# General Topics > Food, Feeders, Live, Frozen, Culturing, etc >  Firs frog - How often should I feed a young American Gray Tree Frog?

## MantidBro (Alexander)

He's about an inch, ate a maggot last night which was about half his size (amazing to watch, he used his little hand to stuff it in his mouth). I was thinking a maggot every three days? or is that too long without food? I dont want his intestines to pop out his anus like i seen could happen if theyve been over fed. But i also dont want him to be hungry. thanks!

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## Eli

Are the maggots wild caught? Froglets and juvenile frogs need to be fed every day. Pinhead crickets, flightless fruit flies or teeny dubia roaches are good options. The food should not be any bigger than the space between the eyes. Amy (Lilypad) has grays so she can go into more detail but for now here is a caresheet. Frog Forum - Gray Tree Frog Care and Breeding
Edit: Welcome to the forum :Big Grin: !

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## Carlos

Froglets should be fed daily!  You also need to use supplements; more info on that in here:  http://www.frogforum.net/food-feeder...schedules.html  :Smile:  .

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> Are the maggots wild caught? Froglets and juvenile frogs need to be fed every day. Pinhead crickets, flightless fruit flies or teeny dubia roaches are good options. The food should not be any bigger than the space between the eyes. Amy (Lilypad) has grays so she can go into more detail but for now here is a caresheet. Frog Forum - Gray Tree Frog Care and Breeding
> Edit: Welcome to the forum!


I bought the maggots online. I will buy some pinhead crickets when i am paid. But in the meantime will maggots be alright? They can fit between the eyes, its more the length that im worried about. Theyre about half an inch. The frog himself is an inch. Thanks for that link, id read a different caresheet that didnt have nearly as much information.

Thank you! i really love frogs, ive always wanted one, but ive only ever found big aquatic frogs. Tree frogs are easier for me :-)

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> Froglets should be fed daily!  You also need to use supplements; more info on that in here:  http://www.frogforum.net/food-feeder...schedules.html  .


I have vitamin d3 just need the calcium, ill get that when im paid. Thanks for the schedule of when to give them what, thats really helpful!

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## Amy

Are you talking about phoenix worms?  If so, I would not use them.  A lot of frogs cannot digest them properly.  If you're talking about wax worms, that isn't a healthy diet.  I would get small crickets.  As Eli said, they should be no bigger than the space between his eyes.  As a tree frog, he'll appreciate the quick moving crickets more.  Carlos has you covered on the supplements and the daily feedings.  You could even try earthworm pieces and see if you have any luck there (I never have.)  Good luck with your little baby and ask as many questions as you want!

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> Are you talking about phoenix worms?  If so, I would not use them.  A lot of frogs cannot digest them properly.  If you're talking about wax worms, that isn't a healthy diet.  I would get small crickets.  As Eli said, they should be no bigger than the space between his eyes.  As a tree frog, he'll appreciate the quick moving crickets more.  Carlos has you covered on the supplements and the daily feedings.  You could even try earthworm pieces and see if you have any luck there (I never have.)  Good luck with your little baby and ask as many questions as you want!


No, no worms. I mean maggots, fly larvae. Do you mean the length or width should be no bigger than the space between the eyes? Or both? These maggots, width-wise, are smaller than that space. But length-wise, a bit bigger. Would that be a no-no then? The first day (yesterday) he gobbled it up quickly and eagerly, but today he didn't pay any attention. I personally feel that he's not hungry. I mean the maggot he ate was half his size, I imagine his stomach must be quite full. I will be getting pinheads either way since everyone says they're better. Also going to get some calcium. I already have the vitamin D3 supplement. I have a Bearded Dragon and he needs the same things. I may try offering some Earthworm pieces down the road, just to mix things up in his diet. I definitely will be asking a bunch of questions. Like, how do you tell the sex? Will I have to wait til he's bigger? And I read that they aren't temperature sensitive - but are they attracted to lights? I put a UVB light on and he climbed up to the top of the cage, hung upside down from the lid and went in circles around the light. I since moved him to a smaller container because that one is quite big and I want to be able to easily manage his cage and be able to keep a good eye on him. Thanks for the help!

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## ColleenT

i would think maggot would also be very fatty, and not the best choice. crix should be no longer than the space between the frog's eyes. pinheads are probably good for this guy. he's only half grown, will get to be about 1.5-2 inches from snout to vent as an adult. not sexable until adult. needs a tall terrarium/vivarium bc he/she is a tree frog and like to climb high. room temperature is good for these guys, but mist daily with dechlorinated water. not a lot, just a drop of dechlorinator per gallon.

