# Frogs & Toads > African Bullfrogs >  Need your help picking my Pyxie!

## NialR35

Greetings!

I'm fairly new to the "frogger" world but already getting addicted to them!  :Frog Smile:  . I already have an ornata pac and would like to get a pyxie because I find them really formidable and have always interested me...but I don't want to make the same mistake.

When I bought my pac I thought a frog was a frog and did not even know fantasies, cornatas,samurais, albinos, caatingas existed!!!! so I bought mine not knowing all these other types of pacmans were available but whatever I still love my baby and he's eating like a champ. 

Is there something I need to know prior to getting my ABF? Are there different types/species like there are in pacmans? I really want the giant one, hopefully end up getting a male.; but is there anything to look out for? Please educate this fellow frogger, I'd REALLY appreciate some pictures to show me a comparison if necessary.

Thanks!

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## SCF

There are different species. There are no color morphs like you will find in pacman frogs. If you are looking for a giant you will want to get P. adspersus. I'm not quite sure what you are asking about looking for in a male, do you want to start with a baby and raise it up, or are you looking into getting an adult? If you are asking if you can identify a male as a baby, the answer would be no. Do you want to see pictures comparing adult female/males? These frogs are sexually dimorphic with the male being the larger of the two. One thing to also look out for is buying a dwarf instead of a giant. Sometimes pet stores label them wrong, etc.

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## SCF

If you are planning on buying online, you can post here beforehand and we can advise you.

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## Lija

hahahaha oh gosh, you are so on stage 2 of frog addiction already, congratulations i guess. lol
 SCF got your q covered  :Smile:

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## NialR35

> There are different species. There are no color morphs like you will find in pacman frogs. If you are looking for a giant you will want to get P. adspersus. I'm not quite sure what you are asking about looking for in a male, do you want to start with a baby and raise it up, or are you looking into getting an adult? If you are asking if you can identify a male as a baby, the answer would be no. Do you want to see pictures comparing adult female/males? These frogs are sexually dimorphic with the male being the larger of the two. One thing to also look out for is buying a dwarf instead of a giant. Sometimes pet stores label them wrong, etc.


Thanks SCF. What I meant by hopefully getting a male was that since you can't tell what they are when they are babies, I'm hoping I luck out and get a male. I read that care sheet and learned the difference between males and female, but what I was referring to is that I should only be aware of not getting a dwarf right? Is there any other discrepancy or I should just focus on getting a P. adspersus if I want a giant? I just don't want to get the short end of the stick haha.

Thanks

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## NialR35

> hahahaha oh gosh, you are so on stage 2 of frog addiction already, congratulations i guess. lol
>  SCF got your q covered


LOL! yea, I never thought it'd be this quick haha. I think my next frog will be a pyxie, I like how they look like little rhinos and are pretty aggressive eaters. It's funny because every time I saw a frog in the middle of the street I'd be like "ewww nasty" and now I own them. These frogs are cool though.  :Frog Smile:

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## Lija

hahaha you won't believe how happy i am for having a female, smaller tank, less food lol she is all cute.

 if you want for sure a male, you need to get subadult/adult, but then you'll miss out on growing, it is so much fun to watch them grow literally overnight.

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## SCF

Are you planning on getting it from your LPS or online? Dwarfs will be labeled (most commonly) P. Edulis. Some pet stores label a giant (ignorantly or even intentionally) as a dwarf.

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## NialR35

Well, I would order online ONLY if you guys can recommend a reliable website. I heard LLLreptiles can be good and so can kingsnake.com but the thing about kingsnake is that is kinda like a jack of all trades since different breeders post there and you don't know who is good and who's not. I've been in touch with mikesfrogs, he has a very good reputation here so I will most likely get it from him when I make the decision.

