macifire
Left my frog 5 days w/o any food....still fat & happy when I came back!
African Dwarf Frog Food? - Page 2
aylad
Awesome! Glad he's ok.
MeganS
I'm glad that your frog is okay. I wish I had seen your post earlier. I too have ADFs and I recently had to leave them for 10 days. I couldn't find anyone that could care for them while I was gone so I chose to use a 14 day Tetra Vacation Gel Feeder Block that they sold at my LFS. My frogs seemed to enjoy it and they were fine when I got home. I would much rather feed them their frog pellets but if you have to leave them alone Tetra Vacation worked and didn't cloud my tank water. I just wanted to let you know in case you were in the same situation sometime down the road.
josh7
I don't know where else to put this but I just added 2 African Dwarf frogs to my 10 gallon was wondering if wax worms are suitable food source for them.
soltarianknight
I should think not. These are aquatic frogs, wax womrs are a high fat treat for most terrestrial lizards and inverts. Blood worms, brine shrimp and aquatic frog pellets(I use zoo med brand)
josh7
Are mealworms suitable food source for them then
soltarianknight
NO. These are NOT terrestrial species, they are aquatic and need aquatic food sources. Blod worms, brine shrimp, vinigar eels, texas worms, aquatic frog pellets.
josh7
Okay then are earthworms okay then and I can't feed them wax worms or mealworms at all.
jerilovesfrogs
no, see earthworms are from the earth....so they aren't aquatic. so don't feed em to the frogs. imo, bloodworms, brine shrimp and hbh frog pellets are a good diet.
soltarianknight
Ohhh HBH, been wanting some of that forever lol. Besides, most earth worms will be too big, even when young, for a ADF to handle.
Lucy
I've never fed earthworms but according to Frogbreeder you can.
Here's a thread where she mentions them.
Please read carefully.
And a quote from this thread:
There is another thread where she describes how to cut them for young frogs.
Sorry, I could find it.
Maybe do a search for her posts for instructions.
edit:
Here is another good thread:
Here's a thread where she mentions them.
Please read carefully.
And a quote from this thread:
There is another thread where she describes how to cut them for young frogs.
Sorry, I could find it.
Maybe do a search for her posts for instructions.
edit:
Here is another good thread:
josh7
Okay but I know the mealworms and wax worms are not great for them but could I feed them these for 3 or 4 days and would they be fine in the long run because in 3 or 4 data is when I can get earth worms.
Lucy
We can only give recommendations.
I feed mine the same as Jers recommends above.
Ultimately it's up to you what you want to do.
Earthworms should not be their staple diet either.
I feed mine the same as Jers recommends above.
Ultimately it's up to you what you want to do.
Earthworms should not be their staple diet either.
soltarianknight
The reason I'm advising against these foods is simply because I don't belive the frogs could digest them, adfs don't have super powerful jobs, mealies have hard exoskeletons and waxys are just fat tbh. You can probably get away with feeding a betta pellet or other fish pellet. Idealy you should be feeding a descent variety of foods, I think most will agree on that.
josh7
Okay then what about if I chopped up mealies and if not ingress I can try the pellets and if it's just fat it's just bad for them then isn't it.
soltarianknight
Waxys, and I'm sure you know this as a(reptile keeper I'm assuming is why you have these) are what youd feed as treats or fattners to reps. ADFs don't really need all that fat . Id go ahead with pellets, wouldnt want a constipated/impacted ADF on mealies, if you can get them small you may be able to chop them but they probably don't make a good source of food for the lil guys.
josh7
I just went out and borrowed 5 bucks from a friend and got some of the earthworms from petsmart are these a good diet
soltarianknight
I would aI'm for more variety. These are aquatics, they do eat aquatic foods, they are not your typical frog nor should they be treated as such. A good diet consists of multiple food sources. Try getting a frozen pack of food, normally you can get blood worms,brine shrimp in the same pack.
