Just got an African Bullfrog... couple of questions...

[chrisbliss]

Hey... new to this site but there is some great info here. First question: sexing. My frog is 5in SVL, probably a year old, great coloration on the belly, no line on the back but the head shape isn't as broad as that of the males on the care sheet (posted on this site). Is the relatively narrow head and size a good indication that I have a fully grown female? Secondly, are these frogs primarily nocturnal? And my last question: from what I have read, these frogs hibernate during the dry season... is it at all harmfull to keep them active year round? And do they go though periods of relative inactivity during the winter (in CA)?

[John]

Quick answers:

- Welcome!
- My male was 7 inches in less than a year so without seeing photos of your frog I'd have to say definite female.
- Good question on diurnal or not. Males are certainly very active during the day during the breeding season, and breeding takes place during the day. I am not 100% but I would say they are primarily diurnal (my male is fast asleep right now as I type and it's 5 am).
- I've yet to aestivate my male and he's nearly 2 years old. Never had a problem. Same for my females. I have aestivated others in the past but not this group. No ill effects.
- Winter - you shouldn't be letting them get cold enough for winter to effect them temperature wise. Light wise, I find no tangible change in activity but I have a light cycle of 12 hours of daylight on their terraria all year around.

[BEETLE]

I was wondering about the diurnal / nocturnal question. One of mine, a large male, seems to be active at any time of the day or night. I have another smaller one (about 4 inches at 1 year old) that is very definitely nocturnal, it's rarely on the surface unless its dark.
Interestingly the smaller one also tends to hide away at the slightest drop in humidity where the large male seems unaffected.
About age and size,the smaller one suffered a prolapse at about 6 months old and I cut back on the quantity of food it was eating as I had read that obesity can be linked to prolapses, as a result its growth rate slowed. When I increased its food it didn't start growing straight away, but now 6 months later it is growing rapidly again.

[chrisbliss]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. Just a thought about the dinural/nocturnal thing... Because they hibernate during the dry season, it's possible that they are active for extended periods of time during the wet season, both day and night. I know bears tend to do this (totally different ball park, I know) but storing up enough fat to last through the dry season is a possibility.