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## SCF

> Well, I would order online ONLY if you guys can recommend a reliable website. I heard LLLreptiles can be good and so can kingsnake.com but the thing about kingsnake is that is kinda like a jack of all trades since different breeders post there and you don't know who is good and who's not. I've been in touch with mikesfrogs, he has a very good reputation here so I will most likely get it from him when I make the decision.


LLL is very reputable, and you will get a true giant from them. Kingsnake.com is more or less a classifieds site, with a plethora of breeders/brokers/sellers, in my opinion a gamble (unless you do extensive research on the seller.) Mikesfrogs, does not breed pyxies, even though I do not personally know him, his reputation is very good as far as pacman breeding.

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## Carlos

There are currently 4 recognized species of African Bullfrog (http://www.frogforum.net/african-bul...us-status.html) and possibly couple more variants (i.e. Tanzania African Bullfrog).  If interested is comparing male and female of all species, recommend read Vosjoli's book:  Amazon.com: Giant African Bullfrogs: Life History and Captive Husbandry eBook: Robert Mailloux, Philippe de Vosjoli: Kindle Store.

Kingsnake is just a classified advertising website as SCF stated.  When ordering from anyone there, have to know seller reputation.  Also,  read the shipping warranty since many sellers at Kingsnake do not guarantee live arrival on frogs.  Good luck  :Smile:  !

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## NialR35

Awesome! Thanks Carlos, I just need to do some good research. I was in contact with Mike through email and he had giant pyxies available this weekend. Do you guys recommend LLLreptiles or any other breeder in case Mike runs out?

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## Carlos

> Awesome! Thanks Carlos, I just need to do some good research. I was in contact with Mike through email and he had giant pyxies available this weekend. Do you guys recommend LLLreptiles or any other breeder in case Mike runs out?


Have not ordered frogs online yet; but have read good reviews about LLL, Josh, Mike, and couple others can't recall now.  Good luck  :Smile:  !

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## Lija

honestly i better wait until Mike has them, if he says these are giants, that is exactly what you'll get, no guessing game!

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## danfrog

Lucky. I can't get the wife to sign off on getting another frog.

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## NialR35

So I ended up ordering my pixie from LLLreptiles and will be getting it tomorrow!!!!!!!!!! (already a frog addict, oh God)

I'm very familiar with pacmans now, but is there anything I should know about my ABF? Are there any major differences as far as husbandry/habitat/care/feeding/temps/bulb types, etc? 

I made sure I read the care sheet and it seems pretty similar, but maybe you guys can recommend or mention something I should know. (I.E: I did not know albino pacmans were sensitive to light and could only use infrared- Little details like this that could make a big difference) 

Thanks!  :Frog Smile:

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> So I ended up ordering my pixie from LLLreptiles and will be getting it tomorrow!!!!!!!!!! (already a frog addict, oh God)
> 
> I'm very familiar with pacmans now, but is there anything I should know about my ABF? Are there any major differences as far as husbandry/habitat/care/feeding/temps/bulb types, etc? 
> 
> I made sure I read the care sheet and it seems pretty similar, but maybe you guys can recommend or mention something I should know. (I.E: I did not know albino pacmans were sensitive to light and could only use infrared- Little details like this that could make a big difference) 
> 
> Thanks!


The care article pretty much says it all. They are more fond of water than a Pacman so you will be changing the water everyday. Provide a dish that is chin deep on the frog if possible, but make sure it can easily enter and exit the dish.

They can be VERY aggressive so watch you fingers when the frog becomes large enough to be hard to handle. Like Pacman frogs they have teeth(all frogs do actually), but Pyxi teeth are much larger and more likely to bloody your hand.

Scared yet??? Lol!  :Big Grin: 

As babies they can be housed the same as a Pacman while growing the frog to juvenile stage. A medium or large critter keeper(reptile carrier) work great setup just like with a Pacman. Warning!!!! This species of frog grows very rapidly and you will be buying new water dishes about every other week or more until adulthood. They also eat far more than any Pacman so keep stocked up on lots of Night Crawlers and Dubia Roaches.