Lucy
Why didn't you just get HBH frog & tadpole bites which are geared for their nutrition.
I hate to sound harsh but when we buy a live animal we should be sure we have and can afford the proper foods.
I hate to sound harsh but when we buy a live animal we should be sure we have and can afford the proper foods.
josh7
Okay everyone is brine shrimp and earthworm pieces varied enough for their diet. Until I get paid on Thursday.
jerilovesfrogs
yeah, but I would def get the hbh when you get paid
-j
-j
frogbreeder
Josh7: Sounds like you are already getting some excellent advice on feeding ADFs in this thread. I agree that things like mealworms and waxworms aren't the best foods for aquatic frogs, especially ADFs, because these foods are too difficult to digest. Yes, these foods are best left for terrestial frogs. ADFs have very delicate digestive systems and do best with softer foods. Earthworms are actually very good for ADFs (they are high in protein and contain plenty of calcium), but you definitely need to remove the fecal material and chop them into very small pieces first. It's important that the worms are free of pesticides and fertilizers (using worms sold for fishing bait isn't a good idea). And, although earthworms are a definite favourite, I wouldn't recommend feeding them as a staple diet; perhaps only once or twice a week as a treat along with other foods.
Because ADFs are predatory suction feeders (that is, they lunge at their prey and swallow it whole in one gulp), their food should be cut into very small, bite-sized pieces. A good rule of thumb is that if a frog must use its forelimbs to position the food in its mouth and help eat the food, then the pieces are too large.
Variety is best when feeding ADFs. But, if you can only give your frogs a single food, I would also suggest using HBH frog and tadpoles bites (or Jurassic Diet, or Zoo Med, etc., if you can't get HBH), if your frogs will eat them. These foods are specifically formulated for aquatic frogs and can be used as a staple diet, in a pinch, but variety is still best. Unfortunately, my frogs will not eat frog bites. i've tried several different brands without any luck. They don't seem to even recognize them as food. If they do put them in their mouth, they spit them out immediately and continue on foraging for something else. I suspect my frogs are too used to getting live or frozen foods instead, which are much tastier. So, if you do try HBH, just be sure your frogs are actually eating them (I'm told most frogs will).
Frozen brine shrimp are perfectly fine, but I've noticed that my frogs prefer frozen mysis shrimp instead. Also, mysis shrimp usually are not as messy as brine shrimp. But, I guess it depends on what is available where you live. Again, I wouldn't recommend using either as a staple diet though. Variety is important. Good luck. - frogbreeder
Because ADFs are predatory suction feeders (that is, they lunge at their prey and swallow it whole in one gulp), their food should be cut into very small, bite-sized pieces. A good rule of thumb is that if a frog must use its forelimbs to position the food in its mouth and help eat the food, then the pieces are too large.
Variety is best when feeding ADFs. But, if you can only give your frogs a single food, I would also suggest using HBH frog and tadpoles bites (or Jurassic Diet, or Zoo Med, etc., if you can't get HBH), if your frogs will eat them. These foods are specifically formulated for aquatic frogs and can be used as a staple diet, in a pinch, but variety is still best. Unfortunately, my frogs will not eat frog bites. i've tried several different brands without any luck. They don't seem to even recognize them as food. If they do put them in their mouth, they spit them out immediately and continue on foraging for something else. I suspect my frogs are too used to getting live or frozen foods instead, which are much tastier. So, if you do try HBH, just be sure your frogs are actually eating them (I'm told most frogs will).
Frozen brine shrimp are perfectly fine, but I've noticed that my frogs prefer frozen mysis shrimp instead. Also, mysis shrimp usually are not as messy as brine shrimp. But, I guess it depends on what is available where you live. Again, I wouldn't recommend using either as a staple diet though. Variety is important. Good luck. - frogbreeder
josh7
Okay then how do you get these frogs to eat off of plates though also I will get HBH bites on Thursday.I also will still feed them the worms and shrimp to for the variety.
Lucy
Teach them manners
Sorry, joking.
