# Frogs & Toads > African Bullfrogs >  Feeding problems

## ejh805

This past week (3-4 days?), my frog has been on hunger strike. Unless I offer her "junk-food"...
She can't seem to catch crickets efficiently (even with back legs pinched off), and she WAS eating nightcrawlers, but has been turning her nose up to them.
The only thing I've been able to find that she downs with enthusiasm are super worms. I know they can cause impaction, so I'm hesitant when I feed them to her. But her bowel movements have been regular, so as of now I don't think there is any cause for alarm regarding that.

Is there anything I can do to make the super worms more nutritionally complete? Or any way I can make the night crawlers seem more enticing? When I cut them in halves or pieces they just stop moving and she completely ignores them. Whole, she shows more interest but they're huge compared to her.

Thank you  :Smile:

----------


## Bruce

> This past week (3-4 days?), my frog has been on hunger strike. Unless I offer her "junk-food"...
> She can't seem to catch crickets efficiently (even with back legs pinched off), and she WAS eating nightcrawlers, but has been turning her nose up to them.
> The only thing I've been able to find that she downs with enthusiasm are super worms. I know they can cause impaction, so I'm hesitant when I feed them to her. But her bowel movements have been regular, so as of now I don't think there is any cause for alarm regarding that.
> 
> Is there anything I can do to make the super worms more nutritionally complete? Or any way I can make the night crawlers seem more enticing? When I cut them in halves or pieces they just stop moving and she completely ignores them. Whole, she shows more interest but they're huge compared to her.
> 
> Thank you


My adult female is the same way.  Superworms aren't as much of a risk for impaction as mealworms, but you're right, the risk is still there.  As for making them more nutritional, you could try gut loading them or dusting them with calcium and multivitamins.  

If she's able to eat supers, she could probably eat a whole nightcrawler. If she's showing interest, I say let her go.  Nightcrawlers have almost no risk of impaction.  You can also try tong feeding or dusting the nightcrawlers...

Pics would help.  Also, what is her enclosure like? Substrate, temps... Etc.

----------



----------


## ejh805

How do you gutload super worms?
And I do dust every other one with either calcium or vitamins or calcium/d3. It gets alternated.


She can and has eaten whole night crawlers before, but has lost interest in them. She'll try to get them in her mouth about twice and then turns away. 

Since I brought her home, it's come out that she's pretty darn shy, and I don't think she likes the tongs. When I dust the night crawlers, she spits it out and wipes the powder off her tongue.

I'll post pics when I get home.
As far as her enclosure, its a 40 gallon breeder 1/3rd water, 2/3rds land.
Substrate is eco earth, rehydrated brick coir stuff.
Temps stay between 77-83 during the day, and drop to mid-low 70s at night.
Humidity stays around 70-80 percent. Sometimes a little more or little less. I mist in the early morning and right after I turn her lights off at night.
Heat is supplied by a heat mat on the side of the tank and a light that I use to give her a day/night cycle. Her water area is unheated, and has a filter.
The entire backside and a bit more has large fake plants to provide cover.

Anything else?  :Smile:

----------


## ejh805

Here are those enclosure pictures you asked for.

----------


## Maharg

Why dont you try silkworms, or if he is big enough Hornworms? Most frogs find that to be the ultimate treat.

----------


## ejh805

Graham,

I'm trying to find something I can use as a staple.
And aren't silkworms and hormworms rather expensive?

----------


## Maharg

> Graham,
> 
> I'm trying to find something I can use as a staple.
> And aren't silkworms and hormworms rather expensive?


Yes, they are. But remember Pixies are massive. I dont know how food costs work out in Alabama but in Calgary nightcralwers and crickets are relatively expensive and you need to feed so many that it ends up costing a lot. My main staple for my large Rococo is Hornworms for this reason. I know some members may disagree but with massive frogs such as Pixies and my Rococo, crickets are pointless. And if you arent having luck with nightcrawlers id give it a shot. Hornworms are GIANT and end up being fairly filling for their price. Especially when a staple of mice isnt really an option.

----------


## Pluke

Have you tried Dubia roaches? They are big and gut loaded they will be quite nutrional. Supposedly they are easy to breed, too. I'd suggest hornworms but they're more of a treat because they can be expensive and grow extremely fast. I think your best bet might be roaches, I suggest buying $10 worth and giving them a test drive.

