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Thread: gray tree frog will only eat moths

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    Default gray tree frog will only eat moths

    I recently got a very small gray tree frog, and I'm having a hard time getting him to eat anything without wings. He'll let bugs crawl on his head and right in front of him and not care, but if I catch a moth and hold it in front of his face he goes nuts and tears it up like a starving dog.
    Is there a way to raise moths all year round or can I somehow trick him into eating wingless bugs somehow?

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  3. #2

    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    You can culture wax moths. They are readily available as their larval form of wax worms. I haven't been able to find nutritional info on the moth form, so I don't know if they'd be a good staple or not (the larva are fatty, and best used as an occasional treat if your frog will accept them).

    It is also possible to culture house flies. It would take someone braver than I am to try it (a bucket of fly maggots would probably be too much for my generally very tolerant girlfriend).

    Since it accepts food you're holding, you could try small earthworms. Not all frogs like the taste, but they are fabulous nutritionally.

    You could also withhold food for a day or so before trying non-moth items. A hungry frog is more open to variety.

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    100+ Post Member kueluck's Avatar
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    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    The grays I've had and the ones a friend has loves the turksh roaches. Feed either by tongs or bowl.
    Rest in peace Rosie 5-31-12
    Rest in peace Rufus 2-7-14
    Rest in peace Morph 8-14-15


  5. #4
    maxQ
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    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Oh man I wish you luck on this, I have a female Tomato that will only eat anything if it walks directly right in front of her or.....she wont eat.

  6. #5

    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Thanks for the replies =D
    He doesn't seem interested in earthworms or mealworms, more annoyed by them rather (kicks them off his body, flings across the room...)
    Wax moths sound like a good idea, maybe I can dust them with calcium powder and he'll stay healthy enough with that.
    I'm definitely not keeping fly maggots in the house lol

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    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    One of my frogs eat worms, but they all go crazy over crickets, so try some crickets if you get the chance!

  8. #7

    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Perkins View Post
    One of my frogs eat worms, but they all go crazy over crickets, so try some crickets if you get the chance!

    Yeah you're right he does love crickets =D Not as much as moths though =)

    I've gotten him a much larger vivarium since I last posted, and he's grown about twice in size. He still flings mealworms back at me though =(. I'm going to toss my mealworm farm and try to raise waxworm moths instead.
    Does anyone know an easy way to move crickets into his vivarium? I don't want to dump the whole dozen in there, some are way too small to feed him right now.
    I'm keeping the crickets in this: http://www.pet-frog.com/graphics/cricket-keeper-l.jpg

  9. #8
    Wendy
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    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Do you have anything in the cricket keeper for them to hide in. I find that if I put a cardboard tube in there (old toilet roll holder) then the crickets will hide in there, so when I want to get some out just lift up the tube holding your hands over the ends and shake straight into a bag with the vitamin powder. Also if you want to breed crickets or want a bigger container just buy one of the see through plastic crates with lids and drill small holes in the top. This is much cheaper than buying a specific cricket keeper and the larger the container you have for your crickets the longer they will live. If the container is too small or there's not enough places for them to hide, you will find they kill each other.

  10. #9

    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Quote Originally Posted by Wendy View Post
    Do you have anything in the cricket keeper for them to hide in. I find that if I put a cardboard tube in there (old toilet roll holder) then the crickets will hide in there, so when I want to get some out just lift up the tube holding your hands over the ends and shake straight into a bag with the vitamin powder. Also if you want to breed crickets or want a bigger container just buy one of the see through plastic crates with lids and drill small holes in the top. This is much cheaper than buying a specific cricket keeper and the larger the container you have for your crickets the longer they will live. If the container is too small or there's not enough places for them to hide, you will find they kill each other.
    I have toilet paper rolls, and food/gel crystals for the crickets, so hopefully they don't eat each other lol.
    The pet shop gave me a variety of tiny/medium sized crickets, so I'm trying to get the big ones in my vivarium and keep the tiny ones in the cage till they get bigger. Is there some way to separate the crickets?

