Water bowls for mature pixie frogs are optional!

[mattfish]

Wow am i going to get flac for this statement but its totally true! If you have a MATURE African Bullfrog there is a way for you to get rid of that nasty water bowl once and for all. Pixie frogs, in the wild, like to mainly sit in muck and very shallow puddles. they like being in very moist places where they can absorb water into there bodies in prep for a drought. But you can duplicate this without the need of a water bowl very easily.
-First remove your water bowl and put it on craiglist for $2.00 (someone may want it) you sure will not need it anymore!
-Using cocofiber (the stuff that comes as a dry brick) put about an 1.5 inches depth in its cleaned main cage.
-Make sure that it is very "muddy" with declorinated water.
-When ever you feed your pixie put it in a differrent container.
-He will eat and then after a couple minutes will deficate all the old water out of its body and more than likely go #2 in this container and not in his home anymore. this also gives you a clear inspection of the defication to make sure there is no parasites or problems with the frog.
-Clean out this container and fill it back up with about an inch of declorinated water that is ruffly 70 - 75 degrees.
-Put the frog back in that freshly cleaned container and let your pixie chill in it for 30min - 2 hours (your decision)
-During this time he will absorb fresh water into itself
-After soak time is done put him back in his cage.
No more scooping any more #2s out of his main cage. No more cleaning water bowls everyday. If you have children like me you will love this new routine. I have been doing this for over 6 months and My frog is beautiful and healthy and so will yours!


Some of you who love cleaning water bowls almost everyday and having stinky cages, keep doing what you are doing this is not for you, But if your sick of doing those things this above info is for you and is tried and true and will work for all MATURE Pixies. Enjoy!

[Truffs1178]

I see your point and I'm not disagreeing with you but here is and argument against your statement. I realize your frog is healthy and I think it's up to the keeper.

If you love your frog you should devote enough time and effort to at least change the water in its bowl. As well as having a fun time swimming around in his bowl he will also ALWAYS poop in his bowl so I don't need to scoop up poop from his main cage. And even though you say that it's better this way you also end up with more regular substate changes, more stress caused to the pixie by moving it around a lot, having to mix up the substrate a lot because of stagnant water deep below the substrate(I once tried your method exactly as you said to do it and if I were to dig down into the substrate with all that water at the bottom lying there undisturbed it would stink because of bacterial build up).

[Mentat]

No flak from me is intended and if you came to a keeping method that works for you and frog, it's cool . Personally see your method as heavily dependent in daily handling and on frog pooping after feeding (some won't). Also, the wet substrate could harbor molds and bacteria.

When it comes to Pixies as pets; prefer and recommend a large enough enclosure that can be set as either a 2/3 wet-1/3 dry or 3/4 wet-1/4 dry. The wet section having as large as possible canister filter (10X the rated volume is good start point) as can be afforded and an accessible platform made of flat stones or similar connecting to the dry area. This area will have shredded coco over a layer of clay balls (to keep coco dry above the water table) with a layer of landscape fabric between them).

Targeted maintenance is weekly water changes of 25-50% (affected by frog size, water volume, and filter efficiency) to keep Nitrates below 20-25 ppm. Filter media is to be cleaned during WC with tank water. Dry area get's spot cleaning (normally unneeded) and monthly changes. Good luck !

[NialR35]

No flak from me is intended and if you came to a keeping method that works for you and frog, it's cool . Personally see your method as heavily dependent in daily handling and on frog pooping after feeding (some won't). Also, the wet substrate could harbor molds and bacteria.

When it comes to Pixies as pets; prefer and recommend a large enough enclosure that can be set as either a 2/3 wet-1/3 dry or 3/4 wet-1/4 dry. The wet section having as large as possible canister filter (10X the rated volume is good start point) as can be afforded and an accessible platform made of flat stones or similar connecting to the dry area. This area will have shredded coco over a layer of clay balls (to keep coco dry above the water table) with a layer of landscape fabric between them).

Targeted maintenance is weekly water changes of 25-50% (affected by frog size, water volume, and filter efficiency) to keep Nitrates below 20-25 ppm. Filter media is to be cleaned during WC with tank water. Dry area get's spot cleaning (normally unneeded) and monthly changes. Good luck !