----------


## ejh805

That's definitely something to consider.
Here, nightcrawlers are about $2 and some change for a cup of 24. And crickets just depends on where you buy them from.
I'd have to have silkworms and hornworms shipped in which would be very expensive. And right now, my pixie is maybe the size of a 50 cent piece.
Once s/he gets bigger I may look into hornworms if s/he still isn't accepting night crawlers.

----------


## ejh805

> Have you tried Dubia roaches? They are big and gut loaded they will be quite nutrional. Supposedly they are easy to breed, too. I'd suggest hornworms but they're more of a treat because they can be expensive and grow extremely fast. I think your best bet might be roaches, I suggest buying $10 worth and giving them a test drive.


I have a deathly fear of roaches. It could probably be labeled as a phobia... can't even look at pictures...

IF I could find a way to keep them without touching them or looking at them for too long I night be able to stomach it.

----------


## Maharg

> That's definitely something to consider.
> Here, nightcrawlers are about $2 and some change for a cup of 24. And crickets just depends on where you buy them from.
> I'd have to have silkworms and hornworms shipped in which would be very expensive. And right now, my pixie is maybe the size of a 50 cent piece.
> Once s/he gets bigger I may look into hornworms if s/he still isn't accepting night crawlers.


Definitely worth a shot. Especially when you consider that if you buy a cup of say 50 or 100 crickets for a feeding, about 20% will be dead right off the bat. Another up to 20% will find a way to bury or hide and die in the tank. Which sucks for your Frog and tank cleaning as well. 

Pluke has a method he is using for breeding Hornworms in the feeders topic section. Ill be giving it a try. Maybe you can look into it too.

----------


## Pluke

Think of Dubia Roaches as Giant Roly Polys.. that's what they look like any way, just don't get any adults and you won't be bothered. They really aren't that bad. They can't fly, jump, or even climb the side of a plastic container. They're extremely defenseless and harmless. They don't really smell either, not as bad as crickets anyway. 

There was another person on here who said that they had a fear of roaches, too. They ordered themselves some dubia anyway and over came that fear. You don't have to touch them, just use tongs. You say your frogs the size of a 50 cent piece.. I suggest getting some small-medium size roaches. You can usually find them priced at 100 for $10. Atleast at reptile shows. Definitely worth a try. EMBRACE YOUR FEAR, FOR THE GOOD OF YOUR FROG~!  :Wink:

----------


## ejh805

> Think of Dubia Roaches as Giant Roly Polys.. that's what they look like any way, just don't get any adults and you won't be bothered.


I like roly polys.... maybe I can do this.

----------


## Pluke

Lol, that's the spirit! The only ones of the dubia's that don't look like giant roly polys are the adult males. They have wings, don't worry they can't fly or anything.. they will glide or flutter if falling though. You don't need adults anyway. Another thing I should have mentioned, they can be annoying when trying to feed them to your animal on eco earth.. these things like the burrow and will almost immediately burrow when placed on the eco earth, it's really frustrating, lol. 

I imagine with a pyxie it won't be bothered if you move it to another container to feed.. my pacmans on the other hand, they don't like being moved before feeding. Needless to say, they rarely eat roaches. I have 100+ dubia's I'm just raising for the heck of it since the only thing that eats them in my tomatos and most of the roaches are too big for them. Rarely does one of my pacmans eat a roach.

----------


## Maharg

Roaches are something id definitely take advantage of if they were readily available in Canada. Ive heard that they are actually illegal here which makes sense cause ive only seen them once in the decade ive owned herps and arachnids. I actually bought the roach as a pet but had I known I would never see them again I would have bought them out and tried to breed. 

Is there no worry of impaction with a staple of roaches?

----------


## ejh805

How could I house these terrors?
And is there anywhere in particular you'd recommend I purchase from? Gonna have to go the online route since I cannot find them locally.
My pixie gets stressed when I move her and may or may not eat. It's just chance. Could I put a shallow plastic feeding dish in the terrarium that they couldn't climb out of?

Also, I second Grahams impaction question.