If there is anything I have left out I'm certain someone else will chime in.

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## NialR35

Hahaha, I'd be scared to have this  snap at my fingers. 

So Colleen/Jerrod, with that said it's almost the same thing as pacmans? No extra stuff I need to know?(like that albino light example) 

-What tank size do you recommend me from getting for this baby? 5 gallon for now or get a 10 instead since they grow fast? I got my pacman an exo terra 24x18x12 but he's way to small to use it(he's in a medium critter carrier) and I don't want to make the same mistake for my pyxie, but since they grow fast what's best? My exo terra looks like a "square", is a rectangular shaped tank better pyxies or the exo terra square one should be fine too?

-I've seen youtube videos that actually have small containers filled with water inside the terrarium.....kinda like a "pool"; Is this necessary or a typical water bowl up-to-the-chin is enough? Does the frog actually need to be completely submerged?

-I do need daylight bulbs because my room is dark, for my pacman I'm using a zoo med basking light that you recommended me. Can I use the same bulb types (basking/infrared) for pyxies? 

-If you can please post me pics of your pyxie's set up just to have an idea.

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## SCF

Good choice going with LLL, you will get a true P. Adspersus. Start with a 10 gallon. You want long vrs. tall when choosing your tank. A typical water bowl that goes chin high will work. Pyxies do not need to be submerged. I use infared/black bulbs for lighting, UVB is not necessary. I also use a zoomed humidifiers on occasion, but this is also not necessary if you have the time to just mist to appropriate humidity levels.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Hahaha, I'd be scared to have this  snap at my fingers. 
> 
> So Colleen/Jerrod, with that said it's almost the same thing as pacmans? No extra stuff I need to know?(like that albino light example) 
> 
> -What tank size do you recommend me from getting for this baby? 5 gallon for now or get a 10 instead since they grow fast? I got my pacman an exo terra 24x18x12 but he's way to small to use it(he's in a medium critter carrier) and I don't want to make the same mistake for my pyxie, but since they grow fast what's best? My exo terra looks like a "square", is a rectangular shaped tank better pyxies or the exo terra square one should be fine too?
> 
> -I've seen youtube videos that actually have small containers filled with water inside the terrarium.....kinda like a "pool"; Is this necessary or a typical water bowl up-to-the-chin is enough? Does the frog actually need to be completely submerged?
> 
> -I do need daylight bulbs because my room is dark, for my pacman I'm using a zoo med basking light that you recommended me. Can I use the same bulb types (basking/infrared) for pyxies? 
> ...


You can use the same lights or what SCF recomended.

    

Sorry for the low quality.

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## Lija

i would recommend to get UVB for pixie, in a wild they live in open thus gets a lot of sun light and while it is not proven if UVB needed or not for african bullfrogs, but I'd say you better have it, 2.0 is sufficient, provided that a frog has where to hide if he chooses to.

 also I'd say aim for 50/50 water/substrate set up, and get yourself ready for big poops and aggressive eating, if you think your pacman eats a lot just wait for when you have pixie lol 

 anyhow will be waiting for pics  :Smile:

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## NialR35

Ok so what? Lol I'm confused. 

Do I really need uvb? Can a basking bulb do it? If not what's a good daylight bulb for them. My room is dark so I need a daylight.

Also should I just jump into a 10gal for now? Eventually I'm getting an exoterra but what's good for now? One of those fish tank 10 gal is okay? Or just a critter carrier?

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## SCF

I deleted that post, because it didn't come off right, this is the internet, and it's hard to tell seriousness. I will restate it. In the wild, pyxies will aestivate 9-10 months, getting no direct sunlight. UVB is not necessary.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

You can start in a large critter carrier with a Zoo Med Mini UTH on the side or a 10 gallon with appropriately sized UTH on the side or back and a lamp.

As for UVB it is not necessary, but the frog could benefit from 4 to 6 hours a day.

