Frogs are an interesting choice of pets for an aquarium or terrarium. Before you get your pet frog, you should learn everything about its care, including what to feed frogs.
Frogs exhibit an interesting feeding behavior – they jump toward their prey using their strong hind legs and shoot out their sticky tongue at the unsuspecting victim, gobbling it up as they retract their tongue.
It will be a spectacle to watch.
In this post, we will help you answer the question “what do I feed a frog?” We’ll also look at how often do you feed frogs?
Let’s get started.
What Do You Feed Frogs
The frog food you should use depends on what species you have or intend to keep. For instance, aquatic frogs in an aquarium should get a different type of food than terrestrial frogs in a terrarium.
Of course, the size of the food is an important consideration, as it has to fit your frog’s mouth. The rule of thumb is to not feed anything larger than the space between the frog’s eyes.
Frogs are natural predators and therefore prefer to eat live prey – they will be happiest when their innate predatory instincts are satisfied; however, you can train them to eat non-living food.
Insects are the favorite frog food; you can feed themcrickets, grasshoppers, mealworms, termites, black soldier flies, fruit flies, earthworms, wax worms, and small cockroaches.
Black soldier flies are high in calcium, which is an important nutrient for frogs. Certain insects are harder to digest than others, such as mealworms.
Wax worms are high in fat, so they should be avoided in large quantities to avoid obesity in your frog.
For bigger frogs, you can even feed things like pinky mice. Frogs can also eat snails and small fish.
Whatever you do, do not feed your frogs meat of any kind, whether it be from cow, sheep, goat, or chicken. It’s not part of their natural diet.
You can enhance the nutritional value of the insects you feed to your frogs by gut-loading or dusting them with calcium and multivitamin powders.
Gut loading is where you let the insects feast on a nutritious diet about 6-72 hours before they become food for your pet frogs.
Lastly, it is important to vary the diet so that the frogs get all the nutrients that they need.
What To Feed Aquatic Frogs
Aquatic frogs in a tank full of water should be fed differently than frogs in a dry tank; it’s somewhat difficult to feed them insects as they float on water and frogs like to stay at the bottom.
It is further compounded by the fact that aquariums also tend to have fish that compete with the frogs for food.
The aquatic frog diet can consist of brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, and mosquito larvae. You can also feed them insects such as water beetles and water striders.
Also, small fish, such as feeder fish, are perfect for aquatic frogs.
If you can’t find live aquatic frog food, you can train them to eat pellets. Get pellets that sink to the bottom a good brand is Frog Bites sold on Amazon. Commercially sold pellets are also enriched with vitamins and minerals, which is good for your frogs.
How Often Do You Feed Frogs
Frogs should not be fed more than once daily; they can easily get obese if you overfeed them.
They are also nocturnal eaters, so the feeding session should take place after the sun sets.
Of course, the feeding frequency and amount varies according to age and species.
Generally, young frogs should be fed once daily, while adults can be fed once every 2-3 days. You should feed them an amount that they can consume in 10-15 minutes in each session.
What Do Baby Frogs Eat
Baby frogs are called tadpoles, which are different from the adult version and must stay in water all the time. Their diet is also different.
Unlike their adult counterparts, tadpoles are mostly herbivores – they can sustain themselves by eating aquatic plants and algae.
Wondering what to feed baby frogs? You can give them plant-based pellets; you could also feed them romaine lettuce or broccoli florets.
Once they morph into young froglets, they become carnivores – feed them small prey such as fruit flies, black soldier fly larvae, etc.
What To Feed African Dwarf Frogs
The African Dwarf Frog is a popular pet for aquarists; they are a completely aquatic species of frog and scavenge the bottom of the tank for food.
They are also known as slow eaters, so the African Dwarf frog food should be something that can stay around for a while; for instance, avoid pellets that dissolve as soon as you put them in the water.
The African-Dwarf frog diet can consist of frozen bloodworms, live blackworms, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, and white worms.
So how often to feed African Dwarf frogs? Following the same rule for most frogs, you can feed young frogs daily and adult frogs every other day.
What To Feed Tree Frogs
Tree frogs are completely carnivorous; they like to stay in the trees and ambush any unsuspecting prey that comes along.
They can eat almost anything – mostly insects, but they are also known to make meals out of reptiles and other amphibians (including other frogs).
The tree frog diet can include crickets, grasshoppers, earthworms, mealworms, mosquitoes, small roaches, and wax worms.
For smaller tree frogs you can feed fruit flies.
What To Feed Pacman Frogs
Pacman frogs are renowned for having a huge mouth, allowing them to eat even the largest of prey. In fact, they get their name from their oversized mouths.
The Pacman frog diet can consist of crickets, nightcrawlers, dubia roaches, wax worms, and red wrigglers.
Dubia roaches have softer bodies than crickets, and therefore easier to digest.
Pacman frogs are particularly fond of feeder fish; if you have a pond in your tank, you can feed them that.
So how often do you feed a Pacman frog? Juveniles can be fed daily, while adults can be fed 2-3 times per week. You can also feed your Pac-man frog , Pac-man frog food which is easy-to-use food which can be fed to juvenile and adult frogs as a replacement for insects and rodents and contains all their dietary needs – try Zoo Med sold on Amazon
What Do Poison Dart Frogs Eat
These gorgeous frogs are prized possessions of many hobbyists. They are small frogs, so their food should be similarly sized.
The poison dart frog diet comprises small insects such as fruit flies, young crickets, and tiny beetles.
While they like to feast on ants, termites, and mites in the wild, you should avoid them because it is actually this diet that gives them their poisonous skin and fearsome reputation. Captive poison dart frogs are harmless if you change this part of their diet.
Conclusion
I hope that answers your question, “what do I feed a frog?”
Frogs prefer live insects as their food – however, if it is not possible, you can substitute them with suitable pellets, brine shrimp, bloodworms, feeder fish, etc.
Find out what your specific frog species likes and feed them that; also make sure to vary the diet.
Feed your frogs a healthy balanced diet at the right feeding frequency and they will live a long life in your aquarium or terrarium.
Thanks for reading.
