# Frogs & Toads > African Bullfrogs >  Pyxie frog diet

## Crikey

Hey Y'all,

I recently got my first Pyxie frog (named Pickles) and man am I in love with this species!

I have a question about diet, The person who had him before me was just feeding him mice. 
I am a newbie but I already know thats not a great idea. Mine is 6 months old if that means anything.

So far I have feed:

Dusted Crickets (loves them)
Night Crawlers
Horn Worms (by far his favorite)
Tried Dubia roaches, was less thrilled, but still ate them


Is this so far a good staple diet? These are what I have available to me, besides meal worms, which I don't feed any of my frogs.

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## b24082

sounds real good. =) You should post some pics!  :Wink:

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## Devonte's Phat Frogs

My Pyxie is eating superworms,earthworms,Crickets and pinikies sometimes

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## Terry

My pyxies are eating superworms and an occasional crickets. If you are dusting the crickets with calcium suppliment, you may want to reconsider. High levels of calcium in the frog's diet may cause an imbalance between water intake and outtake leading to edema or water holding.

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## Devonte's Phat Frogs

If you wait two days and gutload your crickets you wouldn't need to use the calicum dust crickets fish food and vionate mineral vitamin powder

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## Crikey

thanks guys! ill keep that in mind. Will post pictures tomorrow!

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## Crikey

Here is a picture of pickles! Hard to believe this is a younster lol

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## demon amphibians

roaches are by for the best decision i have made. they are easy to culture and they are 12 times as nutritional as crickets. my frogs didnt seem to like them at first but after a couple feedings they go crazy for them. and the frogs that used the roaches for a staple for grew 3 times faster then the other frogs that i stapled with crickets and pinkies. although your list of food items is great. and many items on the menu is optimal, some are hard to come by such as the horned worms. Earth worms are great as well but you may have to feed with tongs the are slimy so they are kinda hard for the frog to grab on to. But they are loaded with protein and have a high calcium content. crayfish and goldfish are probably the most nutritional food you can feed your frogs but they tend to be spendy, and like the earthworms you may have to tong feed them. i found gut loading your feeder pray weather it be crickets, roaches or mice, with fresh veggie's or oats. along with dusting every 3rd feeding. that way they get vitamins and  calcium. gut loading this way you can do every feeding. I found lots of gut load products in pet stores and honestly they are a waste of money. when you can make your own substitutes at home that may be much more beneficial. mice should only be a supplement maybe once a month. even though it is pretty sweet watching them in action when you drop a mouse in.

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## Crikey

> roaches are by for the best decision i have made. they are easy to culture and they are 12 times as nutritional as crickets. my frogs didnt seem to like them at first but after a couple feedings they go crazy for them. and the frogs that used the roaches for a staple for grew 3 times faster then the other frogs that i stapled with crickets and pinkies. although your list of food items is great. and many items on the menu is optimal, some are hard to come by such as the horned worms. Earth worms are great as well but you may have to feed with tongs the are slimy so they are kinda hard for the frog to grab on to. But they are loaded with protein and have a high calcium content. crayfish and goldfish are probably the most nutritional food you can feed your frogs but they tend to be spendy, and like the earthworms you may have to tong feed them. i found gut loading your feeder pray weather it be crickets, roaches or mice, with fresh veggie's or oats. along with dusting every 3rd feeding. that way they get vitamins and  calcium. gut loading this way you can do every feeding. I found lots of gut load products in pet stores and honestly they are a waste of money. when you can make your own substitutes at home that may be much more beneficial. mice should only be a supplement maybe once a month. even though it is pretty sweet watching them in action when you drop a mouse in.


Thanks for the Advice!

As for the horn worms, I can order them and they are not that hard to get. Ill keep trying with the roaches too cause I keep hearing great things about them.

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## Bruce

> roaches are by for the best decision i have made. they are easy to culture and they are 12 times as nutritional as crickets. my frogs didnt seem to like them at first but after a couple feedings they go crazy for them. and the frogs that used the roaches for a staple for grew 3 times faster then the other frogs that i stapled with crickets and pinkies. although your list of food items is great. and many items on the menu is optimal, some are hard to come by such as the horned worms. Earth worms are great as well but you may have to feed with tongs the are slimy so they are kinda hard for the frog to grab on to. But they are loaded with protein and have a high calcium content. crayfish and goldfish are probably the most nutritional food you can feed your frogs but they tend to be spendy, and like the earthworms you may have to tong feed them. i found gut loading your feeder pray weather it be crickets, roaches or mice, with fresh veggie's or oats. along with dusting every 3rd feeding. that way they get vitamins and  calcium. gut loading this way you can do every feeding. I found lots of gut load products in pet stores and honestly they are a waste of money. when you can make your own substitutes at home that may be much more beneficial. mice should only be a supplement maybe once a month. even though it is pretty sweet watching them in action when you drop a mouse in.


