# Frogs & Toads > African Bullfrogs >  EMERGENCY: African Bullfrog Dying?

## jjchance

I have a 6 m/o African Bullfrog and he/she is in a 40 gallon tank with a 50 watt infrared bulb on 24/7. He is about the size of a small deck of cards. His tank is about 75f. The humidity is in the 80%. He usually eats superworms, small crickets, and once every couple of months, a pinkie mouse. I believe he at only one small cricket the other day. Since then he hasn't eaten for weeks. I really do not know if he has pooped or not. I use coconut fiber as a substrate that is moist. He has a huge water dish. I am hoping to post pictures, so if you could also tell me how to do that. That would be great.  I spray him constantly. He hasn't been eating and it appears that his skin is peeling off. Today I was trying to see if he could still hop around and he cannot walk. He falls over and can't get up. Help! Please! I am begging you. I love him. If there is nothing I can do about it, what can I do to at least make him comfortable? Thank you so so much!

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## Jimifrog

When did he eat the mouse last?  Do you feed him in the substrate?  It is possible he is impacted.  He will shed his skin, so peeling skin might not be a big deal; however, not being able get up or walk is.  Have you tried to put him in a warm bath?  That can help your frog poop.

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## jjchance



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## jjchance

He ate a mouse over 3 months ago. Not since then. I do feed him in the substrate. I haven't tried a warm bath.

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## frognerd101

I know a little on African Bullfrogs, but I am no expert. What I would do is try introducing new foods. I had a pacman that ate crickets, and then totally stopped eating crickets. So I gave him nightcrawlers, and he loved those. 

If you feed him in the substrate, he could accidentally ingest some substrate. Tree feeding him in a small plastic tank. 

Your frog does not appear underweight, but what I would do is decrease the humidity. 80 percent is way to much, especially because these guys come from a naturally dry region of Africa that gets little to no rain. 

If none of these suggestions work, try a warm bath. If that does not work, I would advise getting your frog to a vet to see what the problem is. 

I hope your frog gets better.  :Smile:

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## Jimifrog

That first picture looks like he is shedding.  He doesn't look skinny, which, after not eating for weeks, might indicate he is impacted.  That happened with a couple of my frogs when I had them in coconut.  They got very listless, didn't want to eat, and, eventually, one threw up his stomach and the other prolapsed his intestines.  Both are fine now, so, I am not trying to scare you.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

I do not own a Pyxie nor am I and expert. If you suspect impaction which is quite possible when feeding rodents. A lot of the time they become constipated due to amphibians having trouble digesting mammalian tissues. This is not a medical treatment but a way to help the frog pass the rodent. Prepare a soak of De-chlorinated water luke warm to warm. Around 80 degrees. Disolve 2 to 4 drops of honey in the water. Be sure the water is no deeper than up to your frogs chin.

Also I would try night crawlers or Hornworms as another food item. Much easier for your frog to digest. If he doesn't eat soon you will have to force feed. If you need help with this just ask and we will be happy to help. Try the soak and keep us posted.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

If he can't walk or hold himself up you will have to hold him in the water so he does not drown. Watch him carefully. Now this is very important. Do you dust your frogs food with a multivitamin and calcium dust with D3? Your frog may be suffering from MBD(Metabolic Bone Disease) if you do not do this. If so you must see a vet immediately. If you wait to long to seek treatment you may lose him. Not being able to walk is one of the symptoms.

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## jjchance

I have not dusted any of his food. From now on I will.

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## jjchance

Where can you get nightcrawlers? And what do you do with them if he doesn't eat them?

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## jjchance

Really? Honey? You're not trying to be funny right? Sorry, I just really want him to get better.  :Smile:

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## frognerd101

Usually nightcrawlers are available at places like petsmart or pet supplies plus, but if they don't have them there you can find them at any regular fishing store. They should have nightcrawlers as bait. 

If he doesn't eat them, you can take them out and try again another day. But a worm bin online. That way you can feed them and keep them healthy until your frog starts eating again. You can also catch worms outside, but they usually wont be as big as nightcrawlers.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Really? Honey? You're not trying to be funny right? Sorry, I just really want him to get better.