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## Carlos

> ...but mist daily with dechlorinated water. not a lot, just a drop of dechlorinator per gallon.


That will depend on the dechlorinator brand.  Always follow the bottle label directions and do not overdose it  :Smile:  .

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## Amy

Phoenix worms are fly larvae (aka maggots)  A lot of frogs cannot digest them and they will go through their system whole and sometimes still alive.  They are a healthy option for reptiles who will bite and chew them, breaking the skin.  You shouldn't need a cricket as tiny as a pinhead right now, you should get 1-2 weekers.  You will have to wait until he/she is mature to figure out the sex.  I had one of my greys for 3 years before figuring out that she was actually a he.  He never called, was a pretty good size, so I assumed female...one day I found "her" in amplexus with my big female.

UV light is not necessary.  There is no research that suggests they benefit from it.  My greys typically like to claim the highest perch, I don't know if it's necessarily for the light or because it's the highest perch.  In the wild, they like the lights because lights=bugs at night.  Easy pickings.  

Right now you want to have him in quarantine conditions.  Keep him in a tank with damp, unprinted, paper towel on the bottom that you change every 1-2 days.  A water bowl that gets cleaned daily and is refreshed with dechlorinated water (most here use seachem prime to dechlorinate.)

It would be helpful to start teaching your frog to bowl feed now.  Greys can get fairly aggressive while eating and take in a mouthful of substrate, which isn't good.  When you get your crickets, place them in a glass bowl.  This is helpful as you can see exactly how much your frog is eating to better assess his health.

You could also add a branch or two in there if you wanted to help keep him happy, but you want to make it all very easy to clean and observe.  I would recommend to get a fecal test done considering he is wild caught.  That will prevent you from having issues down the road from parasites and etc.

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> i would think maggot would also be very fatty, and not the best choice. crix should be no longer than the space between the frog's eyes. pinheads are probably good for this guy. he's only half grown, will get to be about 1.5-2 inches from snout to vent as an adult. not sexable until adult. needs a tall terrarium/vivarium bc he/she is a tree frog and like to climb high. room temperature is good for these guys, but mist daily with dechlorinated water. not a lot, just a drop of dechlorinator per gallon.


I think i gave him a pretty good set up, a big container for his size, lots of pieces of bark to climb up. A fake plant. Water bowl. Coconut fiber as substrate. Ill take photos later. Thanks!

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> That will depend on the dechlorinator brand.  Always follow the bottle label directions and do not overdose it  .


Okay thanks :-)

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> Phoenix worms are fly larvae (aka maggots)  A lot of frogs cannot digest them and they will go through their system whole and sometimes still alive.  They are a healthy option for reptiles who will bite and chew them, breaking the skin.  You shouldn't need a cricket as tiny as a pinhead right now, you should get 1-2 weekers.  You will have to wait until he/she is mature to figure out the sex.  I had one of my greys for 3 years before figuring out that she was actually a he.  He never called, was a pretty good size, so I assumed female...one day I found "her" in amplexus with my big female.
> 
> UV light is not necessary.  There is no research that suggests they benefit from it.  My greys typically like to claim the highest perch, I don't know if it's necessarily for the light or because it's the highest perch.  In the wild, they like the lights because lights=bugs at night.  Easy pickings.  
> 
> Right now you want to have him in quarantine conditions.  Keep him in a tank with damp, unprinted, paper towel on the bottom that you change every 1-2 days.  A water bowl that gets cleaned daily and is refreshed with dechlorinated water (most here use seachem prime to dechlorinate.)
> 
> It would be helpful to start teaching your frog to bowl feed now.  Greys can get fairly aggressive while eating and take in a mouthful of substrate, which isn't good.  When you get your crickets, place them in a glass bowl.  This is helpful as you can see exactly how much your frog is eating to better assess his health.
> 
> You could also add a branch or two in there if you wanted to help keep him happy, but you want to make it all very easy to clean and observe.  I would recommend to get a fecal test done considering he is wild caught.  That will prevent you from having issues down the road from parasites and etc.


Fly larvae are called pheonix worms huh? interesting. 

Well hes only half the size of an adult now. How long does it take for them to reach adulthood?

The UV light was for a different cage that Id held him in momentarily. His new set up doesnt have lights. He didnt seem to be looking for insects, he seemed like he was very focused on the light. It was making him hyper. He was going around and around while staring at the light. Much like my mantids. 

For feeding, i actually just moved him to a smaller container that doesnt have substrate or anything really. Im not sure pinheads would stay in a bowl. Lol. 

