I love frogs but have never kept one. Today in Wal-Mart I saw about two dozen little baby frogs, each in a plastic lidded cup half filled with water and sitting on a shelf. Half are African frogs and half are Albino frogs, that's the only info they gave on them. They're between 1/2 inch and 1 inch long from snout to toe. I felt sorry for them because kids were playing with them and shaking the cups and the little frogs had nowhere to hide and didn't have any food in the cups. On an impulse I bought an aquarium and the accessories to make a terrarium, and 10 of the babies, 5 of each species. I couldn't afford to buy them all :(

They're set up nicely tonight and seem happy in their new home. They have fine pea gravel which slopes down to a little pond filled with live aquarium plants to hide in and some bigger smooth flat stones, too. I fed them blood worms and tubiflex worms which they devoured.

Did I overlook anything? I know I'll probably have to separate them when they get older and I'm not sure I should have the two species together but they seem to be getting along well right now.

Do they need light? The aquarium has a lighted hood but when I turn the light on, it scares them so I'm leaving the light off for now.

They were sitting out of the water? Hum, I'm not sure which species they are.
If you had said they were in the water, I would have said they were African clawed frogs. African clawed frogs are fully aquatic and need no land areas. The albino frogs are simply albinos of the same species. There are many semi-aquatic frogs from Africa but most are pretty rare so I couldn't imagine them being in Wal-Mart. Can you post a photo? Maybe it's a Pixie frog also called the African bullfrog. Here's a page on it: http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/species/pixie.html
If you have those, they grow large and do eat each other.
That site lists all the commonly sold pet frogs with info at http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/species/index.html

It sounds like you've picked good foods for now but if they are indeed Pixie frogs, they will soon eat a LOT of larger live foods. The albino ones are probably the same species, just albino. It bothers me greatly that Wal-Mart would sell these guys at all, let alone without giving the customer the proper name and care information.

They need some subdued lighting, nothing too strong but enough to see pretty well. A fluorescent light would be a good idea. Perhaps the one you have is too strong, or they're just not used to it. Good luck!

Sorry, should have been more clear. They were in small plastic cups with a lid, half filled with water. The cups were sitting on a shelf. None were out of the water. I don't think they're African bullfrogs because it said "African frogs, grow to the size of a silver dollar." I think African bullfrogs get much larger than that. The Albinos just said "Albino clawed frogs", nothing more. The Africans sold for $3.50 and the Albinos sold for $6.50. Cost me $50 to save 10 of them. I wish I could have bought the remaining 15 but I just didn't have the money.

I can see pet stores selling these because they're equipped to provide care and feeding instructions and satisfactory living conditions while they're in the store but I was a bit appalled that Wal-Mart did this. It seemed inhumane. It's a 24 hour Wal-Mart so the lights are never out, they were trapped in little cups of water with no hiding material, nothing to rest on, no food, and God knows how long they had been there or how long the others will be there. A couple were dead, floating belly up. All shoppers had easy access to them, including unsupervised children.

I can try to take a picture but they're very small, the largest are only about 1 inch long counting their hind legs. The Albinos are only about 1/2 inch long.

I might not be much better than Wal-Mart at keeping them alive, time will tell. But they seem happy with their new little make-shaft pond and live plants to hide in and they ate well tonight. They especially like the bloodworms!

I should mention that I live in Michigan, it's the middle of winter and no hope of catching bugs and live prey for them.

OK, I found out by researching online that I do indeed have baby African Clawed Frogs, some of which are albinos. I leveled out the "land mass" in there tank, making the whole tank a shallow pond with a gravel bottom and plenty of weeds to hide in and some smooth flat stones which they love to burrow under. I was also recommended to feed them something called ReptoMin or a specially formulated frog food found at xenopus.com

I was also warned that they are little escape artists! Their tank top had a large ventilation hole in the back so I covered this with netting.

