# Variations in feeding



## rollingmosshog (Oct 29, 2009)

Hello everybody. I have been keeping darts the same way for 6 years now, but have started to think my frogs are dulling in color just a little bit. I feed fruit flys 4-5 times a week dusted with herpevite and rep-cal every feeding, and then I feed all my frogs a large dose of dusted springtails once a week for the frogs and to seed the tanks. Something like once a month I feed pinhead crickets to. Is there anything else that I should be mixing to the diet in everyones opinion. Thanks for your time.


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

What color are they?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Including a source of astaxanthin should help with reds.. not much you can do about blue. 

Ed


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

I feed mine termite's as well but I'm sure that wont do anything to the color... 

I've read on here to use paprika to dust the food items with as well as nature rose... the latter you can find at health food stores I believe... I've not personally tried either... I'm sure someone else can chime in about both.

~JP~


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

The main usable carotenoid in paprika is beta carotene.. the same carotenoid that is found in most supplements as well as sweet potatos, carrots and a number of other foods.. this carotenoid affects yellows and to a lesser extent oranges. 

Ed


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

just curious....what species and colours are we talking about here?


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

I don't know much about this very subject but I have to ask Ed... Would using sweet potatoes or sweet potatoe flakes work as a gut load in fruit flies... not sure if the carotanoides would make it into the systems of feeders feeding on it... Just curious...

JP


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

snooknfrogs said:


> I don't know much about this very subject but I have to ask Ed... Would using sweet potatoes or sweet potatoe flakes work as a gut load in fruit flies... not sure if the carotanoides would make it into the systems of feeders feeding on it... Just curious...
> 
> JP


The only place ffs store carotenoids (based on the literature) is in thier eyes.. so yes.. personally I use spirulina to add carotenoids to the cultures.. 
The fruit flies will also deliver some retinol if supplied with sufficient carotenoids but to get this to happen the cultures have to be kept where they can get sufficient light. 

Ed


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## deansie26 (Nov 18, 2009)

*uv*



rollingmosshog said:


> Hello everybody. I have been keeping darts the same way for 6 years now, but have started to think my frogs are dulling in color just a little bit. I feed fruit flys 4-5 times a week dusted with herpevite and rep-cal every feeding, and then I feed all my frogs a large dose of dusted springtails once a week for the frogs and to seed the tanks. Something like once a month I feed pinhead crickets to. Is there anything else that I should be mixing to the diet in everyones opinion. Thanks for your time.


do you use tube lighting out of curiosity?


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## SmackoftheGods (Jan 28, 2009)

Gutloaded pinhead crickets once every other week. When you get them, keep them for a day or two in a container with spinach, carrots, fish flakes high in vitamin A and a calcium dust without phosphorous. Pinhead crickets are great food sources, but they can be even better if you gut load them right. You should see your crickets turn a darker color. Not only will the carotene the crickets consume from the carrots improve your frogs' color, but you should end up with healthier frogs. (I've also heard this process may help with SLS in thumbnail frogs).


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

SmackoftheGods said:


> Gutloaded pinhead crickets once every other week. When you get them, keep them for a day or two in a container with spinach, carrots, fish flakes high in vitamin A and a calcium dust without phosphorous. Pinhead crickets are great food sources, but they can be even better if you gut load them right. You should see your crickets turn a darker color. Not only will the carotene the crickets consume from the carrots improve your frogs' color, but you should end up with healthier frogs. (I've also heard this process may help with SLS in thumbnail frogs).


One should be careful about the use of spinach in "gut loading" diets as it contains oxalates which can interfere with the uptake and absorbtion of calcium. 

The carotenoids in carrots are primarily beta carotenes which while they can help with yellows and to a lesser extent orange colorations it will not help with reds. As a further issue, there is some indication in the literature that if the frogs are already deficient in vitamin A as retinol, increasing the level of beta carotene in the diet does not help...(with respect to the SLS). 
Furthermore, the crickets need to be kept on the diet for a MINIMUM of 48 hours and preferably 72 hours before being fed out. Simply keeping them on the diet overnight is not sufficient to optimize nutrition.. 


Ed


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## SmackoftheGods (Jan 28, 2009)

Ed said:


> One should be careful about the use of spinach in "gut loading" diets as it contains oxalates which can interfere with the uptake and absorbtion of calcium.
> 
> The carotenoids in carrots are primarily beta carotenes which while they can help with yellows and to a lesser extent orange colorations it will not help with reds. As a further issue, there is some indication in the literature that if the frogs are already deficient in vitamin A as retinol, increasing the level of beta carotene in the diet does not help...(with respect to the SLS).
> Furthermore, the crickets need to be kept on the diet for a MINIMUM of 48 hours and preferably 72 hours before being fed out. Simply keeping them on the diet overnight is not sufficient to optimize nutrition..
> ...


I posted that with hopes that you would direct me toward an even better way to gut load my crickets. Mission accomplished. Thanks, Ed.


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## samual989 (Nov 17, 2009)

just like to say this thread has helped me with several ways of feeding my feeder insects thanks guys & thanks for starting this thread


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