I don't think I would feed crayfish or goldfish.  Especially goldfish.  They can tend to harbor a lot of parasites, not to mention they do have a high fat content.  I honestly don't know much about crayfish in that aspect, but I play it safe and assume all animals that live in water have a high chance for parasites. 
Everything else sounds fine though!  :Smile:

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## ejh805

> I don't think I would feed crayfish or goldfish.  Especially goldfish.  They can tend to harbor a lot of parasites, not to mention they do have a high fat content.  I honestly don't know much about crayfish in that aspect, but I play it safe and assume all animals that live in water have a high chance for parasites. 
> Everything else sounds fine though!


PLUS Goldfish contain thiaminase which is dangerous to the frog.
And crayfish have been found to carry chytrid fungus.

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## Bruce

> PLUS Goldfish contain thiaminase which is dangerous to the frog.
> And crayfish have been found to carry chytrid fungus.


To clarify, that's the gold/orange pigment in their scales, correct?

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## ejh805

I believe that's what it is, but not 100%. Other types of fish that aren't gold colored contain it as well.

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## Tyler

I feed earthworms as a staple and then roaches In between 

Also if I feed mice I don't feed again for a week after every now and then Rexie will get one of my tegus left overs (very rare that happens lol)

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## Crikey

thanks guys! I just stay away from the fish period. They are so gross and all the pet stores keep them in horrible conditions.

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## demon amphibians

Your  info on the goldfish is incorrect, yes goldfish can be harmful only if you leave them in their water to poop in, when it builds up  it creates a toxic environment similar to ammonia.  That is why I said to tong feed them because it doesn’t allow the buildup of that acid.  It has nothing to do with there skin pigment. And no they are not fatty. Not anything like a mouse.  Although too much of anything could be a bad thing. For crawfish,  yes they have been known to carry parasites and fungus…. When they are wild caught.... Rule of thumb never feed wild caught anything to C.b frog. But the crawfish that I feed to my frogs are C.B. The frog farms also staple there frogs on crawfish.  Crickets pose a much greater threat for parasites when raised in captivity. And also if you think mice are a better diet and safer then fish or crawfish you might wanna do a little more research because you have your facts mixed.    I took the advice about the fish/crawfish thing from people who breed and distribute thousands of frogs a year and these people have been doing it for years. But nothing wrong with being cautious.  I was a little unsure about the crawfish thing until I saw where and how they were being cultivated. They are a perfect staple for a large frog but they are very expensive. Thats the reason my frogs are stapled on roaches and only get gold fish and crawfish as a treat. Also a mouse once a month as a supplement. To much more then that will make your frog obese and it will develope fatty liver disease.

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## ejh805

> Your  info on the goldfish is incorrect, yes goldfish can be harmful only if you leave them in their water to poop in, when it builds up  it creates a toxic environment similar to ammonia.  That is why I said to tong feed them because it doesnt allow the buildup of that acid.  It has nothing to do with there skin pigment. And no they are not fatty. Not anything like a mouse.  Although too much of anything could be a bad thing. For crawfish,  yes they have been known to carry parasites and fungus. When they are wild caught.... Rule of thumb never feed wild caught anything to C.b frog. But the crawfish that I feed to my frogs are C.B. The frog farms also staple there frogs on crawfish.  Crickets pose a much greater threat for parasites when raised in captivity. And also if you think mice are a better diet and safer then fish or crawfish you might wanna do a little more research because you have your facts mixed.    I took the advice about the fish/crawfish thing from people who breed and distribute thousands of frogs a year and these people have been doing it for years. But nothing wrong with being cautious.  I was a little unsure about the crawfish thing until I saw where and how they were being cultivated. They are a perfect staple for a large frog but they are very expensive. Thats the reason my frogs are stapled on roaches and only get gold fish and crawfish as a treat. Also a mouse once a month as a supplement. To much more then that will make your frog obese and it will develope fatty liver disease.


I am going to stick to my guns on fish not being safe. The feeders purchased from petstores are often riddled with parasites and not worth the risk.
Also- 
"Fish such as minnows, goldfish, or rosy reds can be fed to larger species of amphibians.30
Feeding frozen, thawed fish to amphibians exclusively can lead to thiamine (Vitamin B1)
deficiency, because both freezing and long-term storage (in fish containing thiaminase
enzyme) both can destroy thiamine outright. It is better to vary the diet with live fish or avoid
feeding frozen fish altogether."
(Source:  http://www.aza.org/uploadedFiles/Con...ourceGuide.pdf)

Because of the vitamin deficiency risk, it is best not to feed frozen/thawed. Unless you breed your own feeder fish, it probably wouldn't be very safe feeding live fish because of the issue with petstore feeders.