Aha! In the water, so they were all African clawed frogs, some regular and some albino. I have some links and info on them at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/frog4.htm
Good luck!

oh my, walmart! that is horrid. i am very glad you rescued some though it was a very nice thing for oyu to do. i would have too :P
you shoudl get some pinhead or 1/8 in crix for them and get a gut load or cricket dust to help with nutrition, since they are young they will need a low wattage probably 40 or so uvb/ uva light, they sell those in pet stores, and you can just put them in your hood in place of the light there now. they need uvb to grow and if you dont have that for them they oftendevelope bone problems. its like artificial sunlight. i actually ordered my light its a 100 watt heat bulb uvb/uva, it cost 50 dollars but it works for all my aquariums at the same time and will last a year it came with a warranty if it goes out before the year is up they will send me a new one free of charge. i ordered it from fosters and smith catalogue, they can be pricey btu sometimes they have good buys.
good job rescuing the little guys and good luck! ,hope i could help some :)

The frogs she rescued are aquatic frogs so they probably aren't going to able to eat crickets. Crickets drown very quickly. Crickets are commonly fed to terrestrial frogs though.

oh i thoguht they come out of the water on occasion....silly me...lol nevermind :lol:

Me again with bad news. :( Since I have purchased my new frog babies, 3 of them have died. I do not know what I have done wrong. The 12 Albino baby Africans are doing great, fat as can be, and eat like pigs. Of the 10 mottled brown babies, I have lost 3 of them and only have 7 left. They are listless and not interested in food, they are very thin yet won't eat.

They all have individual tanks, very natural settings, plenty of artificial plant material to hide in, no loud noises or bright lights. They have fresh bottled spring water and are fed freeze-dried blood worms.

From day one, I noticed how much livelier and aggressive the Albinos were compared to the dark mottled ones. They are all treated the same, yet the Albinos flourish while the dark mottled ones are dying off. I don't understand. :( I have read all the care and feeding of these little creatures and truly believe I am doing everything right.

Also, the dark mottled ones don't show any signs of disease or injury, they just seem uninterested in eating and are going belly-up one by one. :(

Any suggestions would be appreciated at this time.

"They are listless and not interested in food, they are very thin yet won't eat."

What temperature are they at? Being thin may also indicate that they could have a bacterial infection or even worms.

"They have fresh bottled spring water and are fed freeze-dried blood worms."

Try some live foods on the sick ones. I can get live blackworms here; I hope you can find some. Live troutworms might work if the frogs are large enough. Also, try some frozen foods like bloodworms and mosquito larvae for variety. If the frogs are large enough, you might try live baby guppies to fatten them up and entice them although I wouldn't have the heart to hurt the guppies, and there's the risk of the fish bringing in more diseases.

"From day one, I noticed how much livelier and aggressive the Albinos were compared to the dark mottled ones. They are all treated the same, yet the Albinos flourish while the dark mottled ones are dying off. I don't understand. I have read all the care and feeding of these little creatures and truly believe I am doing everything right."

You may never know what is wrong with the ones that died. Even if everything you do is perfect, some may still die if they were already ill when you got them which is very likely. It's strange that the albinos are doing better. It may just be because they were from a different hatch/group that was doing better when you got them.

"Also, the dark mottled ones don't show any signs of disease or injury, they just seem uninterested in eating and are going belly-up one by one. "

Be sure to check the water chemistry in the containers with the dead frogs. Test at least the pH, ammonia, and nitrite. It would also be helpful to find out how the oxygen levels are. If though they can gasp air, low oxygen isn't good for them. Since I work at a lab, I would also do a pesticide scan on the water you're using but you won't be able to do that (at least without a lot of money). Bottled water doesn't mean it's 100% great.

The frogs could have diseases or parasites. Only a necroscopy by a person who really knows a lot about frogs would be able to tell you anything. You and I wouldn't know what to even look for. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. I hope the remaining frogs do ok! As they grow, be sure to upgrade them to larger, filtered habitats. What are they in now?

Hi again, sorry it took so long to respond. Since I last posted, I have lost 3 more baby frogs, all dark brown ones. That's a 60% loss of the dark ones but all 12 of the Albinos are doing great. Right now they are kept in two 30 gallon tanks, the Albinos in one and the dark ones in the other. However, the setup is the same and I am using the same water and same food. Originally when I first bought them, I had them all in one tank until I could set up the second one. It seems if they had any diseases or parasites, the Albinos would have been exposed too but they remain healthy & fat, frisky and playful, with voracious appetites. Also, the first 2 baby brown ones that died, died when they were first contained all together in one large tank. The last 4 to die, died after the separation of them into another tank. They receive frequent water changes from the same source. I've ruled out disease and parasites because the Albinos have not been infected even after sharing a tank with them. I've ruled out bad water or a mishap with the tank because two that died did so when housed with the Albinos. I'm chalking it up to just a bad batch of babies from the same brood. Perhaps there is something genetically wrong with them? All the babies are very young, between 1/2 to 1 inch long, so haven't required larger tanks yet.