----------


## Maharg

You may also want to try just not cutting the worms into pieces. Remember Pixies are evolved to be extremely tough and eat beastly amounts and sizes. I had the same problem with my baby Pacman so I tried giving the worms full and she ate them down with ease. There is no risk of choking in my opinion. The worm was probably 4 inches and the frog maybe an inch. They know what they are doing and how to handle the worm properly. They do it in nature just fine.

----------


## Pluke

I'm pretty sure that there is a very LOW risk of impaction with Dubia's. They have less chitin than crickets, mealworms and superworms. I've heard that Dubi Deli is a reliable source, they're just kind of expensive, maybe I'm just used to expo prices. Dubi Deli | Dubia Roaches I believe it is. Here is an add on faunaclassifieds that seems to have a better deal, I don't know how reliable they are though since I've never personally ordered from them, nor have I heard of them. Special 10% OFF Dubia Roaches Size 1/2" and Under Free Shipping - FaunaClassifieds Those are probably the size you'd want, too. 1/2" and under.

I second what Graham said, I don't cut my worms up anymore unless the frog is real small. You could always see if he gets a hold on a hole worm and if he seems to have trouble with it you can always pinch off the rest of the worm. I don't think it'll have trouble though.. as Maharg said, these things are built to consume.

EDIT: *Yes, You can use the bowl trick with these roaches. They cannot climb real smooth plastic.*

----------


## ejh805

Yeah, I quit trying to feed cut up worms.
The problem isn't so much the worms size, as the frogs general disinterest in them. I don't think they move enough and she wont eat from tongs.

I think I'll order from that ad and post how it goes.

----------


## Wicked frogs

Em that set up is friggin sick dude.

----------


## ejh805

> Em that set up is friggin sick dude.



Haha well thanks!  :Smile:

----------


## habeeb

nice setup!! but yea you should try dubia roaches...they are great feeders!! my female will only eat like one nightcrawler a week...but will take a roach anytime of the day!! she is picky...my male will only eat 2-3 nightcrawlers and will eat 5-8 roaches till he is full...still a juvy only so he doesnt eat too crazy yet lol but urs is still pretty small...when mine was still like 2inchs it took worms all the time and grew up to about 4inch and got tired of them...good luck though!!!

----------


## ejh805

Ohgod ohgodohgod.... I did it... placed an order for....ROACHES. (using that faunaclassifieds ad)

They'll be shipping Monday.
I'm probably just going to cry instead of sleep the first night or two they're in my home. *BE STRONG*

----------


## Pluke

Haha, great. I'm sure your frog will like them.. if not, you'll just have a bunch of roaches to care for.  :Wink:

----------


## Wicked frogs

Curious how much did you pay?

----------


## Bruce

The roaches aren't THAT bad! I've had them for a few years now, I think they're great!  You just have to mentally prepare yourself, they're a bit bigger than you initially think, but you get over it  :Big Grin:

----------


## ejh805

> Haha, great. I'm sure your frog will like them.. if not, you'll just have a bunch of roaches to care for.


If my picky frog won't eat them, then I'll probably give them to a friend of mine who has geckos.




> Curious how much did you pay?


100 for $20, including shipping.





> The roaches aren't THAT bad! I've had them for a few years now, I think they're great!  You just have to mentally prepare yourself, they're a bit bigger than you initially think, but you get over it


I sure hope I can get over it!!

----------


## ikissedafrog

I have to pipe in with my favorite go-to guy for roaches... Greg's Exotic Inverts Home - Greg's Exotic Inverts 

I've used him for years, and absolutely love him and the way he does business.  He can even sell you a package with everything you need to set up a roach bin if that's what you decide to do!  

Also, I agree with Pluke, small dubia DO really look a lot like roly-poly bugs, lol.  I don't use dubia because I don't like their burrowing habits, but if you move your frog into a separate container to feed it shouldn't be a problem at all.  I move mine into a kritter keeper for every feeding, he doesn't seem to mind a bit, in fact I'd go as far as to say that he associates that bin with feeding already!

----------


## Wicked frogs

What really freaks you out is when your in some ones house and you see some bad *** roaches (not feeders) just some big ole 3-4 inch nasty roaches crawling around in cabinets don't get me started on city/marsh rats those things are something to be scared of they are ruthless... People say roaches aint that bad but those are pure breed, roaches ahhhh straight up  N a s t y   but Aa i buy them off a guy the next city ova for my boo BIG LuiEe and he loves them and he be growing so quick since i started feeding them, why i asked is cause i pay $3 bucks for 16ish medium's  :Smile: )))

----------


## ejh805

Ugh this frog is difficult!!
She seems to be getting bored with superworms as well!!