I'm not criticizing anyone who does feed their frogs goldfish and/or crayfish. Just saying it's a risk I wouldn't personally take.

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Your  info on the goldfish is incorrect, yes goldfish can be harmful only if you leave them in their water to poop in, when it builds up  it creates a toxic environment similar to ammonia.  That is why I said to tong feed them because it doesn’t allow the buildup of that acid.  It has nothing to do with there skin pigment. And no they are not fatty. Not anything like a mouse.  Although too much of anything could be a bad thing. For crawfish,  yes they have been known to carry parasites and fungus…. When they are wild caught.... Rule of thumb never feed wild caught anything to C.b frog. But the crawfish that I feed to my frogs are C.B. The frog farms also staple there frogs on crawfish.  Crickets pose a much greater threat for parasites when raised in captivity. And also if you think mice are a better diet and safer then fish or crawfish you might wanna do a little more research because you have your facts mixed.    I took the advice about the fish/crawfish thing from people who breed and distribute thousands of frogs a year and these people have been doing it for years. But nothing wrong with being cautious.  I was a little unsure about the crawfish thing until I saw where and how they were being cultivated. They are a perfect staple for a large frog but they are very expensive. Thats the reason my frogs are stapled on roaches and only get gold fish and crawfish as a treat. Also a mouse once a month as a supplement. To much more then that will make your frog obese and it will develope fatty liver disease.


Goldfish are dirty fish period. No matter how clean you keep their tank. Emily is also correct about Thiaminase which can cause a Vitamin B1 deficiency over time or if they are offered much too often.

The best feeder fish are Minnows, Guppies, Rosey Reds, and Silversides. Of course all feeders should come from a reputable source.

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## Tyler

To add to how nasty they are think if this gold fish have no stomach everything they eat is instantly digested and passed

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## ejh805

> To add to how nasty they are think if this gold fish have no stomach everything they eat is instantly digested and passed



 :Offended:  so much poop

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## demon amphibians

You do have a good point. I didn't even bother to research frozen fish. I will only feed live prey. 
Unless you breed your own fish or crayfish or anything else you will never really know what your frog is ingesting. 
But consider if fish and other store bought aquatic feeders are know for parasites, then crickets earth worms and many others carry as well. With that said breeding your own supply is the best way regardless of what it is. I would even consider breeding mice if they weren't so disgusting. I am a dude and i find very few animals disgusting but rodents are  definitely one of them.   
I didn't think you were criticizing.   I just wanted to enlighten you on my findings. Mice however should also be a concern. Even captive breed are capable of carrying far more parasites and disease then  almost anything else you can find in a store that your frog would eat. But remember when buying for the stores your chances of encountering anything is very low. And that goes with most everything. But i have seen stores that i wouldn't ever consider buying from.

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## Bruce

I only feed my frogs a frozen/thawed mouse once every other month, just to mix up the diet a bit.  I breed my own Dubia roaches, and I personally find crickets horrid little creature.... Hate the way they smell!
I feed nightcrawlers and dubias mostly. Horned worms when I can afford it.

If you take a step back and look at the big picture, all animals have a chance to harbor parasites and other nasties.  They'd why parasites are one of the most successful animals in the world.  However, there are many more water born parasites that I know of than parasites using insects or worms as their host.  I just won't trust fish as feeders unless it is in something processed and cleaned such as pacman food.

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## demon amphibians

> I only feed my frogs a frozen/thawed mouse once every other month, just to mix up the diet a bit.  I breed my own Dubia roaches, and I personally find crickets horrid little creature.... Hate the way they smell!
> I feed nightcrawlers and dubias mostly. Horned worms when I can afford it.
> If you take a step back and look at the big picture, all animals have a chance to harbor parasites and other nasties.  They'd why parasites are one of the most successful animals in the world.  However, there are many more water born parasites that I know of than parasites using insects or worms as their host.  I just won't trust fish as feeders unless it is in something processed and cleaned such as pacman food.


