African dwarf frogs are a small specie of frogs which is said to have originated from Africa, that’s where they got their name. This frog is very popular because they are mainly kept in the aquarium by many people because of its size and non-aggressive nature. This specie of frog has some characteristics which include hiding. If you have this specie of frog, you may have noticed that many times, they will disappear and you may want to know why. Well, this article will answer that.
Why are my African dwarf frogs hiding? African dwarf frogs are nocturnal animals. They normally hide in the daytime and become active at night.
It is true that all nocturnal animals are not very active in the day.
So African dwarf frogs being nocturnal fall into this category.
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If you’re not very familiar with these frogs, at first you will be shocked and sad that they might have escaped or been eaten by any tank mate they have etc.
But in the real sense, they’re just hiding.
Now we have known it’s their nature, but the question is, why do they hide.
Being nocturnal animals, you don’t expect to see them being active and going about in the daytime.
If they’re very active in the daytime, then they’re no more nocturnal.
Related: 8 reasons why your dwarf frog is trying to escape
So in the day, they will find some places to hide or sleep off until it is dark, then they will come out and start moving about their normal activities.
If they happen to hide or disappear, then they must be in the subtracts, gravels, caves, filter, pipes that are in their tank.
African dwarf frogs can’t hide in thin air, so when they hide, they’re still in the tank, but inside something and will come out when they want.
It’s still possible that they might have escaped the tank and wandered off somewhere and not hidden in the tank.
This sometimes happens, especially when the tank is not well covered.
Again apart from being nocturnal, your African dwarf frogs may be hiding because they feel threatened by unsuitable tank mates, especially aggressive fish, crab or crayfish, turtles etc.
So they sometimes go into hiding out of fear of being preyed on by other tank mates.
Related: Why is my frog so fat?
So next time your African dwarf frogs go into hiding, these are the reasons.
It’s either they’re hiding from predators, they’re hiding from daylight because they’re nocturnal or they have escaped.
Why Are My African Dwarf Frogs Hiding All The Time?
As I explained earlier in this article, this type of frog naturally has the habit of hiding.
Why are my African dwarf frogs hiding the time? Your African dwarf frogs are always hiding because they’re nocturnal animals and will always hide from daylight and become active at night.
You will not normally see this type or specie of frog in daylight, unless on few occasions.
So it’s their nature to always stay out in the daytime, that’s why it seems as if they’re always hiding.
Related: Do frogs eat dead fish?
This is mainly because when you’re awake In day time, they are asleep, but when they’re awake at night, you’re asleep etc, so that’s why they always seems to be hiding.
Where Do Dwarf Frogs Hide?
Keeping dwarf frogs which African dwarf frogs fall into, you will always see them disappear and reappear. So you will be wondering where they go or hide.
Where do dwarf frogs hide? Dwarf Frogs are nocturnal. They will normally chose to hide at the dark corners of the tank to escape sunlight.
The dark places in your tank includes the substrates in the tank, gravels, caves, pipes and even in the filter, plant leaves, logs etc.
They do it to sleep peacefully and escape both daylight and possible predators. So it’s their nature.
African Dwarf Frog Hiding Behind Filter
Do you know that African dwarf frogs being good at hiding can hide at almost anywhere in their tank, including the filter?
I have heard many people complain that their frog is missing after removing or changing their tank filter.
This is very common, especially when you’re not very careful when you change their filter.
In order to hide and escape predators or daylight, they can hide almost anywhere, including the filter.
So whenever you want to change their filter, first of all, see if non of your African dwarf frogs is hiding inside it.
To avoid removing it with the filter, thereby losing it.
So if you see some of them behind the filter, don’t worry, as it’s just their normal behavior.
Conclusion
It’s just normal and natural for African dwarf frogs to hide.
So if you happen to notice this, then there is no cause for alarm, knowing that they haven’t escaped because you must have definitely covered their tank very well.
