African Dwarf Frogs Not Eating -4 Reasons + Solutions
If you want to decorate your aquarium in a unique way then an African dwarf frog is the best choice. Their physical beauty will impress everyone and their care is also very easy. They have no teeth, claws, or any weapon. That’s why they are very friendly creatures. You can keep them in the same aquarium with fish and other aquatic animals without any confusion.
Although care is easy, there are some issues that make life difficult for African frogs. Reluctance to eat is one of the major issues. You know nothing happens in the world without reason. Similarly, There are a number of conditions that are responsible for African frogs not wanting to eat.
Poor vision, a Stressful environment, Disease, and Changes in food habits are the reasons for African dwarf frogs not eating.
In this article, I will describe the details of the reasons and will tell you the overall treatment guide. So let’s get started.
African Dwarf Frogs Not Eating-Quick Solution
| Reason | Solution |
| Poor Vision | Natural physical issue. Feeding carefully. |
| Stressful Environment | Ensure a good quality aquatic environment. |
| Diseases | Take proper prevention against bacteria and fungus. |
| Food Habit | Ensure healthy foods and vitamins. |
Why Is My African Dwarf Frog Not Eating and Their Solution
1. Poor Vision
African dwarf frogs are members of the Pipidae family. Despite breaking the water’s surface because they breathe air, they are fully aquatic. Poor vision is a natural physical condition for African dwarf frogs. Due to their vision problems, They see most things around them very blurry.
They have sharp vision at distances of 3 inches or more. Because of this, they often miss things floating around them.
Because of their extremely blurry vision, feeding them is quite a challenge. African Dwarf frogs have to depend on the bite, sharp smell sense, or touch to confirm whether it is really food or not.
Treatment Guide
Since poor vision is a natural problem, there is no remedy to fix these. You have to be careful about feeding. You must remember that your African dwarf Frog will not survive long without proper nutrition.
African dwarf frogs are also slow eaters. So if you keep your frog with other fish, the frog’s food is more likely to be eaten by the fish. The best way is to remove the frog from the aquarium and feed it. You must think about the disturbance but it doesn’t bother them.
Keep a medium tank and half fill it with water. Then replace your frog and give it food. Give them a blob of food, frozen or dried brine shrimp, insects, and tubifex worms.
Our Pick-
- Zoo Med Aquatic Frog & Tadpole Food
- Amzey Dried Brine Shrimp
2. Diseases
African dwarf frogs can easily be attacked by various types of diseases. It is normal for a sick animal to have no interest in food. Dropsy, Fungal infection, and Bacterial attacks are the main diseases for which your dwarf frog may be reluctant to eat.
The severe bloating stomach is the main symptom of dropsy. Notice your frog carefully, if it looks like an over-aired balloon then this must be a sign of dropsy. The fluid that has accumulated inside its little body is the cause. This fluid, which may have seemed to appear overnight, is quite painful for your frog.
Little white cottony patches on the whole skin are the main symptoms of fungal attacks. It may also be one large white chytridiomycosis, zygomycosis, chromomycosis are the common fungal diseases of African dwarf frogs. Poor-looking skin and not wanting to eat are the major symptoms of fungal attacks.
Chytrid is the most common fungus that attacks the African dwarf frogs. Look at your dwarf frog carefully if it seems to have poor skin, reddening on the skin, excessive shedding, floating, hiding all the time, lacking reflexes, infection in the mouth area, loss of balance, unusual swimming behavior, or any shadow in the skin then it must be the fungal attack.
Bacterial attacks in African dwarf frogs are quite similar to fungal attacks. However bacterial infections are not easily diagnosed. You need to take some time to get confirmed. Reluctance to eat is usually one of the symptoms of this infection. Gradually this level will increase and eventually, your frog will eat nothing.
Red leg syndrome, mycobacteriosis, and chlamydiosis are the common bacterial diseases of dwarf frogs. symptoms of bacterial diseases are turning red, lethargy, bleeding, fluid in the abdominal cavity, stopping eating gradually, skin discoloration, and cloudy eyes.
Treatment Guide
Dropsy is a disease whose causes can be vitamin toxicity or kidney failure and sometimes the reason can be unknown. So prevention is better than cure for this disease. Maintaining the pH of water is one of the common ways to prevent this disease. Care should be taken not to have excess chlorine in the water. you must ensure the cleanliness of your aquarium. If the symptoms of this disease appear, the vet should be consulted immediately.
Actually, there is no home remedy for this disease. Many people may advise you to add more salt to the water to cure Dropsy. But beware, this can never be done. Excess salt will make your frog’s sore condition worse as well as swelling.