If you put their food on a plate (no paint or glaze) they should eventually find it.
However, since there are fish in the tank this may not work for you.
The fish will surely find it before the frogs do.
Sorry, joking.
If you put their food on a plate (no paint or glaze) they should eventually find it.
However, since there are fish in the tank this may not work for you.
The fish will surely find it before the frogs do.
josh7
Okay I can just continue hand feeding them to and also how would you recommend hand feeding pellets to them
frogbreeder
I agree - if you really must keep ADFs with fish, you will likely need to hand-feed the frogs to ensure they get enough to eat. Chances are you will still end up with fat fish and skinny frogs. For a whole bunch of different reasons, single-species aquariums work best for ADFs. Perhaps, you could get them their own aquarium. They'd really like that. As for teaching them any manners, ha, best of luck! - frogbreeder
Attachments
josh7
It's fat right now I am hand feeding it and it has a fat round belly still but can you hand feed HBH pellets. Also for getting them a new tank that is not gonna happen for a while.
frogbreeder
You could try holding the pellet slightly in front of the frog's mouth and a little off to one side, about an inch above the frog's head, and releasing it. Hopefully, the frog will lunge at it, as it falls past its mouth. Or you could just wait for the frog to lunge and try to release the pellet at precisely the right time, lol. Admittedly, hand-feeding takes a bit of practice, because of the way these frogs eat. Eventually, the frogs will figure it out. Oh well, you can always try to get them their own tank eventually. As long as you make sure they are getting enough to eat, they should be just fine. - frogbreeder
josh7
Well the pellets are hard to do tried today and the earthworms were the only thing they would take but what type of live foods are best do you think frogbreeder to feed them for a variety besides the shrimp and worm.
frogbreeder
Well, they really love whiteworms, if you can find someplace to buy a starter culture. Good thing about whiteworms is that you don't need to remove the fecal material first and they are small enough that you don't need to cut them into pieces. They are much less gross than earthworms. Live blackworms are also good, but they require a small aquarium for the culture. I sometimes collect live mosquito larvae (a.k.a. glassworms) from the edges of my garden pond, but these pose certain risks. They can introduce unwanted organisms into the aquarium environment. Cultured whiteworms and blackworms are safer. Commercially prepared frozen foods such as mysis shrimp and HikarI bloodworms from the pet store are most convenient. I guess it depends on what you can get where you live. - frogbreeder
josh7
Okay thanks for all the help
One more question can I feed ADFs raw fish meat like wild trout meat.
One more question can I feed ADFs raw fish meat like wild trout meat.
sirdarksol
ADFs are not fish hunters. Fish probably isn't the best food source.
To put this very simply:
You generally want your pets' diets to be as close to what they would eat in the wild. In the case of ADFs, this is the larvae of a number of different insect species, as well as aquatic worms and perhaps micro shrimp species.
Unless you have an understanding of the different kinds of proteins and nutrients in various meats and how they compare to your pets' ideal diets, it is best not to stray from this.
To put this very simply:
You generally want your pets' diets to be as close to what they would eat in the wild. In the case of ADFs, this is the larvae of a number of different insect species, as well as aquatic worms and perhaps micro shrimp species.
Unless you have an understanding of the different kinds of proteins and nutrients in various meats and how they compare to your pets' ideal diets, it is best not to stray from this.
Butterfly
Since they are very young I would think the variety advised would be good.
Many times our aquatic friends don't recognize foods we give them as food for a few feedings. Trying too many different varities at once may be confusing and could lead to a dirty tank if uneaten food isn't cleaned up in a timely manner.
So trying the pellets and one other food until they are eating them well before adding something else would probably work best.
I'm not sure about the raw fish.