I can totally understand that. And what you said about gold fish makes perfect since, when i read back through the email i got from the frog farm they didnt specify gold fish they just mentioned fish. But i do feed my frogs fish very rarely the pixie has the hardest time catching them but my american bullfrog has no problem. But as of late since my dubia colony is doing  so well i dont even bother to go to the pet store for pet food other then to get rodents for my snakes then i just grab some extra mice for my frogs supplemental feeding. I will say this; roaches are the best food i have yet come by. And i actually think they are fun to breed. I am thinking of starting another colony of a larger breed of roaches. Do you have any recommendations?

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## Crikey

Im just going to stay away from the fish. I think I have some good ideas for staples. Thank you guys so much for your sugesstions! Really love this forum.

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## Tyler

I breed vibrant and wide horn hissers (2 largest species in the trade) very fun!!! My main diet is still night crawlers probably the most nutritional thing available lol

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## Colleen/Jerrod

This is a good feeder discussion.  :Smile: 

Mentioning feeders bought from a pet store harboring parasites is a very valid point, but as Bruce has stated every living thing has the potential to be carrying a parasite or disease. Having a strong healthy animal is key to preventing infection and being prepared to take necessary steps to rid your frog of any parasite or disease it may have cought. Proper diet, climate conditions, and supplemetation can keep your frog going strong and reduces stress levels which can seriouly reak havok on your frog's immune system if not kept in check.

Perception is also very important. Pay attention to your frog and keep an eye out for any odd behavior changes and activity or inactivity. 

Back to feeder parasites. No matter how clean you keep crickets whether they are bred by a supplier or by you they are dirty feeders. Crickets have always been known to carry Pinworms. Now this doesn't mean you should stop using crickets. Just be ready to treat the frog if it ever becomes infected. 

Earthworms don't carry many parasites at all. I believe this is probably due to them being somewhat of a relative to any parasitic worms. There are Nematodes that use snails, slugs, and earthworms as a carrier, but usually have a particular host they need to fully mature like say human or another particular animal that is endothermic, but some aren't picky and will infect any animal whether it's endo or ectothermic.

Breeding your own feeders is a better way to go in the long run, but some feeder may be difficult do to food requirements and growth rates. Like Hornworms which grow at insane rates. 

Basically don't be afraid of buying feeders just be prepared incase something does go wrong  :Smile:

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## demon amphibians

> I breed vibrant and wide horn hissers (2 largest species in the trade) very fun!!! My main diet is still night crawlers probably the most nutritional thing available lol


I am thinking about doing hissers as well. It takes many dubia's to feed my larger frogs. And even though i have a massive colony my frogs are easily putting a dent in it. I want to go larger can you give some advice on where i can find them for a decent price  as well as how they differ in care from dubia's.  (Other then their climbing abilities).

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## Crikey

I love how my feeding question turned into this big ol thread. Ha I love it!  :Embarrassment:

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## Tyler

> I am thinking about doing hissers as well. It takes many dubia's to feed my larger frogs. And even though i have a massive colony my frogs are easily putting a dent in it. I want to go larger can you give some advice on where i can find them for a decent price  as well as how they differ in care from dubia's.  (Other then their climbing abilities).


Hissers breed faster but that's about it lol the 3 species I keep are slow breeding hissers but regular Madagascar hissers are fast breeders 

These are what I have

Halloween Hisser (probably the slowest breeder)


Wide horn (a little faster but probably to big for a frog)this is my biggest male right at 6" long


And vibrants (not a viable feeder to expensive for the REAL vibrants)


You'll probably want to feed Madagascar Hissers fast breeding and medium sized (in the hisser world) I ordered from bugsincyberspace.com pretty good prices and huge selection but you may be able to find them cheaper on fauna or kingsnake

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## demon amphibians

I am totally interested in the wide horn hisser. That would be perfect for my frogs and toads. My frogs gets a monthly supplement of a mid sized rat which are bigger then the roach you have in your hand but the roaches are way healthier. i want to move away from rodents all together. I have 3 species that would be able to eat those. So where is a good place to buy and how long will it take to get a decent size colony established? And of course are they expensive?

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## Tyler

> I am totally interested in the wide horn hisser. That would be perfect for my frogs and toads. My frogs gets a monthly supplement of a mid sized rat which are bigger then the roach you have in your hand but the roaches are way healthier. i want to move away from rodents all together. I have 3 species that would be able to eat those. So where is a good place to buy and how long will it take to get a decent size colony established? And of course are they expensive?


Like I said the 3 I posted are all really slow breeders not really good feeders 
www.bugsincyberspace.com is where mine came from and are 6$ EACH I started with 3 and am up to like 10 lol

You may like the ivories they breed faster than Dubia and are BIGGER and can't climb fly (ill get a pic ASAP)

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## demon amphibians

Thanks for the advice my friend. I will take a look around and see what i can come up with.

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