# D. auratus not eating



## Marconis (Jul 11, 2010)

I got my D. auratus on Saturday. I have seen him eat maybe 7 flies, but the rest he doesn't really touch, or I cannot see him eat. Some flies that I see roaming around don't even have the calcium dust on them anymore. I even sometimes push the fruit flies to right in front of him...they will even crawl on him and he won't budge. Also, most of the time when I feed he won't even come out of hiding. I am getting worried. Is this stress since he's in a new tank? What should I do?


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## jeffr (May 15, 2009)

How old is the frog? If you just got him Saturday you have to give it time to get used to his new surroundings


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## Marconis (Jul 11, 2010)

jeffr said:


> How old is the frog? If you just got him Saturday you have to give it time to get used to his new surroundings


I was told he was a few months old, the employee did not know the exact age and the owner deals with the breeding.


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## Baltimore Bryan (Sep 6, 2006)

Does the frog look skinny? What type of set up is he housed in?


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## Marconis (Jul 11, 2010)

He doesn't look skinny, actually quite plump...one of the employee's actually commented on how healthy he looked when I bought him. The setup is a ten gallon glass tank, with glass canopy, fiberglass screen in the back for ventilation, eco-earth soil on top of clay balls, two plants (don't have the names with me now), a rock, two large thick sticks and a coconut hut with petri dish. I mist twice a day and keep the light on for 8-9 hours.


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## dendro-dude (Jan 25, 2010)

He's new to his surroundings so I'd let him get settled in. And he has eaten some so you shouldn't be worrying very much.

Adding leaf litter and pothos would help him feel secure


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## Baltimore Bryan (Sep 6, 2006)

Well if he isn't skinny I wouldn't be too worried if you don't see him eating all the time. Sometimes with new frogs they need some time to adjust to a new enclosure so they may be shy for a little while and not eat right in front of you. I'm sure if he's otherwise healthy he will come out and eat any leftover flies in the tank when he is hungry. I don't always see my shyer frogs eat but they stay fat so I know they are eating. One suggestion, you may want to put some leaf litter or moss over the eco earth substrate because sometimes they get stressed when they have those little pieces of dirt stuck to them. The leaf litter will also give him more places to hide so they will usually become more bold in time because they know they are only a short hop away from safety if they are scared.
Bryan


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

They really seem more comfortable with lots of stuff to hide in. I know it sounds strange, but, the more stuff there is to hide in, the less they hide. I imagine that comfort also would lead to eating more.

Can you post a pic of your tank so we can maybe give you some advice if you need to add anything?


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## Marconis (Jul 11, 2010)

I know I need to add stuff. It isn't the prettiest thing out there, but I am adding more plants as I go along. Also, I am going to get moss tomorrow along with more sticks (I boild them, don't worry). Will any moss do so long as it is safe? I should also state that sometimes I'll come into my room and see him out and about, and then he shoots back into his hut or under a plant. Here it is, but this picture really makes it look bad:


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

I think what it needs more than moss is some leaf litter and some vines.

Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and look for a hanging pot of some viney thing. The Exotic Angel line has a lot of stuff that is good for vivs. Leaves you can get from your own yard if they are pesticide/chemical free. Oak is good. Magnolia good. Or you can hit up one of the sponsors on this site. I've dealt with several and have no complaints. 
Sponsor Classifieds - Dendroboard

The tank looks good. Just needs more stuff in it for the frogs.

I would say the lack of viney stuff and leaves to hide under is likely the reason your frog is being weird.


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## dendro-dude (Jan 25, 2010)

Def add more plants. Pothos and any other small plants you can find. Leaf Litter and moss.

they'll make your frog feel secure and he'll come out more


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## Baltimore Bryan (Sep 6, 2006)

Looks like you are off to a good start. As others have said, check out a local lowes or home depot and look for a cheap plant that will spread around like a potho. Wild collected moss will probably die because since it isn't from a tropical area it usually needs a dormant period to live. However, I and many others sometimes collect some and sometimes it does live. To clean it, you should probably soak it in a 10-15% bleach solution to kill off any nasty things that may be in it. Leaf litter will really help the tank and if you have oak or magnolia trees (those are best because the leaves don't break down as quickly as other types) in your property so you know they are pesticide free, you can collect some and bake them in the oven for a little while to sterilize them.
Bryan


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## Freeradical53 (Jan 25, 2008)

Add some dark spots and shadows to your tank. $3.00 philodendren at wall marts is good.


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## Marconis (Jul 11, 2010)

Alright yeah I definitely know that I needed more plants, and like I said I was going to do that one by one until I got the hang of things. It seems, though, that it is really effecting the sense of security of my frog. My brother works at home depot, so I will go and have a look with him tomorrow.

Thanks a lot guys, I'll post back.


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## Marconis (Jul 11, 2010)

Hey, what do you guys think of this plant (my brother had it in his room). It is a Dracaena, and needs medium light. The medium light is the only thing bugging me really, and I am going to get rid of some of the stems to make it a little smaller:


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## Marconis (Jul 11, 2010)

I looked it up on the board and it seemed okay to plant...The roots ran pretty deep so I didn't want to lose too many of them. I'm hoping this thing will live okay, I had add a little more eco-earth to cover it. I think it looks awesome.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

I like those. Looks like someone dripped paint on it.


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## Baltimore Bryan (Sep 6, 2006)

Looks good. I've never tried one of those in a viv so I don't know if it will live, but I hope it will be alright. The tank is getting better, now all you need is some leaf litter to cover up the dirt and it should be fine.
Bryan


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## Marconis (Jul 11, 2010)

Alright I put a lot of leaf litter down in the tank. When I came home from work today I saw my frog outside of his hut, hiding in a plant which made me feel better. I put about 16 flies in today with calcium on them since I saw some from yesterday still roaming around. He hasn't moved at all since I have been home, has only changed the direction he is facing. I put a piece of banana in the tank to centralize the flies, but no dice so far. They all go on the walls of the tank and it pisses me off. I just want my frog to eat


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## srrrio (May 12, 2007)

It may take a couple of weeks before your auratus is out and about more and gulping down ff while you are watching. With my young auratus I usually put the banana in a spot near the front of the tank, on top of lots of leaf litter. I feel like they get used to coming to the front of the tank to eat but have a quick place to duck for cover.Then you can get a good look and keep track or how skinny/fat the guy is as well as keep an eye on how many flies are on the banana. When there are none there the next day you can feel pretty confident he is eating. 

By the way I think your tank is perfect for your first auratus now that you have added the leaf litter. Somtimes, someone starting simple is refreshing to see! 

Sally


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## Marconis (Jul 11, 2010)

That is definitely a comforting response, thanks! I'll snap a picture tomorrow of the tank with the leaf litter...I think it looks tons better.


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## Marconis (Jul 11, 2010)

Seeing him out more and more, he hasn't been in his hut all day. I saw him eat four flies, which is good. Some are on the banana so hopefully he'll find them. Question though: What's the deal with dusting? The calcium I dust on them seems to come off in time, as well as when I mist. How is my frog getting proper calcium consumption if it is off the flies by the time he eats them?


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Good to hear!

From what others have said, the flies retain dust even after they've cleaned off.


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## Marconis (Jul 11, 2010)

Well, I came home and found him in the middle of my tank on a semi-high stick, standing tall. When I went to take the picture, he hopped down. He HAS to be eating, and I am glad to see him moving around the tank. You can see some dirt on him, I just have a 1/4 of the tank left to cover in leaf litter. Here he is:











The tank (sorry for the blurry pic, my lens gets messed up sometimes and won't focus)


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