# feeding frequency



## Taari (Nov 6, 2012)

I have a young frog, probably about 6 months old, my male azureus, and an adult female that is probably over a year old. I've read a couple posts here that indicate that it's normal or advised to feed adult frogs every 2-3 days and only froglets get fed every day because they are growing. I have been feeding both my frogs daily. I feed them both combined about as many flies as would fit in a single layer on a quarter. Neither of them are ever thin, but they are also never oddly fat. Both have slightly rounded bellies. 

Is there a reason that some people feed every 2-3 days, and are there issues that can arrise by feeding daily? A common practice among fish keepers is to fast their fish one day a week, would it be acceptable to feed my frogs 6 days out of 7 like I do my fish?


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

It's ok to not feed every day. Some folks feed just a few days a week and others only once a week. I feed every day or every other day, just not a whole lot. A little less than that when they're in a 'cool down'. 

The froglet might want more than he's getting if the food for both of them fits on a quarter. 

Ed did some research on how much to feed. Something about 40 flies to maintain. Hopefully he'll come along with a link so you can see what he actually said.


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## Taari (Nov 6, 2012)

It might be a bit more than what fits on a quarter, I'd have to dump some flies out and re-judge how many. Maybe more like two nickles. They probably get about 40-50 flies each. Like I said, neither of them are thin, and the young male has grown alot in the month and a half I've had him.


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## drew32fb (Nov 8, 2012)

I think a froglet would require more frequent feedings than an adult since they are using up a lot of energy just with growing.


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## Gamble (Aug 1, 2010)

I feed every day during their breeding season (spring/summer) ... and cut it down to every other day or 2 during their down season (fall/winter).


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## WinifredBarkle (Dec 9, 2012)

Along those same lines, can you overfeed frogs, or are they pretty good at self regulating?

I've got 2 two month old azureus and I feed them flies every to every other day, depending on how many flies I see still in the tank. The tank is a kritter-keeper sealed with plastic to keep the humidity in, so the flies aren't escaping. I probably feed a few dozen flies every feeding...is this way too much?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I think most people would be shocked to find out just how little the frogs actually need... Based on the calculations and values in Amphibian Medicine and Captive Husbandry, a one gram frog can have it's resting metabolism met by about 6 flies a day at 25 C (which is warmer than many people keep thier cages, so in reality it is less).... A hyped up metabolism such as an actively growing 1 gram froglet at 25 C can require between 12-40 flies/day depending on a number of factors but in reality it is probably closer to 20... IF the frog(s) don't have to forage much (which is typical in most enclosures) then the number needed is lower... If there are springtails/isopods or other microfauna, then the number is lower.... 

As with many reptiles, *the caloric needs do not need to be met daily*, and can be spread out over multiple days... SO yes even with actively growing froglets, you can skip a day or days provided the caloric needs are still being met. 

And no, the frogs do not pace themselves, they are hard wired to gorge themselves when food is abundent since in the wild, the food gods don't come and sprinkle manna from heaven on a regular basis...... Obesity even in froglets is common.... 

Some comments 

Ed


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## oneshot (Mar 5, 2010)

Ed;803234 Obesity even in froglets is common....
[/QUOTE said:


> I'm guessing obesity is more common in American frogs than in frogs from the rest of the world....


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## reptileguru2135 (Dec 10, 2012)

Can obesity in frogs be a problem?? And "if" over feeding with FF, that are dusted in vitamins, can you be giving too many vitamins also?? 

Also if I have 3 new froglets that I have been feeding everyday since placed in Viv and they are eating like champs, should I cut down to every other day now? Or wait till down the road and start every other day? Or in doing that is there a negative effect?


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## Daleo (Jan 31, 2012)

reptileguru2135 said:


> Can obesity in frogs be a problem?? And "if" over feeding with FF, that are dusted in vitamins, can you be giving too many vitamins also??
> 
> Also if I have 3 new froglets that I have been feeding everyday since placed in Viv and they are eating like champs, should I cut down to every other day now? Or wait till down the road and start every other day? Or in doing that is there a negative effect?


http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/general-health-disease-treatment/90502-healthy-too-fat-2.html

Link goes over consequences of obesity and when to be concerned

They can be fed too much Vit A, but maybe calcium or calcium plus is ok every day?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Daleo said:


> They can be fed too much Vit A, but maybe calcium or calcium plus is ok every day?