Carlos,

I totally 101% agree with you but reading all those numbers, I'd rather just change my big water bowl on a daily basis lmao!

[mattfish]

my substrate dont smell. its very moist not a puddle. this way the substrate evaporates and it gets a little dry so i add a large glass of water to the substrate every few days or when needed. i do a complete substrate change on my frog main cage maybe on average every 2 weeks to once a month. He is also over 6 inches now so i cut back his feeding to once every 3-4 days. it is easy and effective.

[mattfish]

No flak from me is intended and if you came to a keeping method that works for you and frog, it's cool . Personally see your method as heavily dependent in daily handling and on frog pooping after feeding (some won't). Also, the wet substrate could harbor molds and bacteria.

When it comes to Pixies as pets; prefer and recommend a large enough enclosure that can be set as either a 2/3 wet-1/3 dry or 3/4 wet-1/4 dry. The wet section having as large as possible canister filter (10X the rated volume is good start point) as can be afforded and an accessible platform made of flat stones or similar connecting to the dry area. This area will have shredded coco over a layer of clay balls (to keep coco dry above the water table) with a layer of landscape fabric between them).

Targeted maintenance is weekly water changes of 25-50% (affected by frog size, water volume, and filter efficiency) to keep Nitrates below 20-25 ppm. Filter media is to be cleaned during WC with tank water. Dry area get's spot cleaning (normally unneeded) and monthly changes. Good luck !

like i said in my posting, if you like to do daily maintenance this is not for you because i dont have to do anything daily as you suspect. i dont have to do any waterchanges as you do. mold and bacteria can grow just as fast on any moist warm substrate. so any substrate the frog climbs out of the water and walks across can and will get bacterias growing on it. i am glad you have a way that works great for you though!

[Mentat]

like i said in my posting, if you like to do daily maintenance this is not for you because i dont have to do anything daily as you suspect. i dont have to do any waterchanges as you do. mold and bacteria can grow just as fast on any moist warm substrate. so any substrate the frog climbs out of the water and walks across can and will get bacterias growing on it. i am glad you have a way that works great for you though!

My bad for stating that your method requires handling frog daily. Also, see you don't do "daily" maintenance or any water changes; but do something else .

[Monza geckos]

If you have ever watched the world famous David Attenborough you will have witnessed his documentary on pixie frog in Africa and you will have noticed how they are fully submerged in the water with only their eyes protruding so I think to make the animal feel natural it would be advisable to provide a water bowl and they have proven to have a tendency to swim regularly when given the option so I think they do like swimming otherwise why waste the time in doing so when they could be stalking prey

[Truffs1178]

Mines in its bowl every night.

[GRABibus]

When she is not burried, my girl spends half time in water bowl and half time on substrate.
She also often poops in water.

[Truffs1178]

When she is not burried, my girl spends half time in water bowl and half time on substrate.
She also often poops in water.

Same with my boy.

[Lija]

I must say when I first read the post I thought it is a joke lol then I read the whole thread and then re read the first post again lol
You are not kidding are you? Well... If it works for you it is great, if you don't have any problems it is awesome! If you won't have any problems after a few years it is even better.

But.... Most of the frogs don't eat in a separate container and don't poop/urinate here as well, so most will go in a substrate and are gonna sit in all that unless you change it every single time. or parts of it, although i doubt it will not stink if a frog poops in muddy substrate and you change just part of it. Constant muddy substrate is a an excellent media for all sorts of stuff: Protozoa, bacteria, fungus and so much more...
Frogs in a wild have a choice to go into the water or burry into the substrate, your set up will limit their choices. My girl for example sometimes sits with just eyes sticking out of the water for days and then sits burrowed into substrate.

sometimes things work out for one frog but don't really for others, and when recommending something I much rather look from all perspectives and avoid anything that might be dangerous. Having said that like or not , having time or not to change water every day I'd rather do it then not. It is always better be safe then sorry. Too many things might go wrong otherwise and I don't want to take chances nor advise anyone on doing so.

[NialR35]

Mines in its bowl every night.