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## Lija

SCF what about the other 2 months lol 

anyhow as i said nobody proved UVB needed or not, I'd recommend low percentage, but a frog can surely live with no UVB, lots of people keep their that way.
 i use 2.0 uvb, low voltage basking spot with a dimmer, and heat cable on a side  of a tank for my pixie. she was deep down for 4 month with me digging and feeding her once in a while, now she is eating like a pig and sitting mostly in her water under basking lamp i guess waiting for the boys to appear lol

if you have 10 gal laying around i would just use it, they're nothing like a pacs, would hunt anything that moves  including running water day or night lol

 oh and if you'll have a boy you will need way bigger  tank then 10 gal  pretty soon lol

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## NialR35

I see, then I'll pass on the uvb for now. Isnt a 10 gal too big for a baby  though? Or its not worth getting anything smaller seeing as how fast they grow?

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## SCF

A 10 gal is perfect for a baby.

Lija, I hope you just realize I was playing with you. You do have a point about the 2-3 months, but that's what dusting is for..

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## Lija

SCF lol



> Isnt a 10 gal too big for a baby  though? Or its not worth getting anything smaller seeing as how fast they grow?


  check Grif thread, his tiny baby grew to over 5" in  less then 2 months if i remember correctly lol

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## Carlos

A well fed African Bullfrog will grow more than 1 in. per month the first few months of life.  If you have a medium or large critter keeper or small tank already at home, start with that.  If not, start with a 10G, which will fit it for first couple months.  PETCO has the Aqueon line on sale for $1 per gallon until the 27th; good deal to stock up on tanks now  :Smile:  .

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## NialR35

@Colleen/Jerrod: Thanks for the pics Colleen/Jerrod. Is that an exo terra? If so what size? Where's the frog?  :Frog Smile: 

Thank you guys for all the great feedback. Seeing as how I did not have another critter carrier, I just ended up buying a 10gal tank to start with and hopefully my little guy won't feel intimidated.  Man, I'm already loving these little guys too much, and my wallet is  :Crushed:  from all the shopping. Two questions though:

1)Eventually, I want to get the Exo-terra medium-low which is 24x18x12, will this be good for when my pyxie is an adult or a 20gal would be better (IF i end up getting a male)? 

2)I own the Exo-terra small-low (18x18x12)...this should be good enough for when my ornate becomes an adult EVEN if it turns out to be a female right? Please.... if not I'm 300% screwed lol.

-So just to double check, the pyxie does not need to be submerged/floating in water (as some youtube videos I've seen showing off their set ups); water to the chin is fine and there's no need for a "pool" right?

Thanks again

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## SCF

I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your new baby. Then soon enough we can sex it. I assure you, they do not need to be submerged.

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## SCF

Oh ya and as a plus, yours should be very close to the same age as my newest baby. So we will be growing them at the same time. =)

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## Carlos

> ...-Eventually, I want to get the Exo-terra medium-low which is 24x18x12, will this be good for when my pyxie is an adult or a 20gal would be better (IF i end up getting a male)? 
> Would wait until you know sex to get a larger tank.  A 20L might be all you need for a smaller female; but a male will need anywhere from a 40B to a 75G if huge.
> 
> -I own the Exo-terra small-low (18x18x12)...this should be good enough for when my ornate becomes an adult EVEN if it turns out to be a female right? ...
> Yes, that will do even for an Ornate female.
> 
> -So just to double check, the pyxie does not need to be submerged/floating in water (as some youtube videos I've seen showing off their set ups); water to the chin is fine and there's no need for a "pool" right?
> It won't "need it" but if you do a 50-50 set up (or even 1/3 land 2/3 water) frog will happily use a swimming depth water (water height around frog's SVL).  Just make sure dry section access is easy and maybe provide a rock slab or similar on water section for frog to leave water and chill out.


Hope this helps, good luck  :Smile:  !