Carol
josh7
Okay was just wondering for future refrence right now I am still trying to get them to accept the pellets right now they will only take worm pieces.
jerilovesfrogs
I had to not feed mine for afew days...so they would be pretty hungry, and more likely to eat the pellets...and it worked. I can hand feed them pellets...but it dud take practice on the frogs part, as well as mine.
but now that they are used to pellets, they do hunt for them as well
-j
but now that they are used to pellets, they do hunt for them as well
-j
josh7
I just tried that didn't feed them yesterday and at about 4 today fed them the pellets and they accepted them so how does this sound for a final diet 1-2 days earthworms 3 days the pellets and 1-2 days whole frozen brine shrimp.
soltarianknight
That sounds pretty good
e_watson09
Alright so I bought 4 ADFs about a week ago.
Until yesterday none of them would eat. Yesterday I come to find one with its leg caught in the filter. Saved him and knew he wasn't going to make it. Found him dead this morning. Tested my water everything was perfect.
Last night I had also tried to feed them again. I got one of them to eat 2-3 NLS pellets and one to eat a single pellet the other didn't budge even when food landed on his head.
I'm really struggling with getting them to eat. I've tired frozen blood worms, frozen mysis, frozen brine shrimp, and the NLS pellets.
I have a turkey baster so I would make sure the food was around them every time but they never seem interested.
Oh and they were all pretty skinny when I brought them home.
Any suggestions? I am dirtying up my tank pretty bad and I was doing 50% weekly water changes before and I've started doing daily or every other day 50% changes due to the extra food.
Until yesterday none of them would eat. Yesterday I come to find one with its leg caught in the filter. Saved him and knew he wasn't going to make it. Found him dead this morning. Tested my water everything was perfect.
Last night I had also tried to feed them again. I got one of them to eat 2-3 NLS pellets and one to eat a single pellet the other didn't budge even when food landed on his head.
I'm really struggling with getting them to eat. I've tired frozen blood worms, frozen mysis, frozen brine shrimp, and the NLS pellets.
I have a turkey baster so I would make sure the food was around them every time but they never seem interested.
Oh and they were all pretty skinny when I brought them home.
Any suggestions? I am dirtying up my tank pretty bad and I was doing 50% weekly water changes before and I've started doing daily or every other day 50% changes due to the extra food.
I keep fish
They don't have good vision so you have to put it right in front of them.Otherwise I'm not the person to ask.
amber0107
I've been having some trouble with mine as well. I turn off the filter during feeding time to get the food to sink down onto his little plate. He does well with frozen bloodworms. Sometimes he'll eat the pellets and frozen brineshrimp, but that's hit or miss...literally. I've seen some use tongs to put the food right in front of their little faces until they reach out and get it, but I can't get mine to come out of hiding when I'm near his tank.
Shine
Seriously, if they are that hard to feed, how do they even survive in the wild??
e_watson09
I do have galic I could use and try that but these guys just are causing me to get grey hair.
snapper
With mine I put bloodworms in a syringe so they're halfway sticking out, and then wave them in front of the frog's face until he goes for it. Then squirt the rest out and they can usually find them.
Akari_32
Have you tried *not* catering to them? Just dropping the food in and letting them figure it out themselves? That's what I do, and mine are fat-fat-fat! They even have a betta and shrimp to compete with!
amber0107
Akari, yours have a sand substrate, right? I wonder if that helps because mine can't seem to find his tiny pellets if they end up on the gravel.
Akari_32
Yeah, I have black sand. Even when I had black gravel, though, they still did pretty good.
amber0107
I have no idea why mine seems unable to find his food. Just now I was cleaning it's tank and the silly frog came and jumped in his dish ready for his food. If I could have scolded the little thing I would have since I just siphoned up bloodworms he didn't eat!
Akari_32
Doesn't it figure
Lucy
Sometimes it takes a while for them to ge used to feeding time.
Are there fish in the tank? Any chance they are being intimidated?
If they were skinny when you get them they could have been already ill.
Sadly, many of them are before we get them.
Are there fish in the tank? Any chance they are being intimidated?
If they were skinny when you get them they could have been already ill.
Sadly, many of them are before we get them.