Would it be safe for me to just STOP feeding her until the roaches come in next week to really spark her appetite, or would it be dangerous since she's still young?

----------


## Maharg

How many days will that be? Anything over 3 and id start to feel uncomfortable. These frogs grow at a fast rate and need the food to sustain it. My Dwarf Pixie is still eating daily, or at worst every second day. Its a long thread and I havnt looked back yet, but have you tried a pinkie mouse yet? That will do the trick.

----------


## Maharg

Also, your frog is still fairly small and its not going to take many superworms to impact him or her. Id cut that out right away. Ive completely taken them out of my amphibs food rotation. My toad gobbles full mice and even crayfish without issue, but the only time ive seen her come close to impaction was after superworms.

----------


## ejh805

> Also, your frog is still fairly small and its not going to take many superworms to impact him or her. Id cut that out right away. Ive completely taken them out of my amphibs food rotation. My toad gobbles full mice and even crayfish without issue, but the only time ive seen her come close to impaction was after superworms.


Still too small to feed pinkies. And superworms are the ONLY thing I can get her to eat. I'm feeding sparingly, but I don't want her to starve.
The roaches wont be in until probably Wednesday net week so that'd probably be too long :/
I cant get her to eat crickets or worms and superworms cause impaction. What do you suggest?

----------


## Maharg

And youve searched EVERYWHERE for silkworms? Or maybe even a very small Hornworm? And are you sure its to small for a very small pinkie? My Pacman was able to take Pinkies a week after I got her, and she was only the size of a quarter when I first bought her. If your frog is about 50% bigger then the pinkie, then it would be no problem to try.

----------


## Pluke

How many days have you gone without feeding it? I'm sure if you wait a little while it'll find anything you offer appetizing. I'd keep offering other stuff I'm sure it'll take something eventually.

----------


## ejh805

> And youve searched EVERYWHERE for silkworms? Or  maybe even a very small Hornworm? And are you sure its to small for a  very small pinkie? My Pacman was able to take Pinkies a week after I got  her, and she was only the size of a quarter when I first bought her. If  your frog is about 50% bigger then the pinkie, then it would be no  problem to try.


Yes, nowhere around where I live sells those. The only things I can find locally are nightcrawlers, crickets, meal worms, supers, butterworms and waxworms.
I guess I can try a pinkie. What do I do with it if the frog wont take it though? 




> How many days have you gone without feeding it? I'm sure if you wait a little while it'll find anything you offer appetizing. I'd keep offering other stuff I'm sure it'll take something eventually.


I haven't gone any days without feeding her yet. She's taking food, but she doesn't seem very interested in it. Kind of hard to explain.

----------


## Pluke

> And youve searched EVERYWHERE for silkworms? Or maybe even a very small Hornworm? And are you sure its to small for a very small pinkie? My Pacman was able to take Pinkies a week after I got her, and she was only the size of a quarter when I first bought her. If your frog is about 50% bigger then the pinkie, then it would be no problem to try.


Here's a good example of that Juvenile African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus) eats baby mouse - YouTube

----------


## ejh805

What a fierce little guy!
I haven't seen mine attack anything with that much gusto before.

----------


## Maharg

Id go with the pinkie well before id try one more of those superworms. Pinkies bones are still soft and relatively easy to digest. Especially in comparison to even a couple superworms. That chitin shell can be dynamite on your frog if multiples are fed on consecutive days.

Edit: Superworms are also pretty nutritionally useless

----------


## Pluke

Pinkies are pretty much bags of meat juice. If fed nothing but pinkies, your frogs poop will barely be solid. They even have devices where you put a WHOLE pinky in a syringe and inject them into the animals mouth. Obviously not living pinkies as that would be extremely cruel, even with a f/t pinky it sounds quite disturbing, heh.