Technically, you can overdose on calcium pretty quickly since it has one of the narrowest safe tolerances for a more macro-nutrient... For example it can also inhibit the uptake of zinc resulting in conditional deficiencies. 

And given the levels of supplement that can adhere to the flies and the fact that the frogs will gorge on flies whenever they are fed, yes they can be oversupplemented with regular supplements... 

Some comments 

Ed


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

Ed said:


> Technically, you can overdose on calcium pretty quickly since it has one of the narrowest safe tolerances for a more macro-nutrient... For example it can also inhibit the uptake of zinc resulting in conditional deficiencies.
> 
> And given the levels of supplement that can adhere to the flies and the fact that the frogs will gorge on flies whenever they are fed, yes they can be oversupplemented with regular supplements...
> 
> ...


If they can be oversupplemented with regular supplements, how would you recommend supplementing then?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

goof901 said:


> If they can be oversupplemented with regular supplements, how would you recommend supplementing then?


Try not to overfeed them and follow the instructions on the lable until something better comes along.... 

Ed


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## reptileguru2135 (Dec 10, 2012)

So if planning on eating everyday, would one just ad supplements every other day?? I'm just curious on actions taken to stop this, or would on just start a feeding regiment of every other or every second day to keep the frogs healthy? But then again I guess it depends on the frogs, and food available in the tank.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

reptileguru2135 said:


> So if planning on eating everyday, would one just ad supplements every other day?? I'm just curious on actions taken to stop this, or would on just start a feeding regiment of every other or every second day to keep the frogs healthy? But then again I guess it depends on the frogs, and food available in the tank.


I think this was answered in the thread above specifically in post number 7 in this thread.... 

Some comments 

Ed


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## reptileguru2135 (Dec 10, 2012)

Thank you Ed sorry for the repeat question haha


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## easternversant (Sep 4, 2012)

Ed said:


> I think most people would be shocked to find out just how little the frogs actually need... Based on the calculations and values in Amphibian Medicine and Captive Husbandry, a one gram frog can have it's resting metabolism met by about 6 flies a day at 25 C (which is warmer than many people keep thier cages, so in reality it is less).... A hyped up metabolism such as an actively growing 1 gram froglet at 25 C can require between 12-40 flies/day depending on a number of factors but in reality it is probably closer to 20... IF the frog(s) don't have to forage much (which is typical in most enclosures) then the number needed is lower... If there are springtails/isopods or other microfauna, then the number is lower....
> 
> As with many reptiles, *the caloric needs do not need to be met daily*, and can be spread out over multiple days... SO yes even with actively growing froglets, you can skip a day or days provided the caloric needs are still being met.
> 
> ...


I think it is hard to really get a handle on the size of these frogs. To give a little perspective in the wild (so not obese captive frogs) R. imitator and R. variabilis are typically between *0.4 and 0.6 g!* Obviously, other species have more (or less) mass.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I actually don't have a set feeding schedule-- I tend to feed whenever. If I still see a lot of roaming flies or crickets from a previous feeding, I won't put food in.

In general though, I usually offer more food during active breeding with warmer, wetter conditions, and less in cooler, drier seasons.


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## Robert.hallam (Oct 26, 2012)

A healthy frog really doesnt need a lot to thrive, but a really frequently fed frog (eg.2-3 feedings per day) is definitely proven to grow far faster, especially in the froglet stage.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Robert.hallam said:


> A healthy frog really doesnt need a lot to thrive, but a really frequently fed frog (eg.2-3 feedings per day) is definitely proven to grow far faster, especially in the froglet stage.


The problem with this is that rapid growth isn't always a positive and multiple feeding while having rapid growth also cause obesity with the same negative issues (fatty liver for one example..).... 

A one gram froglet at 75 F has a resting metabolic requirement of 6 melanogaster a day....... To meet it's needs for rapid growth..somewhere between 20 and 40 melanogaster are all that is needed...so multiple feedings a day (unless feeding only a few flies at a time...(like ten) are in excess... 

some comments 

Ed


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## pgravis (Dec 29, 2010)

If one is only feeding frogs once a week (which occasionally is my regimen, frogs still look healthy and well fed), will that lead to vitamin deficiencies? I dust with fresh vitamins (repashy calcium plus, replaced every 6 months) and am having egg development problems. In all honesty, I'm not sure if I do have a Vit A deficiency or if it is another problem, just starting to troubleshoot.


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