Male or Female?

[Jace]

Hey everyone. Thought I would jump right in and get your help with sexing my African Bullfrogs. The first one is of Obi, whom I am pretty sure is female. Next is Kadesh, who has exploded in size in the last few months, and I have been calling a he. Hopefully the pics are clear enough for someone to tell for me. Thanks for your help!

[John]

Hi Jace. Obi is female, 100%. Kadesh does appear to be a male. Congratulations!

[Jace]

Thanks. I took a wild guess when they were both younger and smaller. Kadesh makes noises late at night, and it sounds exactly like the call in the Bullfrog caresheet I found in this Forum. I have absolutely no plans to even attempt to mate them (I hear it's pretty difficult if you don't have much of a clue as to what you are doing), but at least now I have a better idea what to expect size wise. Thanks for you help!

[John]

Ah yes if he sounds like McFatty (the frog in the recording) then 100% male. Breeding them is more a matter of preparation and patience. The thing is though, if you bought yours together they are probably siblings.

What does Kadesh mean?

[Jace]

My friend had a dog named Kadesh who ate pretty much anything and everything...and since that sums up a Pixie rather nicely, I thought the name would fit! I usually only use African names (even my hissing cockroaches have African names), but Kadesh suited him. I actually bought Kadesh first, almost six months before Obi. But the pet store had Obi for a very long time, so there is a good chance that she came from the same breeder and they are related. No-one wanted a frog that would get that big, and the pet store was reluctant to sell her to someone without some sort of experience. Though I am kind of winging it, they know I take good care of all of my pets and allowed her to come home with me. Lucky me!!

[Jace]

A couple of more quick questions if someone has the time to answer:

(1) How often should I feed them? Right now, it's every three days, and a mixture of one frozen pinky mouse each, two-three dew worms and five-ten superworms.

(2) I shake the pinky mice in a mixture of calcium and mineral powder....is this adequate enough to keep the frogs healthy and strong?

(3) I have both frogs in their own ten gallon aquarium...is this adequate space for them or should I look into upgrading them each into my spare 25 gallons?

Thanks for taking the time to answer!

[John]

(1) How often should I feed them? Right now, it's every three days, and a mixture of one frozen pinky mouse each, two-three dew worms and five-ten superworms.

Every 3 days for frogs that size is just about right. I'm not sure what a dew worm is. Is that like an earthworm? If so then it's a good staple food (that means it could be the main component of a diet). It's not good to feed with mice that regularly. Mammals in the diet of frogs promote obesity and cause the build up of fat in various parts of the body. Superworms are not a very nutritious food for frogs like this, and they have a relatively high amount of fat.

(2) I shake the pinky mice in a mixture of calcium and mineral powder....is this adequate enough to keep the frogs healthy and strong?

Yes but I would not feed both (supplements) on the same day - it's more beneficial to feed each supplement at separate feedings. You don't need to supplement the food at every meal time. In fact it's probably better to do it every few feedings rather than at each one.

(3) I have both frogs in their own ten gallon aquarium...is this adequate space for them or should I look into upgrading them each into my spare 25 gallons?

You mean you are keeping each one separately right? 25 gallons (~100 litres) is a nice size for a large frog but for younger frogs a 10 gallon should be adequate. These frogs are only really active when they are looking for food.

[Jace]

Lol-yes, they each have their own tank with indoor pool! Kadesh seems to be growing by leaps and bounds and he's pretty active for a frog his size. He keeps getting himself wedged between his water dish and the side of the tank, and gets rather grumpy when you try and help him. Dew worms are large and fat earthworms, and luckily I can get them year round. I read mixed reviews on the mice/fat content, so I will definately scale back on those, though Obi and Kadesh might be rather disappointed. What other foods would be good as a main course? I like to vary the diets of all of my pets so nobody gets bored. I will also tone down my calcium/mineral dusting. I guess even frogs can have too much of a good thing. Thanks again for taking the time to answer these questions.

[John]

Well the mineral dusting shouldn't to any harm but doing it at every meal almost certainly means that a lot of it is going to waste. A good staple for frogs like this is the captive cultured cockroach. My favourite is Blaptica dubia. They are very meaty, and very nutritious.