The African giant bullfrog, Pyxicephalus adspersus, commonly known as the Pixie frog (or Pyxie frog), is a popular amphibian pet. Known for their large size and voracious appetite, these frogs require specific care to thrive in captivity. This article provides a comprehensive guide to pixie frog diet and care, covering everything from housing to feeding to breeding.
Natural History
African Giant bullfrogs, also called “pixies” or “pyxies”, are found throughout southern Africa in sub-Saharan regions. Pyxies tend to live in areas that during the rainy season flood and retain water. These areas are extremely dry most of the year which forces the frogs to aestivate in order to conserve water.
Description
The Pyxicephalus adspersus is the second largest frog species in the world with males reaching up to 10 inches in length. Females generally reach 3.5-5.5 inches long while males range from 6-10 inches long. Males can reach 4.5-10 inches/11.5-25 cm SVL compared to females: 3.5-5.5 inches/9.0-14 cm. Males have been known to weigh up to two pounds. With proper care, Pyxies generally live 15-25 years with proper care and have been known to live over 30 years.
Powerful limbs and large skulls make these frogs appear thick and stocky. Both genders have teeth-like projections called odontoids in their mouth which help them capture prey as they are ambush predators.
Both sexes are an olive green color with white undersides and orange where the limbs meet the body. Where the limbs meet the body there is a bright orange coloration. Males tend have yellow around the orange coloring often extending down their sides and up the sides of their throat. Many of these frogs will also have a yellow color along the sides of the body. Pyxies have large broad ridges down their backs as well.
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The size and coloration differences are generally reliable once the frogs reach approximately 4 inches. Males also have a proportionally larger head and have a low rumbling call. Females do not call.
Housing
The set up for these large frogs is very simple. Pixie frogs will eat other pixie frogs or any other animals you put in their home - even larger ones! So it’s best to let the little predators live alone. Males of this species should be housed alone as they can be territorial and aggressive toward other males. Females can be housed in groups with no problems.
A pixie frog’s terrarium should be at least 10 gallons with a screened lid. They are fairly inactive, so a single frog can be kept in a 15 gallon or larger tank. Large males can sometimes require a minimum of 20 gallon aquarium whereas smaller juvenile males and adult females can be kept comfortably in a 10 gallon aquarium. Juveniles under 3 inches can easily be maintained in a 5 gallon aquarium. Many keepers find that using non-conventional enclosure such as plastic storage boxes is not only easier to maneuver in their homes but also less stressful for the animal due to the opaque nature of the sides.
Substrate
Line the bottom of the terrarium with 2 to 3 inches of coconut-fiber or bark bedding, as frogs enjoy burrowing in it. Moist coco fiber is an ideal substrate; there should be enough substrate to allow the frog to completely bury itself. The substrate needs to be moistened at all times with dechlorinated water. Tap water that has been dechlorinated chemically or “aged” is perfectly fine.
Paper towel is by far the easiest to clean and cheapest substrate to use. However, it must be changed daily and doesn’t offer any aesthetics. Top soil it a common substrate providing a naturalistic look to the enclosure as well as offering the frog a chance to burrow under leaving only their eyes exposed in some cases. Soil must be spot cleaned daily and completely changed out every 2 weeks to prevent bacteria and fungus build-up. Moistened terry cloth towels are also utilized for substrate since they can be easily changed out. However, a few back ups will be needed and the towels must be washed and dried WITHOUT fabric softener preferably.
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Scoop the poop at least once a week and change out the bedding completely once a month.
Water and Humidity
Provide a large, shallow bowl of water for your pixie frog to soak in; or push the bedding to one side of the terrarium and let it slope down into a water area. (They’ll get their own private beach!) Pixie frogs will also utilize a large, easy to enter water dish for soaking. Water bowls should be deep enough for the frog to submerge itself if desired. Water should be changed at least daily and only clean, dechlorinated water should be used.
Humidity is extremely important to the health of African bullfrogs. The humidity in the enclosure should be maintained around 80-90%. This is easily checked with a hygrometer and maintained with a hydrostat. Frequent misting, moistening of the substrate, large water bowls, and foggers can all be used to maintain higher levels of humidity. Coco fiber should be kept moist but not soaking and a vented or screen lid should be used.
Temperature
Giant African Bullfrogs are native to the savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa. A pixie frog’s terrarium should range between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and 65 F to 75 F at night. Pyxie frogs can be easily maintained in 77-82°F ambient temperatures. At night, the temperature can drop as low as 68°F.
They are best kept between 75-90 degrees F with a 5 degree drop at night. If necessary, use a heat bulb or a night-specific heat lamp to maintain habitat warmth. A thermometer at each end of the habitat will help you monitor the temperature. Heating the enclosure is easily achieved using under tank heaters either under the tank or mounted on the side of the tank. Heat cable, heat tape, and other methods of heating can be utilized as well. Basking lights are contraindicated. The temperature should be maintained with the use of a thermostat and monitored with a thermometer at the level of the substrate. A low wattage incandescent light can be placed at one side of the screen lid to reach desired temperatures.
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If kept too dry, these frogs may enter a state of dormancy called aestivation while they wait for the “upcoming rainy season”.
