Pyxie questions!

[Bruce]

Hello! My name's Bruce, and i just got this Pyxie frog a few weeks ago, and i was wondering if someone could help me figure out his/her sex and how old he/she is. Also, what/how often i should be feeding him/her at this time... I've done a lot of research on care and such, but im not too sure what stage of life my Pyxie is at!





(not too sure what he's doing here... pretty funny though )

I'm not sure if you can see it in these pics, but there is some yellow coloring under his arms, if that will help with figured out his age...

[John]

Welcome to the forum Bruce. Sexing is always difficult for small/young pixies but I think you have a female. You should be feeding her on good staples like earthworms and cultured roaches, with an occasional (like every few weeks) mouse. I feed mine with large cooked shrimp/prawns occasionally too (without the skin). Any more questions please feel free to ask.

[Kurt]

Welcome aboard. John's your Pyxicephalus man, see his article under the Care Info section.

[Bruce]

so nightcrawlers are the best for her? i just got some superworms the other day, so i guess once i run low on those i'll switch over to nightcrawlers. John, do you think you can guess how old she is? the yellow under her arms came about 2 weeks ago...

[John]

Bruce, superworms are not a good staple food, but I have found that Pyxies seem to love them. I use them as an occasional treat.

To guess the age I would need to know the length of her body (from nose tip to her rear end). Guessing is difficult for larger females because females don't grow much once they hit around 4 inches (10 cm). Growth rate is dependent on temperature, how often they are fed and the quality of the food. I will say that the stripes seem particularly vivid, which is usually the case in younger frogs. Give me the length and I can make a better guess.

[Bruce]

I know they're not now, her staple food used to be crickets, but they started to get really annoying...

i feed her once a day, about 5-7 superworms, the same when i used crickets, and she's exactly 4 inches

[John]

She could be anywhere from about 4 months to 2 years. I would guess somewhere between 6 months and a year. Feeding just one thing is a bad idea and it's even worse when the food is not a good staple.

[Bruce]

I usually try to switch it up, i have a few wax worms too (yes i know, they're bad too) as soon as i run out of supers im getting earthworms though, or is there a better staple food?

[John]

Earthworms and cockroaches (captive cultured, not wild ones) would be the two best staples I can think of.

[Bruce]

Just a quick update, got my buddy a nice big 40 gallon tank (it was on sale!)

well, i didn't notice exactly where she borrowed, and i poked her, and she(?) made a noise very very similar to the sound posted on the care sheet on this website... can females sometimes make that noise if disturbed? Not to mention since my last post she grew about another 1/2 an inch... i can try to get an update pic later tonight when she wakes up for some food

[John]

can females sometimes make that noise if disturbed? Not to mention since my last post she grew about another 1/2 an inch... i can try to get an update pic later tonight when she wakes up for some food

They can hiss but I've never heard one croak like that. A pic would be good. There are no promises on gender of young frogs .

[Bruce]

Well, not too sure about that pic now cause i think she may be aestivating, considering shes dug down pretty deep and she hasnt resurfaced (as far as i know) since i got this new, much deeper tank about 3 days ago. If she is aestivating, how long should i leave her down there for, think 2 weeks is good, or a bit longer?

[John]

To aestivate they should be left for months, not weeks. Unless you offer good aestivation conditions she won't remain there for long though. Just mist the tank each day and she should be fine - she'll come up when she wants to.

[Jace]

Is it necessary for them to aestivate? Some sites/books say yes, others say no.

[John]

In my experience, no. Only necessary if you wish to breed them.

[B1GFROG]

Pyxies love to burrow so I'd imagine it was just relaxing.

And Bruce in that last picture your frog is shedding.

[Bruce]

She just woke up a few days ago, with a very dark orange under her one arm, looks really nice
the only problem is since she woke up she is refusing to eat earthworms.... crickets on the other hand... well just don't last very long, as with everything else i feed her... she just wont eat earthworms anymore though...

Anyway, im glad shes up and enjoying her new tank

[John]

That's good news Bruce. Try the earthworms again in a few days.

[Bruce]

was bored, thought i'd throw up a few new pics for the heck of it...

[Bruce]

also, i have just one more question, is it possible to keep a male and a female pyxie together in the same tank. I have this big 40 gal. and i kinda feel like like its too big for a female, and it would still be pretty roomy for one male...