  11. #10

    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Thought I'd give an update on my little cutie pie =3
    For starters I found out she's a female and not a male (she doesn't sing for me ). She's a very good eater and has gotten quite fat. I've been giving her roughly 2 crickets every 2 days.
    It's been almost a year since I got her and she's probably tripled in size =).
    Should I be dusting every cricket she eats with calcium or only some of them? I haven't been very diligent with the dusting
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  13. #11
    100+ Post Member MsBlueRose's Avatar
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    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Quote Originally Posted by wriggles View Post
    Thanks for the replies =D
    He doesn't seem interested in earthworms or mealworms, more annoyed by them rather (kicks them off his body, flings across the room...)
    Wax moths sound like a good idea, maybe I can dust them with calcium powder and he'll stay healthy enough with that.
    I'm definitely not keeping fly maggots in the house lol

    Just a heads up. I had a frog that would not eat anything but moths either and I DID get her to eat wax worms with a lot of patience and after skipping a few feedings, she finally took the wax worms but would never touch the crickets... She actually would run from them, climb the wall of the feeder tank, and STAY PUT until the other 3 frogs had finished off the ALL the crickets. She was a silly one for sure. So I stopped trying to feed her crickets since they appeared to stress her out and only fed her wax worms. I was cautioned by the people at the pet store to only feed wax worms as a treat a few times a month since they are highly fattening and may cause her to become impacted. Knowing well the consequences I tried to feed her what she wanted, which was moths. But when winter came I could no longer collect moths for her and had to feed wax worms instead. About half way through winter she stopped eating. She would still soak daily (it seemed like that's all she wanted to do was soak actually). I became worried about her but I was in a very tight spot financially that winter and could not afford a vet visit. Since she did not appear to be loosing weight I let her remain as she was. After it had been a full moth and still she would not eat at all, even though she seemed interested in the food and wood strike at it, she would pull it from her mouth with out even trying to swallow the wax worm. The strangest part of this experience is that instead of loosing weight she appeared to be gaining weight instead...? The weight gain increased for about 2 weeks and she looked normal, just fatter than usual. And then one morning I had gotten up to make my daughter breakfast, I stopped by her hospital tank (which was just a 10 gal set up like the normal terrarium she had been in with the other frogs, I did not want to stress her out by changing her environment so drastically). But when I looked into her temporary home I could not find her in her normal spots. I removed the lid and began to gently move the things in her home around. That's when I discovered her laying between her little pond bowl and the log next to the bowl. She looked like she used the last of her strength to make it out of the water and gave up at that point. She was my first loss and I was heart broken naturally. I raised her up out of the tank and noticed that she did not look normal any longer. She had water between the skin and the muscle in her hind end. Both legs were filled with fluid and the underside of her belly as well. I believe she became impacted from all the fatty wax worm she had been eating all winter long and because of that was not able to pass anything at all, not even urine. Now this is just speculation as to what happened to her. But this conclusion was made after much intensive research on mysterious frog deaths. I am sorry for the long post but I felt all the information I collected during this heart-breaking experience might be more helpful than just a warning about over feeding wax worms to your tree frog. If you can get her to eat any other insects at all, definitely switch out the wax worms with those other bugs as often as possible. I just don't want to see another frog end up like poor little Hoppy did (that was her name). Especially when it can be avoided so easily... I hope this info helps you even if just a little.

    Sincerely;
    MsBlueRose
    R.I.P. Hoppy

  14. #12

    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Quote Originally Posted by MsBlueRose View Post
    Just a heads up.
    Aw that's sad.
    If she was looking fatter it might have just been water weight. My gray is way fatter looking after she soaks in her bath.
    You could have tried putting her outside during the winter and let her hibernate till spring when the bugs come back, though I'm not sure if captive breds will do that or not.
    My gray started eating crickets a while ago, but I'll be cautious with future frogs =)