I don't joke when it comes to a life understand. I am not a smart***. This is serious buisness. Do the treatment and keep us posted. I would definetly take him to a vet since he can't walk. Don't wait til its too late.

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## Jimifrog

> Where can you get nightcrawlers? And what do you do with them if he doesn't eat them?


Walmart sells nightcrawlers.

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## Mikey

To be honest the rodent part did not scare me as much as the superworm part. superworms should be avoided with pixies as they are excellent at impacting. Plus the frog you posted is a dwarf african bullfrog, they tend to be much more fussy (from my experience) than true giants. I would soak him in slightly warmer than room temperature water, and contain him in an area that he is forced to be warm. 82-84 degrees provides the best results.

I may have missed it but when was the last time he ate and crapped.

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## jjchance

The guy who sold me him at an expo told me he is an African Bullfrog. He's only 6 months old. So, I don't think he's a dwarf.

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## Mikey

I was trying to be helpful. 
The frog you posted is an edulis, not an adspersus. The feeding response from edulis or dwarf pixies is much less than that of an adspersus. A temperature drop could have turned him off from food as they have given me trouble with feeding in the past.

You are from Mass. correct? im assuming u purchased the frog from either the white plains reptile show or the hamburg reptile show. ( I am from albany, NY). Vendors at these shows will sell you "African Bullfrogs" with out specifying what species its very common I see it all the time, as I vend at the PA show.

Regardless Hope everything turns out well...

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## Colleen/Jerrod

pyxiecephylus Adspersus grow pretty fast. At 6 month old he should be much larger than yours is, but the reason why he is stunted is because you haven't dusted his food with a calcium supplement which they have to be given or else they develope MBD. This eventually causes them to not be able to move their extremities and or be able to feed. If not treated quickly to give your frog a chance to survive you need to see a vet that specializes in amphibians and reptiles so you can try an reverse the process.

If it is MBD and he is not treated soon he will die. I'm not trying to sound harsh, but its true.

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## Malachi

This frog is a smaller species of african bullfrog. I own this species (i was told it was a giant as well) and the "true giants" Unfortunately there is a little information on any species of africain bullfrog other than the "true giants" from south africa. There seem to be multiple species of pixie frog all mushed into the "dwarf african bullfrog" label. The bad thing is we don't really have a good information on where these frogs are from and what is their habitat.  For all we know they could be from cool mountain streams in Tanzania. 

I have learned from trial and error on this species;

The frog likes it at around 75 day and 68 or so night. Any hotter and he starts to bury its self. 

The frog likes water, it will spend all its time in water. It likes to be nearly fully submerged. if the temperature is too hot it will leave the water and bury its self. 

The frog estivate quickly and stay that way for much longer then my South African species. 

Feel free to PM me if you have further questions. I have kept my guy alive for 2 years now.

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## Mikey

> pyxiecephylus Adspersus grow pretty fast. At 6 month old he should be much larger than yours is, but the reason why he is stunted is because you haven't dusted his food with a calcium supplement which they have to be given or else they develope MBD. This eventually causes them to not be able to move their extremities and or be able to feed. If not treated quickly to give your frog a chance to survive you need to see a vet that specializes in amphibians and reptiles so you can try an reverse the process.
> 
> If it is MBD and he is not treated soon he will die. I'm not trying to sound harsh, but its true.


The frog is not stunted, its not an Adspersus so his size is fine. I also doubt it has MDB, thats jumping the gun completely. I have never once dusted any of the food items I offered my frogs. between rodents, worms, roaches, insects they will have already recieved all the nutrition ie. calcium they need.

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## Peachy

> There seem to be multiple species of pixie frog all mushed into the "dwarf african bullfrog" label. 
> 
> The frog likes it at around 75 day and 68 or so night. Any hotter and he starts to bury its self. 
> 
> The frog likes water, it will spend all its time in water if the temperature is too hot. 
> 
> The frog estivate quickly and stay that way for much longer then my South African species. 
> 
> Feel free to PM me if you have further questions. I have kept my guy alive for 2 years now.


true, i have been fooled once before but my "dwarf" pixie was the shiz. had an appetite like a fat boy. i would say you're about spot on with the temps cause mine behaved the same way

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> The frog is not stunted, its not an Adspersus so his size is fine. I also doubt it has MDB, thats jumping the gun completely. I have never once dusted any of the food items I offered my frogs. between rodents, worms, roaches, insects they will have already recieved all the nutrition ie. calcium they need.


