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Atlas / Library / Aquatic frog / African Clawed Frog
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Aquatic frog

African Clawed Frog

Xenopus laevisกบกรงเล็บแอฟริกัน

Narrower than the page we cite. The source we cite, read on 10 Aug 2026, gives a wider range than the one above. The narrowing is ours and nobody here has written down why. petesaquatics.com

Photograph: Brian Gratwicke · CC BY

Photographed by an observer on iNaturalist and published under a Creative Commons licence; the photographer and the licence are named under the image. It is not an animal of ours, and no animal was handled by us to produce it.

Aquatic · temperate · dryFrom the sheet: 22–26°C, humidity null%

The way of life is written in this sheet, word for word. The climate words summarise the two figures above them, they do not add to them.

National law is not global, and we hold no national wildlife law for any country, Thailand included. Check your own authority before buying or selling.

Back to the globe My keep

https://keepr.pet/husbandry/en/xenopus-laevis

‹ All husbandry guides
Temperature22–26 °C
Humiditynull %

The numbers

Temperature

152025303540 °C
22–26°Ambient

One ambient band, 22–26°C. This sheet states no warm side, no cool side and no night figure, so none are shown. Same scale on every sheet here, so two species compare by eye.

The sheet states22-26 °C; tolerance 18-28 °C; aquatic heater

Humidity

null%Target RH

The sheet states100% aquatic; dechlorinated water, pH 7.0-7.5; gentle filtration (minimal current); 25-30% weekly water change

UVB

Not needed for this species

Stated in the sheet, not inferred.

The sheet statesBasic lighting sufficient; UVB not required; 12 h light cycle

Enclosure
Aquarium 20–40 L for 1–2 individuals; lid imperative (frequent escapes); depth 18–30 cm; no gravel (ingestion = impaction)

Identity

Adult size

1.75 m6–7 cm ♂
1520100400 cm
6–7 cmNose to tail, adult

The size the sheet states for a grown animal. This sheet gives a figure per sex; the one drawn is marked.

Why

Two drawings, because they answer two questions. The silhouette is at true scale against a 1.75 m person: it says how big this animal actually is, which no number does for someone who has never seen one. The bar under it is logarithmic and shared by every sheet here, so a 2 cm isopod and a 4 m python both stay readable on the same axis and two species can be compared at a glance.

Adult size
♂ 6–7 cm SVL; ♀ 9–12 cm SVL; juvenile ~1 cm
Lifespan
15–25 years in captivity; record >30 years
Legal status
Unrestricted (laboratory species; invasive if released)
Difficulty
Beginner
Cohabitation
Group possible (similar size only); eats anything that fits in its mouth: do not cohabit with small fish or smaller amphibians

How common this animal is

1,670,109Live individuals in declared US trade filings

NOT a measure of how many are kept. These filings count animals shipped for any purpose, including the food trade and laboratory supply, and they are United States records only. The three largest volumes in the source belong to a food frog, a bait species and the standard laboratory amphibian.

US Fish and Wildlife Service LEMIS declared wildlife import and export records, as compiled in the received dataset

Enclosure and conditions

Terrarium / aquarium
Aquarium 20–40 L for 1–2 individuals; lid imperative (frequent escapes); depth 18–30 cm; no gravel (ingestion = impaction)
Temperature
22–26 °C; tolerance 18–28 °C; aquatic heater
Humidity / water
100% aquatic; dechlorinated water, pH 7.0–7.5; gentle filtration (minimal current); 25–30% weekly water change
Lighting / UVB
Basic lighting sufficient; UVB not required; 12 h light cycle
Substrate / setup
Fine sand or bare bottom; hides (upturned pots, PVC pipes); no coarse substrate
Feeding
Carnivore: bloodworms (mud worms), tubifex, daphnia, high-protein pellets; spirulina pellets accepted; 3–4×/week; remove leftovers for water quality

What your climate adds

This sheet states a range to hold. Your local climate decides how much work holding it is. Pick the nearest city: nothing is sent anywhere, the choice stays in this browser.