Lighting and Enrichment
Pixie frogs are nocturnal, meaning they’re more active at night. They don’t require sunlight, but they do need lighting that mimics a day and a night cycle in their habitat. African bullfrogs do not have many lighting requirements. They require a light cycle of 10 hours of light and 14 of darkness. If they’re in a dim room, light the terrarium for 12 hours a day with a fluorescent bulb. An ultraviolet (UVB) light such as a ReptiGlo or a ReptiSun 5.0 can be utilized and is recommended. At night, switch to a night-specific bulb so you can watch your frog with minimum disturbance.
Stock the terrarium with live or artificial branches for hiding and climbing. A hide box created from things as simple as a half a plastic flower pot should be offered to provide a secure place for the frog. Live plants can be easily uprooted by these powerful diggers and should be potted separately if placed in the enclosure. Fake foliage such as silk leaves can be used without problems and pose the benefit of being easily cleaned.
Moss is an excellent way to keep frogs moist but care must be taken that it is changed frequently and is in a place where the frog will not accidentally ingest it attempting to eat.
Diet and Feeding
Pixie frogs are voracious eaters and do best with a wide variety of food items. African bullfrogs have a strong sense of sight and will eat anything that fits in their mouths. Captive adults are frequently fed earth worms, crickets, super worms, roaches, and mice (feed sparingly). In the wild, these animals are known to eat other amphibians and small reptiles. Bullfrogs are prone to obesity especially those fed large amounts of rodents. It is recommended to feed rodents to Pyxies only once every 2 or 3 weeks.
Juveniles should be fed appropriately sized crickets daily. At Josh’s Frogs, our adult Pixie frogs eat adult crickets and ¾” . They will soon grow into monsters that can eat larger prey 2-3 times per week. They can also be fed earthworms, hornworms, silkworms, and the occasional thawed frozen rodent.
Pyxies under three inches long should be fed daily what they will consume in 15 minutes. Sub-adults and adults should be fed 2-3 times a week in the same manner. Some owners advocate the use of trout and salmon pellets in place of live prey and have success.
Care should be taken when handling, as these frogs have powerful legs and are not very agile if they were to be accidentally dropped. In captivity, they generally have an even temperament but are known to hiss when provoked. It is not recommended to feed bullfrogs from your hand as they have a powerful, painful bite. Placing the food in a dish or on a flat rock is a better option. Feeding with forceps is a very popular method as well.
Supplementation
Pixie frogs need Vitamin D in their diet. Calcium supplementation should be added to the food weekly and a multivitamin supplement every 2 weeks.
Feeding Schedule for Growing Frogs
Age matters, and that is something that many blogs don’t address. In general, it is not good for very mature frogs of this species to overeat constantly. However, at this stage/age, this youngster should be able to tolerate a diet that might otherwise contribute to obesity in maturity. A young, growing Pixie frog is going to need calcium in greater quantities than insects can provide.
A suggested feeding schedule for a growing youngster is as follows:
- Feed a few insects every day.
- Feed a well thawed, just above room temperature frozen pinky twice per week.
- After several months, back off to one fuzzy per week.
The philosophy for owners of growing youngsters is to be mindful of variety, nutrition and balance, rather than worrying about amounts.
At sexual maturity for this species, you may need to begin to withhold food somewhat, allowing a brief fasting period to prevent obesity. This can be one of the most interesting, stressful and informative phases of pet ownership of reptiles and amphibians, that of care and feeding when you want to do the right thing.
As a conscientious pet owner, keep in mind that this pet’s needs are going to change rapidly in the next 1-2 years, and you are going to need to keep up with those changes. At sexual maturity, you will be able to establish a weekly feeding routine that will vary little throughout the pet’s life span. Of course, you will need to be mindful of his/her habits. When your pet doesn’t come out of their hide for two weeks at three years old, it may be constipated, a common and potentially fatal ailment. Then, you may have to adjust diet and perform an intervention of forcing your pet to bath in mineral waters, dechlorinated of course, to stimulate the needed gut response.
Breeding
Breeding Pyxicephalus adspersus in captivity is not a common occurrence. The best way to go about it would be to mimic the seasonality of their natural environment. Give well fed, well hydrated, and overall healthy frogs a 3-4 month dry period with no misting and reduced water in the water bowl or even no water bowl to allow for aestivation.
Next, rehydrate them with heavy misting and pouring water into their substrate. Once the frogs have shed the layers of skin that they have built up as a water retaining “cocoon,” begin feeding heavily for a few days to a week and then place in a large rain chamber with approximately 3 inches of water and surfaces for the frogs to exit the water. Water level should not be kept too much higher than this because amplexus takes place while standing on the bottom and fertilization of eggs takes place above water.
Multiple males being placed in the rain chamber simultaneously could result in aggression and injuries and is therefore not recommended. The introduction to the rain chamber should be timed with a low pressure weather event in order to increase the chance of spawning.
If all goes well, female frogs can lay up to 4,000 eggs which will hatch within three days in 75-80 degree water. Tadpoles are omnivorous and can be fed a variety of flake food, including Josh’s Frogs tadpole food. Metamorphosis can take place as quickly as 30 days at which point froglets should be kept individually in order to prevent any chance of them injuring each other.
Health Considerations
Try not to handle new pixie frogs for three or four days to give them a chance to get acclimated to their new surroundings. Our vendors meet a high standard in caring for pets and screening them for common illnesses.