He said it can't WALK so while everyone is fighting over what species it is, the frog still can't walk and which means it can't feed. 3 weeks is also too long for them to not eat in correct temps without estivation and the body working at normal metabolism. The temps did not impare its ability to walk nor did the breed of pyxie. So how is this helping with the problem at hand.

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## Peachy

relax

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> The frog is not stunted, its not an Adspersus so his size is fine. I also doubt it has MDB, thats jumping the gun completely. I have never once dusted any of the food items I offered my frogs. between rodents, worms, roaches, insects they will have already recieved all the nutrition ie. calcium they need.





> relax


I'm relaxed. I'm stating the facts. Also without dusting with vitamin D3 or having a UVB light to produce Vitamin D3 naturally they cant metabolize the calcium received from their food properly. They MUST have D3 in which these are the only 2 ways they receive it. And without it they usually contract MBD from not being able to properly metabolize the cacium and therfore it passes on through their system and they don keep hardly any of it. Not being able to walk is one of the signs of MBD and since he has never dust the frogs food even as a froglet then this is a high probability. I'm not angry I'm just trying to save its life.

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## Malachi

Well its not stunted. Its a smaller sized species. That is where species is important. 

I am willing to help but we need more info perhaps the OP will PM me so i can try to get to the bottom of this.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Well its not stunted. Its a smaller sized species. That is where species is important. 
> 
> I am willing to help but we need more info perhaps the OP will PM me so i can try to get to the bottom of this.


I hope you can help too since you have the experiance with this species.

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## Malachi

> I do not own a Pyxie nor am I and expert. If you suspect impaction which is quite possible when feeding rodents. A lot of the time they become constipated due to amphibians having trouble digesting mammalian tissues. This is not a medical treatment but a way to help the frog pass the rodent. Prepare a soak of De-chlorinated water luke warm to warm. Around 80 degrees. Disolve 2 to 4 drops of honey in the water. Be sure the water is no deeper than up to your frogs chin.
> 
> Also I would try night crawlers or Hornworms as another food item. Much easier for your frog to digest. If he doesn't eat soon you will have to force feed. If you need help with this just ask and we will be happy to help. Try the soak and keep us posted.


Will out direct communication for more info this is what needs to done. However if frog cant walk its gotten pretty bad. You need to take action right away.

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## Mikey

> I'm relaxed. I'm stating the facts. Also without dusting with vitamin D3 or having a UVB light to produce Vitamin D3 naturally they cant metabolize the calcium received from their food properly. They MUST have D3 in which these are the only 2 ways they receive it. And without it they usually contract MBD from not being able to properly metabolize the cacium and therfore it passes on through their system and they don keep hardly any of it. Not being able to walk is one of the signs of MBD and since he has never dust the frogs food even as a froglet then this is a high probability. I'm not angry I'm just trying to save its life.


Calcium metabolism in pixies and pacman is much similar to that of snakes. They do not require UVB or the addition of D3 calcium suppliment. If you were talking about bearded dragons, you would be correct. 

That being said my pyxies were grown to complete full size with no issues whatsoever within rack systems. With the only light provided being the flourescent light that lights the room. They require no UVB. Not sure where you came across different.

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## BlueisallIneed

> I have a 6 m/o African Bullfrog and he/she is in a 40 gallon tank with a 50 watt infrared bulb on 24/7. He is about the size of a small deck of cards. His tank is about 75f. The humidity is in the 80%. He usually eats superworms, small crickets, and once every couple of months, a pinkie mouse. I believe he at only one small cricket the other day. Since then he hasn't eaten for weeks. I really do not know if he has pooped or not. I use coconut fiber as a substrate that is moist. He has a huge water dish. I am hoping to post pictures, so if you could also tell me how to do that. That would be great.  I spray him constantly. He hasn't been eating and it appears that his skin is peeling off. Today I was trying to see if he could still hop around and he cannot walk. He falls over and can't get up. Help! Please! I am begging you. I love him. If there is nothing I can do about it, what can I do to at least make him comfortable? Thank you so so much!