I have noticed one very bizarre behavior in some of the dark brown ones, though. A day before they die, they make an extreme attempt to leave the water. They try to perch themselves at some high point in the water, on a rock or floating plant next to the glass, stretch as far as they can out of the water, balancing on tip-toe with one leg and holding the other leg out of the water, and plastering themselves against the glass. If they can't achieve this, they simply crawl up on top of a floating plastic plant and balance themselves out of the water. It's like froggy suicide. :( The water tests to be fine, the same water source the Albinos have. One little guy killed himself this way just hours after his water change.

The tanks are perfect, the water tests ok, there is no metal or anything harmful in the tanks, they are kept at room temperature in the living room (75 degrees). The sad thing is that today 2 more of the brown babies are trying to expell themselves from the water. I've discovered that it won't matter if I remove items to prevent them from doing it, I will still find them dead within 24 hours after their attempt to leave the water.

If you're sure they are African clawed frogs, then they certainly shouldn't leave the water. They may attempt too if the oxygen levels are too low, or the water quality is really bad. Since you're doing the same thing for both tanks, that seems to be ruled out. I really don't know what to make of it. Certainly, something genetic or physical could be wrong with one batch of babies and not another. Sorry I can't think of any other explanations or things to do at this time.

I appreciate all your help and advice, Robyn. I truly believe at this point that there is just something wrong with them that no one can help. I feel so helpless but believe I have done everything I can for them. Since I posted yesterday, I lost two more babies and now only have two dark brown ones left. One of them is attempting to leave the water this morning, as well. I don't expect either of them to live.

I do have high hopes for the Albinos who remain extremely healthy and hardy eaters.

The only information I have to offer as to a clue of what happened to the brown ones is that I noticed on several of them after they died that there appeared to be a dark reddish spot on their underbellies, as though they had internal hemorrhaging. It didn't seem to be a skin discoloration but more like I was seeing internal bleeding through the skin.

It red spot could be internal bleeding, septicemia (blood infection), or maybe worms. As for how to treat ACF's for worms safely, I don't know for sure. Plus, you don't know that's what they have. I've often found such red spots in various dead aquatic animals and usually assume it's due to a bacterial problem and stress associated with whatever is wrong.

I had the same problem with african frogs. I took the skinny ones and put them in a shallow tank with NO gravel. Without the gravel, they found the food easily, and slowly gained weight. The shallow water is so they can easily get air, without using up too much energy. Try that with live tubifix worms, and you should see improvement.

Also, I wanted to tell you that your frogs grow larger than a silver dollar, unless their Dwarf African Frogs, which are never albino, but grayish brown. Never put a dwarf with an african clawed frog, the clawed frog will eat the dwarf. African clawed frogs grow about 5 inches, so prepare for big frogs. When they are full grown, they will eat feeder minnows and small feeder goldfish.

They dont need any land in the tank, but as long as they have plenty of swim space, it wont matter.

i raise gray treefrogs, and have seen some of them morph but dont develope completely on the inside and will just die, and since we have well water i ruled that out. i think shallowing the water is a good idea, do you have carbon crystals? that may help if they are needing more oxygen. i also agree with shallowing the water for them and taking gravel out, if they are very starved they will lose the stamina to hunt their food, if its not righ tthere they dont have the strength to hunt for it. i think trying live food would be good, the other ones may be from a line of captive frogs, so more so used to dead food, and the others may have higher instinct levels so the live prey will entice them. like domestication, after being bred in captivity and developi9ng more lines of captive they become instinctual to still food, but most baby frogs that morph from pond found eggs wont touch it, unless its moving. also if they are trying to get out and your finding them belly up, when a frog drowns it will often have internal damage, like ruptures of the stomache. are you absolutely sure they are aquatic? it could be they develope more in the water then leave it, and when they cant escape the water they drown?
i dont know much abouyt these kind of frogs but i think this particular theory would go for most if not all captive bred verses found, domestication. i am sorry your frogs are dying and i wish i could give you a quick fix but this is all i can come up with. i am so sorry for you but i am glad your albino ones are doing well.

I discussed the frogs with the original poster, and it does seem that they are African clawed frogs which are fully aquatic. They've also been domesticated for a long time so it's doubtful that one batch would be accustomed to a different sort of food. For African clawed frogs, I recommend live foods anyway. I have African dwarf frogs, another fully aquatic species that's similar, and mine don't like commercial foods at all. They do eat frozen bloodworms but mostly live blackworms. These frogs begin discussed are not tadpoles or morphing frogs but already in their adult frog form. Unlike adult frogs, tadpoles normally mostly eat vegetable matter as opposed to animals. Adult frogs with few exceptions only go for live foods.