Reproduction

Life course

Day 0Hatch
15–25 yrLifespan in care
15 yrMinimum commitment
Sexual maturityNot in our data

Read from the lifespan and maturity the sheet states, for animals in care and not in the wild.

Why

The minimum commitment is the low end of that lifespan, and the reproductive window is what is left after maturity: both are subtractions on stated figures, not figures of their own.

Sexing
♀ noticeably larger; protruding cloaca visible in ♀; ♂ smaller, more active, black nuptial pads on forearms in season
Maturity
10–24 months depending on temp and feeding
Triggering
hCG injection or pituitary extract (laboratory method); or seasonal simulation: gradual cooling to 18 °C then rise to 26 °C + increased feeding
Spawning
Inguinal amplexus; ♀ lays 100–2 000 adhesive eggs on substrate; remove adults after spawning (egg eaters)
Tadpoles / metamorphosis
Filter-feeding larvae (algae suspension, spirulina powder in water); metamorphosis 6–8 weeks; very small and vulnerable froglets
Juvenile rearing
Froglets fed brine shrimp, whiteworms, daphnia; rapid growth; separate by size to prevent cannibalism

Common health problems

Red leg (Aeromonas hydrophila)
Signshaemorrhagic redness on limbs, septicaemia — antibiotic therapy (amikacin); improve water quality
Chytridiomycosis (Bd)
SignsXenopus laevis is the presumed vector of global Bd spread — possible asymptomatic carrier; PCR before introduction with other amphibians
Dropsy / subcutaneous oedema
Signsrenal failure or bacteraemia — veterinary care; improve water quality
Quarantine
Signs30–45 days; separate aquarium; Bd PCR MANDATORY (known Bd vector); never introduce directly with other amphibians; observe appetite and posture (abnormal floating = warning sign)

Good to know

  • Presumed vector of global Bd fungus spread: systematic PCR at acquisition before any contact with other amphibian species
  • Bd carrier without clinical signs: can silently infect much more sensitive species (dart frogs, tree frogs)
  • Served as the first human pregnancy test (Hogben test, 1930s) by injection of hCG-rich urine: historically important species in biomedical research
  • Dangerous invasive species if released: never release into the wild (Thailand or elsewhere)
  • Presumed vector of global Bd fungus spread — systematic PCR at acquisition before any contact with other amphibian species
  • Served as the first human pregnancy test (Hogben test, 1930s) by injection of hCG-rich urine — historically important species in biomedical research
  • Dangerous invasive species if released — never release into the wild (Thailand or elsewhere)

Common questions

Does it ever come out of the water?

No, it lives underwater permanently. It only needs a filtered aquarium with a lid, no land area at all.

Can I keep it with my fish?

No. Anything small enough to fit in its mouth will be eaten, and larger fish will nip at the frog. Keep it in a species-only tank.

How big does it get and how long does it live?

Females reach roughly the size of your palm, and with clean water they often live fifteen years or more.

Does the tank get smelly?

It will if the filter is undersized. They are messy eaters, so use a good filter and do regular water changes and there is no smell.

What it needs

A thermometerbecause temp22-26 °C; tolerance 18-28 °C; aquatic heater
No UVB: the sheet states none is neededbecause uvbBasic lighting sufficient; UVB not required; 12 h light cycle
Not stated: The size of the enclosurethis sheet describes the enclosure without a figure: « Aquarium 20–40 L for 1–2 individuals; lid imperative (frequent escapes); depth 1 »

Every line above is deduced from a value this sheet states, and names which one. Nothing here is a general recommendation. What the sheet does not state is listed too, rather than left out: a kit that looks complete is worse than one that names its gap.

Sources

Others in this group

What this sheet states

77%
TemperatureHumidityEnclosure sizeActivityOriginDietSourcesUVB

This sheet states 5 of 7 of the fields this product runs on. What is missing turns something off: day/night engine and awake count on the globe, the diet section. We show the gap rather than fill it with a plausible number.

UVB is measured but does not count: it is absent from 421 of 678 sheets, and on most of them that is not a gap, since a nocturnal snake's sheet has no reason to state a UV index. Counting it would call the library incomplete without cause.