Salt bath is the best way to treat fungal diseases. You have to take a water tank and fill it with 3-5 liters of water. Add 50 gm of sea salt to it. Remove your frog from the aquarium and keep it in the saltwater tank. You have to keep it for 30-40 minutes daily until the symptoms are gone. Using 3% of malachite green can also be effective.
Chytrid can be treated with benzalkonium chloride. Benzalkonium chloride is the same as a salt bath treatment. You have to mix 2mg of the chemical with 1 liter of water and bathe your frog once every three or four days. Isolation is necessary if your frog is attacked by fungus.
Potassium permanganate or copper solution bath is one of the effective remedies for bacterial diseases.mix 2-3% of the permanganate solution with water and bathe every day. If the permanganate bath is not working you have to give antibacterial drugs like tetracycline orally. Taking vet advice is a must before giving any medicine. changing the tank water is necessary every three to four days.
3. Stressful Aquarium Condition
Every animal and plant has a very significant relationship with the environment. It will be challenging for them to survive if they don’t have the right atmosphere.
You must make sure the aquarium is set up properly for African dwarf frogs kept indoors. Any alteration to the environment could be extremely harmful to them.
African dwarf frogs will be reluctant to eat if the environment is not suitable, and stressful.
Low oxygen levels, overeating, a lack of privacy or quiet spaces, and excess chemicals in the water can all contribute to an uncomfortable atmosphere.
Treatment Guide
For a happy environment, you need to arrange your aquarium to suit the animals.
African dwarf frogs prefer large spaces. So you must ensure a big-sized tank (10-15 gallons). A best-quality filter is a must that will clean the water surface.
Keep the tank beside the window where bright indirect sunlight can be found. Keep some aquatic plants and place some little caves. Java Fern or Java Moss will be a good choice. The water requirements must be fulfilled.
Always use fresh water in the tank. pH should be 6.5-7.5. The temperature should be 25-27° C. Hardness of the water should be 10-25dGH. Change the water every two weeks. Don’t give excess food.
Do not use any cleaning chemicals in the water reservoir during cleaning time. It may cause severe damage to the animal. Never touch the tank water without first thoroughly washing your hands.
You may know the most important component of a perfect aquarium is a robust bacteria colony. These bacteria thrive on the chemicals that cause problems in your reef tank, and since the toxins are finally eliminated organically, the water in your tank is safe for all organisms. Use a water conditioner to revive the water. (Our pick: API STRESS COAT Aquarium Water Conditioner)
4. Food Habit
Most beginners make the mistake of not knowing the food habits of African dwarf frogs. If you give your frog off-diet food, it is normal that it will not want to eat that.
Many people mistakenly give different food to dwarf frogs and because of it dwarf frogs are not interested in eating and don’t get proper nutrition.
Treatment Guide
To maintain the good health of your dwarf frog you must know their food habits of them.
In the wild, bloodworms, tiny fishes, and organic materials. They can also absorb plants, fungi, and detritus.
But indoors, you have to keep in mind the aquarium environment along with the feeding habits. You need to provide food that is healthy for the frog as well as not harmful to the aquarium environment.
Pellets, such as sinking fish pellets, should be the main food for African dwarf frogs in aquariums. You can buy the best quality pellets from the market.
But make sure about the ingredients and extra added vitamins before buying. You can also give frozen or dried bloodworms, blackworms, tubifex worms, and brine shrimp. (Our Pick: Zoo Med Aquatic Frog & Tadpole Food)
Note: Feed your dwarf frog twice a day. Before feeding, soften frozen food and clean it with fresh water. Allow your frogs 3-4 minutes to eat then remove the remaining foods.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you know when a dwarf frog is dying?
Eating Little, pale skin, hanging around at the top of the tank every time and dead skin ate the dying symptoms of an African dwarf frog.
How do I get my African dwarf frog to eat?
The best way of feeding an African dwarf frog is to remove it from the aquarium and feed it.
How can you tell if an African dwarf frog is dehydrated?
A dwarf frog that is dehydrated will exhibit changes in color, sunken eyes in the sockets, dry to sticky skin, and a heavy slimy cover.
Conclusion
Keeping African dwarf frogs in an aquarium and taking proper care of them is very easy if and only if you have patience. There are so many people who do not take proper care of pets due to laziness, which is not the right thing.
In this article, I told you about the reasons for African Dwarf frogs not eating and showed you the proper caring guide. I also discussed the healthy environment and proper nutrition for your frog. Hope my article will be useful for you and help you to protect your African dwarf frog.
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