In his set up ive got coconut fiber as substrate, a water bowl, a fake plant, some wide sticks and a piece of bark to climb on. As he gets bigger ill remove the sticks and find more bark. But first i will quarantine him.

Edit: Thanks for the help!

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## Amy

Pinheads will stay in glass bowl.  Removing him for feeding could end up stressing him out.  Here is a link to how to bowl feed - http://www.frogforum.net/general-dis...eder-bowl.html 

Make sure 3 sides of the QT tank are covered.  The "hyper" may have been him panicking in a new enclosure trying to find a way out.

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## Brian

> Fly larvae are called pheonix worms huh? interesting.


Only the black soldier fly larva. "Phoenix Larva" presumably sounds more awesome than soldier-fly-squidgy-maggot-thing and you can sell more that way. Many of the feeder 'worms' in the pet industry aren't worms, but various larva.

If you can get your gray to eat bona fide earthworms, that would be great. They're a great food source but some frogs will be adamant about spitting them out.

It can take a couple years for a gray to reach adult size.

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> Pinheads will stay in glass bowl.  Removing him for feeding could end up stressing him out.  Here is a link to how to bowl feed - http://www.frogforum.net/general-dis...eder-bowl.html 
> 
> Make sure 3 sides of the QT tank are covered.  The "hyper" may have been him panicking in a new enclosure trying to find a way out.


Thanks for the link, ill take your word for it and put them in a glass bowl, see how it goes. 

Im sorry but i really truly think he was attracted to the light. He wasnt doing that on the other side of the cage. Only directly under the light. I will be sure to cover up three sides so as not to stress him out. Thanks!

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> Only the black soldier fly larva. "Phoenix Larva" presumably sounds more awesome than soldier-fly-squidgy-maggot-thing and you can sell more that way. Many of the feeder 'worms' in the pet industry aren't worms, but various larva.
> 
> If you can get your gray to eat bona fide earthworms, that would be great. They're a great food source but some frogs will be adamant about spitting them out.
> 
> It can take a couple years for a gray to reach adult size.


Yeah thats true. Like, superworms arent worms, theyre darkling beetle larvae.

Im going to try pinheads then maybe try some earthworms, small ones or maybe try pieces, hes quite small. Hes the frog on my avatar. Hes on my fingers there. 

Okay, thanks!

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> Pinheads will stay in glass bowl.  Removing him for feeding could end up stressing him out.  Here is a link to how to bowl feed - http://www.frogforum.net/general-dis...eder-bowl.html 
> 
> Make sure 3 sides of the QT tank are covered.  The "hyper" may have been him panicking in a new enclosure trying to find a way out.


Quarantined



How long should i keep him in here?

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## Amy

30 days minimum.  Make sure his water isn't more than chin deep.

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## gdibs82

You may want to "gut load" the crickets, unless you use the stuff you sprinkle on them. I usually feed the crickets fish flake food an hour before feeding them to my frogs.

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> 30 days minimum.  Make sure his water isn't more than chin deep.


Oh damn, longer than i thought. Okay, thanks

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> You may want to "gut load" the crickets, unless you use the stuff you sprinkle on them. I usually feed the crickets fish flake food an hour before feeding them to my frogs.


Can i gut load them with lettuce, carrots, spinach, that sort of thing?

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## ColleenT

yes it is just a mess you need to clean up every day. fish flakes are easier, but whatever you have will work.

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## gdibs82

Exactly what was said above. If you plan on storing crickets for a longer period than an hour. Make sure to have a cricket house with food and water (water on a paper towel will suffice).

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## Amy

Fresh vegetables and fruits are much healthier!   I use carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, watermelon, orange slices etc, with cheerios.  I use orange slices or flukers orange cubes for water, but you can get water crystals too.  I keep it in a dish so I can dump it out and refill it every day.  Remember, what goes into your crickets, goes into your frogs.  The healthier your crickets are gutloaded, the healthier your frogs will be!  I gutload mine for 24-48 hours before feeding.

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## gdibs82

You can "gut load" them any way that's been mentioned. I know fish flake food is healthy for them, its what you'd feed them as tadpoles. Either way, crickets usually lay wastes every few hours anyways. As long as they have food to keep them gut loaded. Your frog(s) should stay healthy.

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> yes it is just a mess you need to clean up every day. fish flakes are easier, but whatever you have will work.