Same here. At least half the day, everyday. Especially during night time after feeding.

[danfrog]

Mattfish. You have very unusual care procedures for you frog. I would like to see exactly how keeping your frog, I'm just curious.

“Trouble in the Frog Enclosure” The following information will be very helpful if provided when requesting assistance with either your frog or enclosure. To help with your questions, please utilize the below list and post the information in the proper forum area to get advice from FF members that keep the same frog. This will allow for little confusion and a faster more informed response.

1. Size of enclosure?

2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences?

3. Humidity?

4. Temperature?

5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish?

6. Materials used for substrate?

7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials. - How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv?

8. Main food source?

9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often?)

10. Lighting?

11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure?

12. When is the last time he/she ate?

13. Have you found poop lately?

14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine)

15. How old is the frog?

16. How long have you owned him/her?

17. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred?

18. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats?

19. How often the frog is handled?

20. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area?

21. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc)


by Lynn(Flybyferns) and GrifTheGreat.

[DeeDub]

Interesting post. You change out substrate more often. I don't do daily cage maintenance. I flip (fluff up/turn over) substrate every three days. I use a 1/3 land 2/3 water with a big canister. I haven't changed substrate in 3 months. He ***** in his water after every feeding, 1-3 times a week. I net out the big stuff, the filter does the rest.

Your muddy substrate will, I say again, will, grow bacteria a lot faster than moist substrate. You will go through more sub as well. They need to be able to fully burrow, so 1.5 inches is not deep enough. If it works, do it buddy. I know they appreciate being able to fully burrow, and submerge in water.

As far as the Attenborough docs, I have only seen clips during breeding season. These frogs spend a lot of their time on land, and under the soil even when not brumating.

My big guy goes through cycles. He'll spend a week straight in the water feature, then three weeks on top of, or under the substrate.

My 2 cents

-----------------
Thanks
DW

[mattfish]

Mattfish. You have very unusual care procedures for you frog. I would like to see exactly how keeping your frog, I'm just curious.

“Trouble in the Frog Enclosure” The following information will be very helpful if provided when requesting assistance with either your frog or enclosure. To help with your questions, please utilize the below list and post the information in the proper forum area to get advice from FF members that keep the same frog. This will allow for little confusion and a faster more informed response.

1. Size of enclosure?

2. # of inhabitants - specifically other frogs and size differences?

3. Humidity?

4. Temperature?

5. Water - type - for both misting and soaking dish?

6. Materials used for substrate?

7. Enclosure set up i.e. plants (live or artificial), wood, bark and other materials. - How were things prepared prior to being put into the viv?

8. Main food source?

9. Vitamins and calcium? (how often?)

10. Lighting?

11. What is being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure?

12. When is the last time he/she ate?

13. Have you found poop lately?

14. A pic would be helpful including frog and enclosure (any including cell phone pic is fine)

15. How old is the frog?

16. How long have you owned him/her?

17. Is the frog wild caught or captive bred?

18. Frog food- how often and if it is diverse, what other feeders are used as treats?

19. How often the frog is handled?

20. Is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area?

21. Describe enclosure maintenance (water changes, cleaning, etc)


by Lynn(Flybyferns) and GrifTheGreat.

