# Ceratophrys and feeding regimen



## DJRippa

I have a 4 year old male C. oranata I have raised since a metamorph. He is quite the pit- wondering about feeding schedules. Initially I followed feeding guidelines for Pac-Man frogs I found on different boards at 2-4xs a week depending on age- I generally feed him Lumbricus night crawlers sold in bait shops and Walmart covered in D3 calcium although I give breaks from the supplement between feedings. As he got older I decreased his feedings to once a week as I’m trying to keep him healthy and not too hefty, but then I tried biweekly since once a week seemed too often for him. I suppose my main question is... should I space out feedings further... does he appear a good weight? Should I increase it to weekly again?


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## Kmc

He looks like a good healthy frog in a nice environment from your pics. I dont know if you are interested in changing your supplement to one that has a more complete profile, Rapashy Cal Plus is really good. It also has Vit A in retinol form and protects against deficiency of vitamin A that can take a while to show up, but a fresh and well founded supplement can prevent. 

Your comments and concern about overfeeding are an indicator of good stewardship of a type of frog that many other people overfeed for amusement, and keep in inert, suboptimal conditions where the frog basically stays buried in some novel milled sub until dug out and fed something often inappropriate. Especially as a staple. 

A schedule is a human artifact of order and time. They are often helpful to keep track and remind. Especially where there is a collection it can be necessary to parse care. I have come to mark calender when i feed and use it as a reference not a plan. My feeding schedules tend to be flexible according to whats going on with the guys. What they ate last, are they foraging etc.

Ceratophrys when healthy and in an environment that includes some dimension, not just a tank of sub, are not inscrutable, tho they are ambush hunters. There is an extra alertness and i find dear to them - 'dial around' to face movement in their radius of vision, that is a sure sign of wanting something to come by..heehee. in env with structured caves or dense cover shelter they will position themselves closer to the entrance.

Its so refreshing to hear someone refer to them by their elegant, true name. 

They deserve it.


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## DJRippa

Kmc said:


> He looks like a good healthy frog in a nice environment from your pics. I dont know if you are interested in changing your supplement to one that has a more complete profile, Rapashy Cal Plus is really good. It also has Vit A in retinol form and protects against deficiency of vitamin A that can take a while to show up, but a fresh and well founded supplement can prevent.
> 
> Your comments and concern about overfeeding are an indicator of good stewardship of a type of frog that many other people overfeed for amusement, and keep in inert, suboptimal conditions where the frog basically stays buried in some novel milled sub until dug out and fed something often inappropriate. Especially as a staple.
> 
> A schedule is a human artifact of order and time. They are often helpful to keep track and remind. Especially where there is a collection it can be necessary to parse care. I have come to mark calender when i feed and use it as a reference not a plan. My feeding schedules tend to be flexible according to whats going on with the guys. What they ate last, are they foraging etc.
> 
> Ceratophrys when healthy and in an environment that includes some dimension, not just a tank of sub, are not inscrutable, tho they are ambush hunters. There is an extra alertness and i find dear to them - 'dial around' to face movement in their radius of vision, that is a sure sign of wanting something to come by..heehee. in env with structured caves or dense cover shelter they will position themselves closer to the entrance.
> 
> Its so refreshing to hear someone refer to them by their elegant, true name.
> 
> They deserve it.


I appreciate the suggestion for the Cal+... I’ll have to grab that next time I head to the pet shop. 

I keep this one bioactive with dwarf white isopods, and the golden pothos has been growing well, so may consider an upgrade soon too since he currently inhabits a 18” x 18” Exo and I want the pothos to be less cramped and continue growing. It is a good sized tank for him that he’s made a few repositioning spots/craters any time he goes #2, but I’m always for trying to go as nice as possible with my animals. More space would also help me work with him easier I feel.

I feel like these frogs deserve more respect for sure. The feeding response is a nice feature but to only have them to overfeed out of entertainment is something I’m against.


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## Kmc

Yours got lucky and it shows


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