----------


## arielgasca420

I am surprised that the nightcrawlers do not move after you cut them. when I cut them in half they go berzerk. you have to make sure you cut them in half though and get the head where all the nerves are. and cut them one by one because they can exhaust themselves and play dead

----------


## arielgasca420

> Ohgod ohgodohgod.... I did it... placed an order for....ROACHES. (using that faunaclassifieds ad)
> 
> They'll be shipping Monday.
> I'm probably just going to cry instead of sleep the first night or two they're in my home. *BE STRONG*


These roaches are not as scary as you think, but since you have a phobia I think it may take some time for you to get used to them. maybe pick up a baby and work your way up to the adults. I love my roaches and I consider them as pets. if you put them in a plastic container with necessary items then you wont have to buy them all the time. my colony has exploded these past few months. the trick is to have them in complete darkness.

----------


## ejh805

SO I tried the pinkie and my frog LOVED it.
I got a video as well.

Ignore everything after about 30 seconds. I tried to turn the camera around to look at the frog from the front and shot too high, not getting him/her in the frame at all.

----------


## Pluke

Haha, nice video! Glad you found something she likes. Are you thinking that it's a male or female? I'm guessing female since you keep calling it she, heh.

----------


## ejh805

> Haha, nice video! Glad you found something she likes. Are you thinking that it's a male or female? I'm guessing female since you keep calling it she, heh.


Haha thanks  :Smile: 
I know! It's been frustrating. I think s/he's been so difficult to feed because s/he's so freakin' shy. If s/he can tell my hands in the cage, s/he heads straight for the water.

Anyways, I'm honestly not sure. I think it's still too small to tell. I've just been calling it a she because I WANT a he, but with my luck it is a girl lol. I just added updated growth pics if you feel like looking and telling me what your opinion is on the matter.

----------


## Pluke

Honestly, I don't know much about these frogs only what I've read.. going off what I've read, I'm kind of leaning towards female. The head looks kind of small in the video and I don't see any yellow in the armpits.. I think I remember reading big head and yellowing/oranging indicates male, but I really don't have any experience on the subject. I hope you have a male though, there calls would be awesome to have around the house.

----------


## Maharg

That Pixie is easily big enough for a fuzzy mouse even. There will be no problem with feeding it occasional pinkies, fuzzies or feeder comets/large minnows.

----------



----------


## ejh805

> That Pixie is easily big enough for a fuzzy mouse even. There will be no problem with feeding it occasional pinkies, fuzzies or feeder comets/large minnows.




I guess I'll have to try a fuzzy next  :Smile: 
I'm a little iffy about fish though. I've heard a lot about them carrying parasites.

----------


## Maharg

Ive fed a lot of fish and never had a problem. I dont know why CB feeder fish would have parasites but ive heard that as well.

----------


## Jcalcagno

> Here are those enclosure pictures you asked for.
> 
> Attachment 41385Attachment 41386Attachment 41387


What a wonderful home you have provided for your frog!

----------


## ejh805

> What a wonderful home you have provided for your frog!


Why thank you ^_^

----------


## Ra

Mine eats canned grasshoppers, mice, vitamin dusted catfish nuggets, pacman food, nightcrawlers, and fat head minnows like a maniac. I dont even bother with crickets at all.

----------


## ejh805

I got those roaches in from the ABDragons that Pluke linked to.
I'm not scared of them at all!!
They DO look just like roly polys  :Smile: 

I don't think this is gonna be nearly as scary as I was anticipating

----------


## Pluke

Well, did he like the roaches?

----------


## ejh805

> Well, did he like the roaches?


Mhmm snatches them right up  :Smile: 
BUT s/he's started eating nightcrawlers again, about 6-7 in the past two days straight from the tongs! So I'm going to try and let the colony establish some if s/he'll keep taking worms  :Smile:

----------


## Pluke

If the roaches aren't very big it's going to take a while. I have some that I've had for three months and I have had a male and a couple female adults but they haven't been doing anything. -_-

----------


## ejh805

Well that's unfortunate. I have the temps they're in in the very high 80s so maybe it'll speed up growth some :/

----------


## Pluke

Yeah, they take a long time to grow. It takes 5 months for them to reach maturity under the right settings. I've had a heat lamp on mine the whole time and they still haven't bred.. I have a couple fat females but yah.. no luck, unless of course their babies are invisible.  :Stick Out Tongue:

----------


## Hoppity100

I have the same thing with 1 frog out of 4 and he is skinny! I have tried crickets and several worms and he has eaten but when its feeding time he often just sits and stares at it. I tried dangled a worm in front of it and he ignores it. He probably had a cricket when I wasn't looking but the rest eat often. I hope he is okay and eats more. I wonder if its safe to offer a thin piece of plain cooked spagetti?