  15. #13
    Member Jayzie Greenfrog's Avatar
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    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Hi sorry to hear about Hoppy I just wanted to add that it is really REARLY easy to raise wax moths regardless of the time of year I keep a culture going all the yr. round. Just allow the wax worms to pupate (leave them) they will do it and will then hatch into the moths you want. I have mine in a large round clear bucket which I keep covered with tights (one leg tied off the other cut to allow access but keep moths in). The wax worms you buy may not feed just leave them to pupate, the resultant moths will mate readily and lay hundreds of eggs which you may or may not see, you will need to feed the resultant worms you wont see them they start off very small. The food you need you can easily make. I have found a mixture of 1 cup of something called Ready Break here, which is a children's cereal which is very like porridge only very smooth I am sure any similar product would do the only reason to use it is has something in it which will inhibit mould growth in the culture it is possible to just leave it out which is why I mentioned it first. The other ingredients are easy 2 cups of oats (porridge) and 3 cups of bran. Mix up with about a cup maybe slightly less of runny honey and a couple of table spoons warm water until you have a moist consistency which only slightly clumps together it should remain reasonably loose. Keep the wax worms on this mixture and keep topping up as it gets eaten. Producing moths really isn't difficult and doesn't take much time, they don't need cleaning, unless your mixture goes mouldy that is the biggest problem but if kept with just the tights covering all should go well. This works just as well for the lesser wax moth as the larger normal wax moth. You can of course also feed the wax worms which you produce. Also I often add some calcium and frog vits / mins to the mixture just to gut load the moths / worms. Good luck if you try!

  16. #14

    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Quote Originally Posted by Jayzie Greenfrog View Post
    Good luck if you try!
    I tried cultivating wax worms with honey and wheat bran, in a container with wax paper and a lid covered with a paper towel (bad idea with the paper towel lol). I got maybe a dozen or two moths within 3 months or so, and they were super tiny moths, not even worth a snack. I tossed them and haven't tried again since =(
    If you're getting hundreds and they're a good size maybe I should try again =O

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    Member Jayzie Greenfrog's Avatar
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    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    They obviously do tend to come in batches where I have so many I cant feed them fast enough! even when it isn't producing so many there are usually several most days mine is a lesser waxmoth culture which just keeps producing. I find the size of moth is dictated by the quality and quantity of food available. I have tried adding wax in the past and haven't found it makes for better or bigger moths. I have also used paper to soak up excess water but that seems to promote mould growth; by using a container from which moisture can evaporate easily this culture has avoided these problems. Perhaps I should consider going into business producing moths!

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    100+ Post Member MsBlueRose's Avatar
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    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Quote Originally Posted by Jayzie Greenfrog View Post
    They obviously do tend to come in batches where I have so many I cant feed them fast enough! even when it isn't producing so many there are usually several most days mine is a lesser waxmoth culture which just keeps producing. I find the size of moth is dictated by the quality and quantity of food available. I have tried adding wax in the past and haven't found it makes for better or bigger moths. I have also used paper to soak up excess water but that seems to promote mould growth; by using a container from which moisture can evaporate easily this culture has avoided these problems. Perhaps I should consider going into business producing moths!

    Not a bad idea, you could post them on here and sell them to FF members first and see how it goes! Good luck! I am gonna try to culture some moths myself!

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    Member Jayzie Greenfrog's Avatar
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    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Hope it goes well, if you run into any problems just give me a nudge I will do what I can to help you succeed All the best Jay.

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    100+ Post Member MsBlueRose's Avatar
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    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    Thanks a million. I will keep that in mind!

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    100+ Post Member Ted's Avatar
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    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    There is a way to fool tree frogs into eating that I've used many times and they usually fall for it..you take a thin guitar string,like a .006 stainless e string. Then you impale an insect,or meal worm or earthworm chunk etc. on the very end..hold the wire maybe 12 in. up and start making it fly around his head,,,like a flying bug..I've had stubborn frogs dive on this..

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    100+ Post Member MsBlueRose's Avatar
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    Default Re: gray tree frog will only eat moths

    That's brilliant! I will have to remember that if I ever encounter that problem again. Thanks for the tip!

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