I bought pinheads today as well as calcium. I fed the pinheads spinach and cabbage. An hour later I put them in a glass bowl. And Gandalf (I decided to name him Gandalf the Gray, haha. If he turns out to be female I'll just name him Ms. Gandalf) jumped in, but he didn't eat any. I waited and watched for about a half hour. I put the crickets back and took out the bowl. I'll try again later. Honestly Gnadalf has grown already since I found him. He looked quite thin and now has a big pot belly. He looks more like a frog now. Maybe that maggot is taking a while to digest so he doesnt feel hungry? He has already started turning gray too! It's only been like two days and there are such changes in appearance. 

 

Before he went in. He seemed interested so I'm surprised he didn't eat any. Might the pinheads be too big?

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> yes it is just a mess you need to clean up every day. fish flakes are easier, but whatever you have will work.


Ill try fish flakes too some time, just to mix things up. I dont mind cleaning up the crickets' home, ive done it for the past 7 years, what with having a Bearded Dragon. Lol.

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> Exactly what was said above. If you plan on storing crickets for a longer period than an hour. Make sure to have a cricket house with food and water (water on a paper towel will suffice).


I gave them a good home. Paper towel, spinach and cabbage, an egg crate. I am used to crickets due to having a Bearded Dragon (7 years). Bearded Dragons are much like frogs it seems when it comes to food and vitamins/calcium.

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> Fresh vegetables and fruits are much healthier!   I use carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, watermelon, orange slices etc, with cheerios.  I use orange slices or flukers orange cubes for water, but you can get water crystals too.  I keep it in a dish so I can dump it out and refill it every day.  Remember, what goes into your crickets, goes into your frogs.  The healthier your crickets are gutloaded, the healthier your frogs will be!  I gutload mine for 24-48 hours before feeding.


Great! We have always got fruits and vegetables in the house. I've got the fluckers cricket quencher. Would that be alright? Im not sure how safe thatd be for a frog to eat a cricket thats munched on that. So in 1-2 days they should be completely gut fed? okay.

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> You can "gut load" them any way that's been mentioned. I know fish flake food is healthy for them, its what you'd feed them as tadpoles. Either way, crickets usually lay wastes every few hours anyways. As long as they have food to keep them gut loaded. Your frog(s) should stay healthy.


okay thanks

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## Amy

> Great! We have always got fruits and vegetables in the house. I've got the fluckers cricket quencher. Would that be alright? Im not sure how safe thatd be for a frog to eat a cricket thats munched on that. So in 1-2 days they should be completely gut fed? okay.


Cricket quencher should be fine for giving them water.  Try giving him 3-5 crickets for the first few nights and see what he eats.  He may be overwhelmed by that many crickets.  They are a little big, I would start by picking out the smallest ones to give him for right now.

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> Cricket quencher should be fine for giving them water.  Try giving him 3-5 crickets for the first few nights and see what he eats.  He may be overwhelmed by that many crickets.  They are a little big, I would start by picking out the smallest ones to give him for right now.


Okay. And thanks. :-)

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

Last night Gandalf passed a big poop, the biggest he has ever passed. I believe that was the remains of the maggot. I figured he would be hungry after having finally passed that. Tried giving him pinheads, he ate 3! he is completely gray now. Ill post photos later on. Thanks for the help guys.

Edit: oh and I inspected some of his poop. The big one which I believe was the maggot did have some maggot like skin in it. And his smaller poops are not to wet and not too dry. Looks a lot like soil. Breaks apart like it as well. The rest of his poop was in the water bowl so I wasnt able to test it.

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

Before I cleaned his bowl. I think theyre supposed to usually poop in their water bowl right?

Completely gray now! 

Also much fatter. My avatar proves that! Im surprised by how many changes there have been over the span of only 3 days.

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## ColleenT

no, mine poop on the walls. never in the water bowl.

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## gdibs82

Its ok if he poops in the water dish. Just be sure to replace the water. I have a few, and they poo on the plants, sides of the tank, and their water dish

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## Amy

It's very normal for them to poop in the water dish.  That's part of why you clean it daily  :Smile:

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> Its ok if he poops in the water dish. Just be sure to replace the water. I have a few, and they poo on the plants, sides of the tank, and their water dish


Im replacing it every morning. Thanks!

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> It's very normal for them to poop in the water dish.  That's part of why you clean it daily


Thanks!

My friend recently bought a walking frog and she said, hes pooping in his water bowl just like hes supposed to. So i was wondering what that was about. I guess its not definite though, or neccessary for them to do it.

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

> no, mine poop on the walls. never in the water bowl.


Oh so its not definite or neccesary then. Just random.

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## MantidBro (Alexander)

he just ate 2 more pinheads. Seems hes acting normally and is doing well. Thanks everyone for the help. 

Heres some photos of him taken tonight.

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