I have had my African Clawed frogs for 3 years now. They like to dangle at the top of the tank occassionaly, but the only times they try to escape is when there is something wrong with the water. Maybe the water is too hot or the chemistry is off. What are your pH, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia levels?

A froggy update! Hi again people! It's been awhile since I posted. I will never know why my little brown African Clawed frogs died or why the Albinos were not affected (which were in the same tank with them). But the Albinos have flourished and grown fat and sassy! They've grown a lot in the last few months to the point where I had to find 3 of them homes to avoid over-crowding. I now have only 9 which are in 3 ten-gallon tanks, three to a tank. They're probably only 6 or 7 months old but already displaying "mating" behavior. I'm not interested in raising a million babies so I just let them go, knowing that if they do lay eggs, they'll more than likely eat them.

They provide me with endless hours of enjoyment, just watching them frolic! Feeding time is always entertaining. I started out with freeze-dried blood worms but switched to the frozen blood worms which they seem to like a whole lot better. They stuff their little mouths so full, they can't even close their mouth!

I'm using a combo of a back filter and undergravel filter on the tanks. Is this ok??? I've read controversial articles about filters with African Clawed frogs. Some say this stresses them, others recommend it. Personally, it doesn't seem to faze them at all and certainly hasn't effected their appetite. I do a 90% water change every 3 or 4 weeks and change the charcoal filters once a week. I'm using natural spring water, which they seem to like the best. Their bottom is large-sized gravel so they can't accidentally swallow a stone and they all have plastic plant material floating in the tank which they really seem to like. They often wedge themselves in the plants in such a way as to support themselves with their nostrals above the water and just relax that way.

My husband built me a beautiful stand to support the 3 tanks. The bottom tank is subject to being gawked at by the cats but the frogs are getting use to it and kitty paws batting at the glass doesn't seem to bother them anymore.

Thank you all for your support and sharing of your knowledge. I went into this sorta blind and not knowing what I was doing. I've learned a whole lot about these little frogs since I bought them. I truly wish Wal-Mart would stop selling them. Everytime I go in there, there are more. Some are dead, others are thin and sickly. They keep them in little 8-ounce water-filled cups for God knows how long until they sell and I don't even know if they feed them. They're unsupervised and kids play with the cups, shaking them and turning them upside down to get a reaction from the frogs. I have to turn away and leave. I've tried reporting this to Wal-Mart and they look at me like I'm crazy, complaining about the treatment of the frogs?? I wish there was a way to stop this. They should be sold be responsible pet stores only, not department stores.

I wrote a long reply and then my phone connection hung, and for the first time, I lost my posting and will try to remember what I wrote!

" just let them go, knowing that if they do lay eggs, they'll more than likely eat them."

If you do nothing, they absolutely will eat all their own eggs.

"They provide me with endless hours of enjoyment, just watching them frolic! Feeding time is always entertaining. I started out with freeze-dried blood worms but switched to the frozen blood worms which they seem to like a whole lot better. They stuff their little mouths so full, they can't even close their mouth!"

These frogs are real gluttons! The frozen bloodworms taste and feel more like the live ones then the freeze dried ones.

"I'm using a combo of a back filter and undergravel filter on the tanks. Is this ok???"

I don't personally like undergravel filters but as long as you have the other filter for mechnical filtration, it's fine.

"I've read controversial articles about filters with African Clawed frogs. Some say this stresses them, others recommend it. Personally, it doesn't seem to faze them at all and certainly hasn't effected their appetite."

A filtered tank is a clean and healthy tank. Aquatic frog tanks should have filtration. The concern I guess is if the current is too strong and bounces them all around but that's rarely the case!

"I do a 90% water change every 3 or 4 weeks and change the charcoal filters once a week. I'm using natural spring water, which they seem to like the best."

Large water changes are very stressful. I suggest doing no more than 50% at any one time but doing it more often, every week or two. Spring water can be expensive over time. Have you tested your tap water to see what its water chemistry is like?

"Their bottom is large-sized gravel so they can't accidentally swallow a stone and they all have plastic plant material floating in the tank which they really seem to like. They often wedge themselves in the plants in such a way as to support themselves with their nostrals above the water and just relax that way."