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## NialR35

WOW! 75 gallon if  I end up with a large male? Oh snap.... but I thought they didn't need that much space considering they don't move much and just wait for prey. Isn't 75G overkill? I don't have space for that hahaha. These are going in my room because my wife will never let me put them in the living room and I already have a lot of furniture in my room as it is to add such a big tank, and she'd most likely make me sleep in the tank with my frog if I get that. LOL@women.

Well, the care sheet said at least 20gal should be good enough for an adult male, I guess the more the better but 75g? lol This is not a whale man! Are these frogs that active that they need so much space? Now you got me thinking Carlos, if that's the case then I hope I get a female.

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## SCF

75G is completely unnecessary. Even a 40 Long would be more than enough.

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## danfrog

Man I'm excited for you Nial! I want one of these guys soo bad. Went to the zoo today and saw a full grown male. He was as big as my head! Can't wait to see pics.

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## SCF

Carlos, what size tank or tanks do you house your ABF(s) in?

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## NialR35

Holy **** I just saw Colleen/Jerrod's post  on his AGBF and WOWWWWWWWWWWW! That thing is a baby rhino painted green. It grew so fast, you might not be feeding those "generically engineered hamsters" from mad scientist but you are definitely gut loading your roaches some Filet Mignon or something!

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## SCF

Haha ^ welcome to pyxies. NialR35 in this case, might as well make your living room into an enclosure "if it's a male". lol. These species of frogs are ambush predators, they sit and wait for food. They don't hop around all day in 4325451 Gallon enclosures. yet again lol. You will not need a HUGE tank to keep it, they only utilize about 1/3 of their tank on a consistent basis.

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## NialR35

So I guess I just have to wait until it grows and I will take it from there. I think a terrarium that is about 24-36 inches long like the exo terras should be fine.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> @Colleen/Jerrod: Thanks for the pics Colleen/Jerrod. Is that an exo terra? If so what size? Where's the frog? 
> 
> Thank you guys for all the great feedback. Seeing as how I did not have another critter carrier, I just ended up buying a 10gal tank to start with and hopefully my little guy won't feel intimidated.  Man, I'm already loving these little guys too much, and my wallet is  from all the shopping. Two questions though:
> 
> 1)Eventually, I want to get the Exo-terra medium-low which is 24x18x12, will this be good for when my pyxie is an adult or a 20gal would be better (IF i end up getting a male)? 
> 
> 2)I own the Exo-terra small-low (18x18x12)...this should be good enough for when my ornate becomes an adult EVEN if it turns out to be a female right? Please.... if not I'm 300% screwed lol.
> 
> -So just to double check, the pyxie does not need to be submerged/floating in water (as some youtube videos I've seen showing off their set ups); water to the chin is fine and there's no need for a "pool" right?
> ...


The tank is a Tetrafauna and the frog is in the rock hut on the left side of the tank. Can't see him.

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## Carlos

> Carlos, what size tank or tanks do you house your African Bullfrog(s) in?


Stilgar was in a 20G and I was getting a 40B set-up when had to give him away due to health reasons.  At almost 5 in. the 20G looked small and Stilgar could cross halfway in one leap.  IMO if you want to do a nice 1/3 dry 2/3 water set-up for a 7 in. male GABF you need a 40B and a 75G is so much better  :Smile:  .

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## NialR35

> The tank is a Tetrafauna and the frog is in the rock hut on the left side of the tank. Can't see him.


What size is it though?

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## NialR35

So here it my new baby! He is so tiny, around 1 inch +!  Looks healthy and very active in his new 10 gal. (Thanks for the Petco sale heads up Carlos!) 




Tell me what you guys think! His hind legs are a little grey-ish/dark blue ish. What is that? 

Another question that is a little off topic. My ornate pac is around 2 inches, is it okay to put him in the 18x18x12 exo terra or should a wait a bit more? It's just that the medium critter carrier is taking too much space and I have the exoterra empty. Will it be too big for him ? I mean the pyxie is in a 10gal and is half his size lol. Let me know.

