Care Sheet - African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus edulis)

Common Names African Bullfrog, Pixie Frog Habitat Nigeria to Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Angola, Botswana, Zambia, Republic of South Africa, Swaziland Savannah. They will bury themselves during drought. Size 8-13 cm. Unusually the female is much smaller than the male (12 cm or 4) Life Expectancy Up to 40 years Reproduction Egg-laying with up to 4000 eggs Temperature 26-30C, at night circa 20C Humidity 50-80%

Lighting Fluorescent tubes with low UV rate Eco Terra Repti Sun 2 or similar. Substrate Orchid bark and Moss Keep damp not wet. Aquarium gravel in the aquatic section. Cage Furniture Provide about 6cm of soft substrate to burrow into. These frogs live well in warmer temperatures. A big regular terrestrial or half and half tank terrarium seems ideal housing, as long as there is something for them to burrow into. This substrate can consist of Orchid Bark and Coir, sphagnum moss and river sand, or you can go for some regular potting soil as long as it does not have any chemicals, fertiliser in it. Add a few large pieces of cork bark or bogwood on top and add a shallow water pan towards one corner. Terrarium Size At least 60x30x40 cm Food Cockroaches, earthworms, wax moths, mice, crickets, locusts, everything that will fit into their mouth. Watch your fingers when feeding they can bite, its best to use tongs/tweezers or leave the food in shallow bowls or on rocks for them. Comments They require dry break at about 15C for 3 months. There is a lot of confusion with this frog and Pyxicephalus adsperus both often being sold as the African Bullfrog though the husbandry of them is the same. Pyxicephalus edulis is the smaller dwarf one and P. adsperus the biggest growing to 24cm (9)

John Gamesby