----------


## ejh805

Hoppity,

I don't see why that wouldn't be safe. But spaghetti won't have any nutritional value at all for the frog. And if it isn't moving, what makes you think that he would be more interested in it than a real moving worm? I'm just curious.

----------


## Hoppity100

If I have a picky frog and I dangle it he might take it. I am concerned about his weight. I can update later and am still going to try other worms first, by dangling. Frog won't know difference between spagetti and worm if its dangling. I question their eyesight and maybe they have a sense of smell. Thought this was worth a try.

----------


## Pluke

Don't give your frog Spaghetti.. -_-

It is in NO WAY beneficial to them. If anything, it will be bad for them. Just stick to trying worms. Frogs are carnivores and they need meat, anything else is unnatural and unnecessary.

----------

GrifTheGreat

----------


## Maharg

Yes very very very bad idea. Frogs, like cats are carnivorous. That's why cats will sometimes eat grass. Their systems aren't meant for it so it causes them to vomit. But for cats, this is a biological need they developed through evolution to rid their stomach of hair they collect from grooming. This obviously isn't required for frogs. It will make it very sick.

----------

GrifTheGreat

----------


## Hoppity100

Yep, it was just an idea, I never even cooked spagetti. I tried again and the skinny guy ate 2 wax worms. Yay! I have other worms for my frogs, too. Don't worry...he's not getting spagetti with or without meat sauce.

----------


## Colleen/Jerrod

> Yep, it was just an idea, I never even cooked spagetti. I tried again and the skinny guy ate 2 wax worms. Yay! I have other worms for my frogs, too. Don't worry...he's not getting spagetti with or without meat sauce.


Hoppity I'm going to suggest that before you do anything with your frogs especially feeding issues that you post a question so members can assist you. These animals are not able to eat foods that we ourselves eat or scraps you may feed your dog or cat.

Use common sense when it comes to caring for your frogs and look at the care sheets for more information.

Thank you.

----------


## Hoppity100

Thanks but I have not cooked spagetti, and won't, they are eating worms and I was concerned about my thin one. He just ate 2 wax worms a while ago. No need for spagetti, it was an idea if frog had refused all worms. I can write on feeding section but don't think its necessary. Thanks for offering assistance but I no longer need it.

----------


## ejh805

Just an update, I've made my second order from the ABDragons. Looks like I'll be buying from them for now on until I can get a colony established. 
If anyone is looking for feeder roaches, then I definitely recommend them. Great communication and the best prices I've found thus-far. Shipping is 2-3 days, but I didn't have a single dead roach in my first order.
Addie (I will be calling him/her until further determined) has resumed eating well. I think the issue was stress, and possibly the ambient temps dropping lower than ideal during the night and while I was at work. I've since upped the temps and given her more privacy and she's eating well. About 6 roaches and 2-3 nightcrawlers a day. Not a ton, but as much as she will.  :Smile:

----------


## Hoppity100

Hey...someone else noticed they do well in warm temps! Yay!  Thanks

----------


## ejh805

Hoppity.

Are you talking about giant african bullfrogs? It's known knowledge they do well in warm temps. My tank temps were warm, but just not quite enough.
Do you have an african bullfrog?  :Smile:

----------


## Hoppity100

I've had them before, I now have FB's. Someone wrote a while back saying their frogs/toads were in conditions way too cold and its a wonder frogs lived actually from being in that temp. Ever since I read that I have been writing that frogs/toads (and mine) don't like it so cold that it affects their lives. They do like it warm and somewhat humid. I control the humidity in my tank and check my heater every day. I watch the water temp and make sure mine are acting alright. Some say frogs/toads can survive without warmth. Well, I look at that like this: frogs can't talk and explain they're uncomfortable. They have no choice but to survive if without warmth. And the owner thinks they are ok. 

When I top off my fish tank with warmer water the fish get more active. My bettas did that, too. I'm speaking on a frog's behalf. I am glad you have kept your bullfrog warm. Its ok to write and tell me about your frog and tank. Thanks

----------