I've seen many kinds of frogs and turtles do that.

"My husband built me a beautiful stand to support the 3 tanks. The bottom tank is subject to being gawked at by the cats but the frogs are getting use to it and kitty paws batting at the glass doesn't seem to bother them anymore."

The gluttonous frogs will soon be trying to eat the cats through the glass!

"Thank you all for your support and sharing of your knowledge. I went into this sorta blind and not knowing what I was doing. I've learned a whole lot about these little frogs since I bought them. I truly wish Wal-Mart would stop selling them. Everytime I go in there, there are more. Some are dead, others are thin and sickly. They keep them in little 8-ounce water-filled cups for God knows how long until they sell and I don't even know if they feed them. They're unsupervised and kids play with the cups, shaking them and turning them upside down to get a reaction from the frogs. I have to turn away and leave. I've tried reporting this to Wal-Mart and they look at me like I'm crazy, complaining about the treatment of the frogs?? I wish there was a way to stop this. They should be sold be responsible pet stores only, not department stores. "

I totally agree.

A lot of new changes lately. I'm moving to a new apartment. Most everything is already moved and tomorrow morning we move the frogs. I'm a little worried about the stress for them but I have a plan to move them quickly and get them set back up as fast as possible. I figure early morning will be a good time, since their feeding is late evening. This will give them time to settle down so they'll eat well at night.

I haven't tested my tap water but the spring water isn't too costly, and they love it the best. I have taken your advice, Robyn, and am now doing a 50% water change every week. This does seem to be a lot less stressful for them. My hubby bought me a "gravel cleaner" which scoops the water from the bottom of the tank where it's the dirtiest through a syphen into a bucket. It sure saves me a lot of time and I love it! I change the back filter once a week even though the instructions say to change it every 2 to 4 weeks because I'm feeding frozen blood worms and this seems to dirty the filters more than it would on a typical aquarium.

In the past few months since I've had the frogs, I've witnessed them shedding their skins and eating them about 4 times now. It's kinda exciting because they do it so fast, and to be able to see it, well you just have to be looking at the right time. To think that I've had these 9 guys since December (and originally started with 12), to see the event 4 times seems very special. On one occasion, the back filter sucked the skin away from the frog and it floated in the water a while, then eventually ended up in the filter. It was a shame because I know it's nutritional for them to eat it.

One of my frogs is a hunchback. We even nicknamed him "The Hunchback". He's been that way since I've had him. It must be some birth defect. He does every bit as well as the rest of them but I worry more for him because he seems to use just as much engery as the rest of them but moves at only haft the speed. It takes him twice as long to rise to the top for air and do his normal froggy daily routines. I'm particularly fond of him and worry more about him because of his deformity but so far, so good. Normal froggy behavior seems to be a real struggle for him, burning twice the engery to achieve what his tank mates are doing. I'm almost resigned to the fact that he may not live a normal life-span, using as much engery as he does just to keep up with the rest of them. But he eats well and hasn't displayed any signs of distress so far.

I've witnessed some strange mating behavior in these frogs! They're only about 6 or 7 months old, probably exploring the mating game, but sometimes they take on the role of female, other times the male! I can't tell yet what sex they are. One day I will see one of them displaying a male position, hugging another frog in a mating position, only to see them the next day playing the role of a female being hugged by another frog. The oddest thing I witnessed was three frogs in a chain, one frog hugging another with a third frog hugging the "male". I figure they are just adolescents trying to get it right! :)

Bed time for me, see you all later.

Most likely, the fish doing the hugging is male. Now, a male will hug another male so that may explain the apparent switches and threesomes. I've seen pond frogs do the same thing. When I last cleaned out my 153 gallon pond, a male wood frog grasped onto a male green frog. The poor green frog was crying and couldn't get away. When the hormones kick in, male frogs just want to squeeze something. They're not too picky!

I thought it was funny that you said the frog's skin was sucked into the filter and not eaten, and it was a shame. While the skin does have some nutrition, the frog will not really be harmed by not eating it. I've seen my dwarf frogs' skins sometimes hanging around (with the former occupant not right there so I guess he didn't want it!).

Your disabled frog may have a genetic problem or a birth defect and should be able to live a pretty normal life as long as he can compete for food.

Good luck with your frogs and new home!