Take him to a vet, simple. If he hasn't eaten that long and isn't moving much he needs medical care! Don't wait any longer!

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Calcium metabolism in pixies and pacman is much similar to that of snakes. They do not require UVB or the addition of D3 calcium suppliment. If you were talking about bearded dragons, you would be correct. 
> 
> That being said my pyxies were grown to complete full size with no issues whatsoever within rack systems. With the only light provided being the flourescent light that lights the room. They require no UVB. Not sure where you came across different.


Nowhere did I say they require UVB lights. UVB radiation is what causes the body to produce Vitamin D3 naturally. That's why I mentioned it. Also they do require the addition of Calcium with D3. Where do you get your info. Pacmans especially. They don't naturally produce D3 without or atleast not enough without a supplement or UVB rays which are also contained in natural sunlight. They benefit from 4 to 6 hours a day of UVB but the problem is that UVB lights are almost always too bright. For Pacmans ofcourse since they live on the forest floor. Pyxies in the wild probably receive tons or D3 since they do occationally come out in the sun. Its risky to not provide a calcium supplement.

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## Mikey

> Nowhere did I say they require UVB lights. UVB radiation is what causes the body to produce Vitamin D3 naturally. That's why I mentioned it. Also they do require the addition of Calcium with D3. Where do you get your info. Pacmans especially. They don't naturally produce D3 without or atleast not enough without a supplement or UVB rays which are also contained in natural sunlight. They benefit from 4 to 6 hours a day of UVB but the problem is that UVB lights are almost always too bright. For Pacmans ofcourse since they live on the forest floor. Pyxies in the wild probably receive tons or D3 since they do occationally come out in the sun. Its risky to not provide a calcium supplement.


"Supplements: A varied diet should not require supplementation but there is probably no harm in providing vitamin and mineral supplements occasionally"  - African Bullfrog - Pyxicephalus adspersus - Care and Breeding 

Not really sure this is even helping the thread at this point, but if the above doesnt prove that suppliments are much more optional than required, personal experience. I have currently 18 C. cranwelli, 8 Fantasy, and 14 Pixies. None of which have ever recieved suppliments or additional lighting of any sort. They have grown to full adult size in sweater box style rack systems over the years.

"They benefit from 4 to 6 hours a day of UVB but the problem is that UVB lights are almost always too bright. For Pacmans ofcourse since they live on the forest floor"

I also have boa constrictors for much longer than I have owned frogs. My boa's are almost neve exposed to any light whatsoever. Yet they grow, feed, and reproduce with no added suppliments. Boa constrictors are exposed to a lot of sunlight in the wild yet reproduce just fine in captivity. 

My point is suppliment D3 is similar to Multivitamins for people. You use some of it, but most of it you pee out  :Wink:

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## Mikey

Grif,

Absolutely not trying to argue with you by the way. Very cool that you are as knowledgable as you are.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Grif,
> 
> Absolutely not trying to argue with you by the way. Very cool that you are as knowledgable as you are.


Me either and yeah at this point its not helping. It pays to do your research. We should be more constructive and combine knowledge to help rather than debating care ideas and info.  :Smile:

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## Carlos

> Take him to a vet, simple. If he hasn't eaten that long and isn't moving much he needs medical care! Don't wait any longer!


Agree!

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## GRABibus

Be careful with vitamins for frogs (Confirmed by my vet, one of the best in France for exotic pets).
Too much vitamins could damage its digestive system and make it very ill.

Calcium is very important (At least powder on 2 or 3 preys per week) + vit D3 on 1 or 2 preys (Insects in order not to give too much) per month.

But personally, as you "Love him", you should go to a vet.

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## jjchance

Thank you everybody for your help. Unfortunately Baby died last night after all. I tried everything you said. He died comfortably due to the help you gave me. Thanks again.

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## GRABibus

Sorry for you...  :Frown:

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## Colleen/Jerrod

I'm so sorry for your loss. I really wish there was more we could have done to help. :Frown:

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## Carlos

Sorry for your frog's death.

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## Jimifrog

I am sorry to hear about your frog.

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