thank you for taking me seriously Danfrog, i would be happy to answer those questions.
1. 18" x 18" x24" high
2. 1
3. right now 59% but that varies as the substrate evaporates and drys out
4.lights on 82-85 degrees lights off 73-75 degrees
5. declorinated water
6. coco fiber (stuff that comes as a dry brick)
7. 2 fake plants, and i always sanitize them with diluted bleach 1/100 parts, then rinse until they dont smell of any bleach
8. Fish (i think they might be bluegills, i get them at the market)
9. "repashy supervite" but i only use it when i feed him crickets once every couple months
10. 2) 20 watt haligen puck lights for light and heat
11. i have a rainforest tiny undertank heater that is on a dimmer, the laser heat gun shows it is always at 76 degrees. it is under the very center of the bottom and is maybe 5" x 5" (he rarely ever sits over it) and the haligens lights
12. He now eats every 3-4 days
13. he poops almost every feeding, but sometimes every other, within a few minutes after he ate
14. i dont know how to add a pick to this response page but you can check him out on youtube. i just did a video last week of him. its under "african bullfrog pixie eats bird and clean his cage"
15. i thought he was 10 months old but my wife reminded me we got him before our 3rd kid was born so he is 1year and a few months old. (time flies)
16. size of a quarter
17. i dont know
18. rats, mice, crickets, those big green caterpillar looking things, superworms, earthworms, snakes, birds .
19. every 3-4 days, i feed him in a different container
20. medium traffic
21. about every 2-3 weeks during a feeding, i take all his old bedding out. wipe down the inside with a wet rag that has 1/100 parts bleach to water on it. (which is very diluted and you can hardly smell the bleach even then) so any living mold or parasite dies. them i rinse every thing down with water, drain the tank and wipe with a totally clean rag (no chemicals) rinse everything down again. then i drain it and dump in new bedding. this part you can see on that youtube video. it is simple and easy. now only time will tell if i am an idiot or a genius. i have been doing this routine for well over six months now and he has beautiful deep colors.

thank you danfrog for showing an interest in a possible "other way" of frog care

[Monza geckos]

thank you for taking me seriously Danfrog, i would be happy to answer those questions.
1. 18" x 18" x24" high
2. 1
3. right now 59% but that varies as the substrate evaporates and drys out
4.lights on 82-85 degrees lights off 73-75 degrees
5. declorinated water
6. coco fiber (stuff that comes as a dry brick)
7. 2 fake plants, and i always sanitize them with diluted bleach 1/100 parts, then rinse until they dont smell of any bleach
8. Fish (i think they might be bluegills, i get them at the market)
9. "repashy supervite" but i only use it when i feed him crickets once every couple months
10. 2) 20 watt haligen puck lights for light and heat
11. i have a rainforest tiny undertank heater that is on a dimmer, the laser heat gun shows it is always at 76 degrees. it is under the very center of the bottom and is maybe 5" x 5" (he rarely ever sits over it) and the haligens lights
12. He now eats every 3-4 days
13. he poops almost every feeding, but sometimes every other, within a few minutes after he ate
14. i dont know how to add a pick to this response page but you can check him out on youtube. i just did a video last week of him. its under "african bullfrog pixie eats bird and clean his cage"
15. i thought he was 10 months old but my wife reminded me we got him before our 3rd kid was born so he is 1year and a few months old. (time flies)
16. size of a quarter
17. i dont know
18. rats, mice, crickets, those big green caterpillar looking things, superworms, earthworms, snakes, birds .
19. every 3-4 days, i feed him in a different container
20. medium traffic
21. about every 2-3 weeks during a feeding, i take all his old bedding out. wipe down the inside with a wet rag that has 1/100 parts bleach to water on it. (which is very diluted and you can hardly smell the bleach even then) so any living mold or parasite dies. them i rinse every thing down with water, drain the tank and wipe with a totally clean rag (no chemicals) rinse everything down again. then i drain it and dump in new bedding. this part you can see on that youtube video. it is simple and easy. now only time will tell if i am an idiot or a genius. i have been doing this routine for well over six months now and he has beautiful deep colors.

thank you danfrog for showing an interest in a possible "other way" of frog care

no one is taking you serious because that's is the worst possible advice I've heard

[mattfish]

Yet my frog is thriving! the proof is in the pudding. His color is deep and he eats anything agressively for over six months now and counting. I think people are taking me seriously. If they want this frog without all the maintenance, they should take me seriously. this way works. But If you like doing what you are doing, stick with it! I am only offering a less time consuming way. isnt that what this forum is all about?

[gullywhippet]

frogs like water lets give em what they like, slam dunk!

[Mentat]

...21. about every 2-3 weeks during a feeding, i take all his old bedding out. wipe down the inside with a wet rag that has 1/100 parts bleach to water on it. (which is very diluted and you can hardly smell the bleach even then) so any living mold or parasite dies...

There are parasite, bacteria, and viruses that have resistant spores or stages that will survive pure household bleach; much easier a 1/100 solution .