Well, it finally happened to me. I've read about the little escape artists making a get-away and have been keeping my aquariums tightly sealed, or so I thought. The only openings are where the back filter attaches and I have those openings covered in mesh to prevent escapes. But when I walked into my bedroom this morning, there was one of my babies hopping across the floor! I grabbed him quick and got him back into his tank and he seems none the worse for wear. He was still slightly moist and very energetic so I don't think he was out long?? I was so amazed, I measured the distance. The poor little guy had to have dropped 3 feet to the floor, then, assuming he went in a straight route, made it a distance of 27 feet in plain sight and I never saw him do it! Even more astonishing is that neither of the cats spotted him. He was covered in carpet lint and dust but I made no attempt to clean him, just put him back in his tank and it seemed to wash off him fine. I'll keep an eye on him and hope he's ok.

ive kept clawed frogs for years. They definetly wont do well in a 3 gallon. I do 1 frog for each 5 gallon at the least so they can grow. You can feed the live blood worms when the are younger and frog pellets. When they are older i recomend only feeding them minnows and crickets. Yes the crickets can drown but the frog sees them before that happens.Dont feed them frozen becaus they are more predatory than adfs.

As long as they stay moist, the ACF's an survive out of water for a short amount of time. Hopefully, he'll recover just fine. It's amazing what they can go through and still make it. How many frogs do you have now? What size tanks are they in?

they are pretty hardy.

I have 9 frogs now. I did have 12 but took 3 of them to the pet shop a few months ago to give the others more room. I keep them in three 10 gallon tanks, 3 frogs to a tank. The biggest ones are about 2 inches from snout to vent, the smaller ones about an inch and a half. All of them are extremely plump. They must be 8 or 9 months old now. Is it time for bigger tanks?

yah you might want to start planning on a new tank. I say get one big one for all 9 frogs. Maybe a 45 gallon. What are you feeding your frogs?

Last night I purchased a 20 gallon and a 15 gallon tank. My plan is to put 4 frogs in the 20 gallon, 3 in the 15, and leave 2 in a 10 gallon. This will give them all 5 gallons each. They eat frozen bloodworms which seems to be their favorite.

they will eventually stop eating them because they like large live food. When they get to adult size they eat minnows and feeder guppies.

Of course, the frogs can use more room as they get bigger. They're still pretty small but will really start to grow once they start taking live fish.

the females get to be around 5-6 inches and males about 4-5 inches.

when they are adults it should be 5-10 gallons per frog.

Successful mating! Two of them hugged all night a couple of nights ago and today I noticed there's frog eggs stuck to everything in their tank. Only a few dozen though, they probably ate most of them before I noticed. I'm not really into raising babies right now so I'll leave things as they are. It's nice to know I have a breeding pair, though!

thats good! dont you think the females are huge!

After cleaning the tank and getting rid of all the eggs, those darn frogs are at it again! Seems odd that they're mating again so soon after the last time. Anyway, I thought about maybe trying to raise tadpoles and started reading up on it when I came across an article that said not to mate frogs that were purchased together, as they're probably from the same batch and I'd end up with a bunch of genetic mutations. This is the case with these frogs, so I won't be trying to raise any babies with them. Maybe at some point in the future, I'll purchase an unrelated male, since all my other frogs are females.

thats a good idea not to breed them. if you want to you should get another male like you said.

Been a while since I posted. My frogs are doing fine and have gotten huge! I'm down to 5 from the original dozen, having to sell most of them to the local pet store in order to maintain adequate room in the tanks for the remaining ones. 4 girls and one boy, who's constantly courting the ladies! They go through between 50 and 100 feeder minnows a week, along with regular feedings of frozen blood worms.

Tonight for the second time since I've had them, one escaped. I left the tank lid open for about 15 minutes and that was all it took. One of the girls decided to leap out and hop around the house. I found her under the coffee table, luckily in time before she dried out (and before the cats noticed her) and got her back into the tank. She immediately shed her skin and seems just fine with no apparent damage. It's amazing, what opportunists they are! That was the only time I've ever forgotten to close the tank lid.

An interesting side note: one of the females went on an egg laying spree without the male present. Is this normal?? The only other time I've witnessed egg laying is when the male is hugging one of the females. Do the females normally just lay eggs even when the male isn't present?

The females lay the eggs and then the male fertilizes them.

In frogs, it would be rare to lay eggs without a male present but since one is nearby, if she had some ready, she would need to either expel them or reabsorb them. Frogs and egg-laying fish usually need the male to be present in order to stimulate the eggs to come out but I guess not in this case. The eggs won't be fertile so just throw them out.