Is An AFRICAN DWARF FROG The Right Pet For You?

Photo by Furryscaly

African Dwarf Frogs are one of the absolute best choices for first-time owners of exotic pets, but they're also well suited for experienced keepers and breeders. They're very simple to take care of, and setting up the aquarium isn't particularly difficult either as these frogs are exclusively aquatic and so require nothing more complex than a basic fish tank. This makes for a very welcome change from the problematic task of creating a home for a creature that will need both land and water, as is the case with many other amphibians.

One of the reasons many people shy away from getting their first exotic pet is the unpleasantness of feeding the animal live food such as cockroaches or baby mice, which is understandably upsetting (or just plain disgusting!) for many people. Fortunately, this isn't an issue with African Dwarf Frogs, because while they can be fed live food, frozen food can be used instead, or even pellets, as these frogs use scent rather than movement to find their food. They should, however, be fed every day, so if you're not around for long periods of time, a different pet would probably be more suitable.

Unlike many amphibians regularly found in the pet trade, African Dwarf Frogs are pretty small (not exceeding 1.5" normally) and they don't take up too much space, with only two gallons of water needed for each frog. So even if you live in a tiny apartment, there's almost guaranteed to be enough room for a few of these little creatures.

While they're perfectly content to live alone, you can keep several African Dwarf Frogs in the same tank, or even keep other creatures with them if you want. Putting a few fish in with the frogs is pretty common practice, and shouldn't cause any problems as long as they're not aggressive and not too large or small so that they will neither eat nor be eaten by your frogs! Keeping too many fish risks altering the acidity of the water which can be harmful to your African Dwarfs, but if numbers are low you should be fine. Tetra Fish and Goldfish are common tankmates for these frogs, and sometimes alone Betta Fish will work out as well. Basically, it's possible to fit a few cool pets in the same small tank without harming them or compromising their quality of life.

Activity levels are often a concern for frog owners, as they're often thought of as slow and boring creatures that never really do much. However, being among the most sociable, active and energetic frogs in the pet trade, African Dwarf Frogs don't fit this stereotype. As they need to swim to the top of the tank for air but feed at the bottom, they can't sit still for too long even if they wanted to.

Most individuals will live for around five years (some much longer), so you have to be prepared for a fairly long commitment when you first get some frogs. Still, they're extremely easy to care for, good fun to watch and will complement many of the fish you may already have, all of which makes African Dwarf Frogs a great choice for your first exotic pet.

By Peter Joyce To find out more about African Dwarf Frogs, check out ExoticPetsResources.com, where you can find a comprehensive care sheet. Article Source: EzineArticles

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