originating from the west coast of Africa and makes for a fascinating pet. Both albinos and regular Black Clawed Frogs can be readily found in pet stores specializing in reptiles and amphibians as their care needs are exactly the same. But even persons who've kept frogs as pets before may have trouble with this particular species as their needs are different from the norm. This guide will explain how to properly care for this type of frog.

Things You’ll Need:
5 Gallon Tank
Low Flow Filtration System
Non-chlorinated Water
Sand or Earth
Fish Tank Decorations
Froggy Food

Step 1:
Begin by preparing a fish tank for the frog to live in. This species spends one hundred percent of its time in the water so you will need to set up a tank of water as if you were keeping fish. For one or two such frogs a five gallon tank is the absolute minimum, the females can get to be about six inches long, the males being slightly smaller. This species is very active and likes to have plenty of room to move around.

Step 2:
Use clean sand or earth to line the bottom of the tank. These frogs will actively attempt to eat pebbles or gravel if it’s small enough to fit in their mouths, so regular fish gravel is not appropriate. Along with the gravel you should also include foliage, fake or real, good sized branches, and other decorations that give the frogs plenty of places to swim around and hide under.

Step 3:
Install al low-flow filtration system to keep the frogs' wastes from polluting the water. African Black Clawed Frogs, either albino or normal prefer water with little to no current, so any system particularly loud or powerful is not recommended. The amount of ammonia from the frogs' waste can become toxic very quickly. For this reason the tank's water should be completely replaced weekly. Also the tank's water should be completely chlorine free; any chlorine in the water will sicken and kill the frogs within a matter of hours if not minutes.

Step 4:
Install a thermostat. This species is particularly hardy and has been known to survive temperatures below freezing point, but they can sicken if the temperature of their environment is off for prolonged periods. Water temperature should stay in the low 70s Fahrenheit year-round.

Step 5:
Feed the frogs roughly three times a week, but don't stint on the portions. These frogs subsist mainly on live food and have very strong hunting instinct. They can and will eat anything they can fit in their sizable mouths, though it can often be the death of them. Don't give them tetras or feeder goldfish as they contain an indigestible enzyme which can give your frog serious trouble. Instead give them blood worms, mosquito larvae, earthworms, tubifex worms, live ghost shrimp, beefheart brine shrimp, shrimp pellets, and live guppies. They will readily stuff themselves, but don't worry about feeding them too much; they have enough sense to stop before they harm themselves. With these instructions your Albino African Clawed Frogs should live long and happy lives.

Tips & Warnings
Keep the males separate from the females if at all possible. Albino African Black Clawed Frogs mate frequently and their tadpoles require care distinctly different from that of other species of frog hatchlings. This species of frog lacks a tongue to grab food with; instead it will scoop food into its mouth with its front legs/flippers.
These frogs are voracious eaters and will readily attack other species of animal or smaller frogs they come across, because of this do not put other animals or fish in the same tanks As African Black Clawed Frogs. Before purchasing these frogs ensure that you have both the time and money to adequately care for them. This species of frog can live for over fifteen years and represents a sizable investment.

How to Buy Exotic Frogs Online

The internet can provide a person with a whole wealth of knowledge and resources at his/her fingertips. One little niche of the web has been used to exchange information about the care and sale of pets. Many pets can be ordered online, making the rare and exotic ordinary. This guide will explain the steps to buying an exotic frog over the internet.

Things You’ll Need:
Computer

Internet connection

credit card

fish tank

fish gravel

clean sand

organic potting soil

Fish tank bubbler

Fish tank canister

water filter

Buying An Exotic Frog
Step 1:
You must first decide what type of frog you would like. Frogs have an extremely wide variety of habitats, sleep cycles, and eating habits. You must find the frog you want first and use a search engine to look up its care needs. Though all frogs will occasionally take a dip in the water to stay moist, some spend most of their time in land, some most of their time in water, and some go between the two. For this guide let us say that we are purchasing a Blue Webbed Gliding Tree Frog.

Step 2:
With your choice of frog made, we must go about constructing its environment. Usually a clean fish tank is the best thing to use. A 60 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm tank is good for two frogs of the size that the blue webbed gliding tree frog becomes, though as many as half a dozen frogs of any smaller size could fit comfortably in a tank this size.

Step 3:
Fill the bottom inch of the tank with fish tank gravel as it is free of chemicals which could be harmful to the frog's skin. Atop that plain white sand, and finally another inch of organic potting soil. Mound the layers to one side so as to create incline. By doing this you can fill part of the tank with plain tap water so the frog can moisten itself. A bubbler or canister water filter that hooks onto the outside of the tank should help keep the water clean and bacteria free. As the tree frog we're buying doesn't swim much, it would only need a little water to splash around in occasionally.

Step 4:
Find plants that are common to the frog's environments. Ferns and hardy plants, with thick lush leaves are best. Plant them in the potting soil to give the frog a familiar environment, shade, and a place to explore.

Step 5:
use the lighting array that typically comes with a fish tank or can be picked up cheaply to provide the frog with a set night and day cycle. Use lamps half as strong as those that come standard for fish tanks. Turn them on during the day and off at night.

Step 6:
preparations are complete. So get on your computer again and use your search engine to look for exotic frog supplies. You will need to purchase humidifying agents to put in the tank to keep the frog healthy. You will also need vitamins; I would suggest a powder called Repton that you dust the frog's food with once a week to keep it healthy. The reason for this is you're not likely to feed it the wealth of insects it would find in its normal environment. Also you will need to purchase live food as frogs hunt by movement and smell. They can tell the difference between a live insect and a dead one. Most frogs will happily eat a diet of crickets and mealworms, both of which should be available on the frog supply sight you've found. You'll need to make weekly purchases to keep up a steady supply of live food for your frog.

Step 7:
Now use your computer to search for "Exotic Frogs For Sale". Any search engine will do, but I would suggest Google as its less likely you'll get scammed. You should have any number of purchase sights to choose from. Make sure to read the fine print of each website before choosing. Specifically you'll want to know their return policy should something be wrong with the frog when it arrives. Also check their references and linked sites to make sure these are people you feel comfortable dealing with. With that done use your credit card to purchase your frog. You will have to pay more in shipping and handling fees because they are shipping a live animal. In a little while your frog should arrive along with the supplies you ordered so that everything is set to responsibly care for your new exotic pet.

Tips & Warnings
Please be aware that frogs are not the most long lived of animals and should not be bought for small children as this will leave to inevitable heartbreak when the little frog croaks.
Unless you have a great deal of experience working with dangerous amphibians I would highly suggest against purchasing the colorful but deadly poison dart frog. Their skin produces one of the deadliest toxins known to man, and it can be absorbed through your skin. So, not only is touching such an animal incredibly dangerous, touching anything that the frog has come into physical contact may also be deadly as the toxin can stay potent and lethal for years after first contact.