I kept my African clawed frog in an aquarium that had an Eclipse hood on the tank. These hoods are great to have because they completely enclose the top of the tank. Despite the hood on my tank, somehow, my African clawed frog escaped. To this day, I have no idea how he pulled it off. I just cannot figure out how he managed to get out of the tank. It is a mystery. All I know is one day I returned home from class and I could not find him in the tank. I figured he was hiding in the rocks and would reappear soon enough.

After a couple of hours of waiting and not seeing him, I proceeded to uproot plants and overturn décor in the aquarium to hunt for him. There was no frog in that aquarium to be found. It was then that I realized that he had to have somehow escaped. There was a very small opening in the back of the hood, and he had to have somehow managed to squeeze out of that hole. There was just no other way he could have gotten out. I began a search throughout my home for my frog, looking along baseboards, in closets, and under furniture. I could not find him. After a few hours of looking with no luck, I resigned myself to the belief that he was gone, probably already dried up and dead. These frogs cannot spend much time out of water without perishing. They are fully aquatic pets.

Late that night, I heard a chirping sound. Really more like a cricket than a frog. I followed the sound to my front door. Much to my shock and amazement, there was my African clawed frog, sitting in my foyer by the front door, as if he was just waiting for it to open so he could escape further. I scooped him up and put him back into his tank. I could not believe he was still alive.

Unfortunately, his stunt had not left him without serious injury. Over the next couple of weeks, one of his front limbs turned black and fell off. It was gross. He was still eating and swimming though, so I let him do his thing. Despite his good appetite and ability to still swim, he died a few weeks later. I think he died as a result of the injury he sustained when he jumped out of the aquarium. My tank was on a stand and he fell at least five or six feet to the floor. I hypothesize the limb was broken and after it fell off he probably got an infection of some kind, though I can’t be sure.

If you choose to have an African clawed frog as a pet, be sure your tank is escape-proof. My story is a testament to the ability of these creatures to find their way out of even the most seemingly foolproof setups. Make sure all holes in the hood of your tank are covered and make sure any lids that can be pushed open are heavy enough that the frog cannot open them.

If you do find yourself in a situation similar to mine and you find your African clawed frog after he has escaped, even if he does not appear to be alive, put him back into your aquarium for a few hours before you call it quits and give up on him. I have heard of these frogs escaping and being found up to two days or so later, appearing to be dead, but the owner put the frog into water and slowly but surely the frog began to breathe and was actually still alive.

The best thing to do when you own one of these frogs is to just avoid the situation entirely by making sure your tank is escape-proof to begin with. Just beware; they’re smarter escape artists than you may think.