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## SCF

> So here it my new baby! He is so tiny, around 1 inch +!  Looks healthy and very active in his new 10 gal. (Thanks for the Petco sale heads up Carlos!) 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tell me what you guys think! His hind legs are a little grey-ish/dark blue ish. What is that? 
> 
> Another question that is a little off topic. My ornate pac is around 2 inches, is it okay to put him in the 18x18x12 exo terra or should a wait a bit more? It's just that the medium critter carrier is taking too much space and I have the exoterra empty. Will it be too big for him ? I mean the pyxie is in a 10gal and is half his size lol. Let me know.


It looks good. It also looks hungry. The grey/blue coloring is just it's baby colors, it will fade as it matures.

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## NialR35

Yea I think he might be hungry. I will feed him tonight though. He has been moving a lot, hopping here and there and stares at me lol. These guys should be able to eat nightcrawlers as well right?( pretty much the same diet of a pacman) because it's all I have at the moment and I hate crickets lately.

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## danfrog

Wow nice frog! Congrats. As for moving your ornate. I would wait another half inch. Shouldnt be too much longer. Ide say another week or two max.

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## danfrog

What's the normal size/age for sexing these guys? And feature differences to look for between males and females. Been doin a lot of research on these guys, and it seems there is a little confusion on the "sex my frog" threads.

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## SCF

2-4 months give or take out of the water.

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## NialR35

> What's the normal size/age for sexing these guys? And feature differences to look for between males and females. Been doing a lot of research on these guys, and it seems there is a little confusion on the "sex my frog" threads.


Well from my understanding, it's not as easy to tell when they are so little. Sometimes a "female" can turn out to be a male and viceversa. It's better to wait a bit until the baby develops some and shows the different characteristics of each genre. You can only make educated guesses even though in some cases you can tell 99% what the genre is, however it's never 100% until you get a dino-frog with orange/yellow chests that sounds like a buffalo then it's a male; cut that by half, remove the orange coloring and add a yellow stripe down the back and it's a female.

At this point I'd love a male....but not a freaking monster truck looking male. Just a normal one... non-steroid looking healthy frog because I really don't want to have to buy a shamu tank for him.

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## SCF

Coloring is no indicator of sex, even as adults.  :Wink:  The croaking part of your post is right on though. 

lol shamu tank. haha

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## danfrog

Is that the same for the other types too? Or just the giants.?

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## danfrog

Ide either like a male dwarf or female giant. I think a male giant would eat me out of house and home. It would still be cool though. Gonna have to chip away at the wife for a very long time in order to get another frog.

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## NialR35

> Ide either like a male dwarf or female giant. I think a male giant would eat me out of house and home. It would still be cool though. Gonna have to chip away at the wife for a very long time in order to get another frog.


Danfrog,

Just show her pictures of the baby one and tell her it will only grow a little bit. That's what I did and it worked!  :Frog Smile:

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## NialR35

> Coloring is no indicator of sex, even as adults.  The croaking part of your post is right on though. 
> 
> lol shamu tank. haha


I thought coloring did matter for these species? It's even mentioned in the care sheet and in other places I've researched online. Unless the coloring is not a very strict way to classify them.

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## danfrog

Heh I wish. I'm lucky to have my Mojo. Unfortunately she has seen a full grown male at the zoo yesterday so i have no way to play it off. And she is no herp person. She did catch her first wild snake the other day (very proud of her!) She will come around. Ill keep working my magic and chip away. I'm guessing with in six months ill have me another frog. Just more time for research. Plz keep us posted on your new baby.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> I thought coloring did matter for these species? It's even mentioned in the care sheet and in other places I've researched online. Unless the coloring is not a very strict way to classify them.


Color only matters for determining species not sex.

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## Maverick

This came from lllreptile

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