Overfeeding? Underfeeding? Or something in between?

[Cypress]

Ok. I've been lurking here and elsewhere for a little over a month now. I am finally going to cave and post. I see so much conflicting information on how much to feed that my head is spinning. Maybe I should have just trusted the first care sheet I came across and called it a day. I tend to overanalize things.

I caught three gray tree frogs just over a month ago. (Yes, I know I'm a horrible person.) The pet stores here don't sell them, it is illegal to import them without a permit, and I can't find any breeders or dealers in my state. It is, however, legal to capture them for pets. Stupid laws.

I swear, I'm getting to my question. So, I caught three. All three are male. Their sizes are very different. The first seems large and chubby. The second seems small but proportional. The third seems long and lean. They all seem to be maintaining their sizes. The chubby one was chubby when I found him, and has been a great eater from the minute I got him. The second didn't want to eat for about a week, so he was forcefed during that time. After his initial reluctance, he is even faster at eating than the first. The third was a chore. He was thin when I got him, refused to eat, and was my sole source of stress for a full month. He was forcefed one cricket daily during this time. Because their appetites and speed vary, I've been moving them to separate enclosures to eat. I started feeding two crickets every other day, and giving them up to one hour to eat. I changed that to one cricket daily after a week or so. The two that were eating always seemed to want more, so I bumped it up to two daily after another week(ish?). This went on for about a week.

This brings us up to about a week ago. One day, frog 2 ate his cricket after about 45 minutes. Frogs 1 and 3 were finishing their two in under five minutes. Still, huge victory! (Also, I should say that I *know* I should have released frog 2 as he was not adjusting to captivity. But, once captured, it is illegal to release any sort of wildlife here. Stupid laws.). Anyway, the next night, frog 2 ate his cricket in about 15 minutes. Yay! On the third night he ate, it only took him about 3 minutes. I decided to give him a second cricket, but he didn't want anything to do with it. The next night, I gave him two to start. He ate both within 5 minutes. Night five of eating, I gave all of the frogs three crickets. All consumed within 5 minutes. This has been the pattern now for four days. So, a little more than a week... I had to type it out to figure out the timeline.

The question! Told you it was coming. Since they all seem to be maintaining their sizes from the wild, should I try to adjust feedings so they are all the same size? I change their water and spot clean the tank while they eat. All three are now beating me in this task. By the time I've finished cleaning, they are all just staring at me like, "Give me another cricket or let me go home". I've read everything from "no more than 1-2/day" to "as many as they can consume in 30 minutes". So, should I increase their feedings because they are eating so fast? Decrease the crickets for the slightly chubby one so he doesn't become obese? Increase the crickets for the lean one even though his size has remained consistent since I got him? I absolutely adore these guys and want everything to be perfect. I just don't know what perfect is.

Oh, also should mention, after eating all three will hang out on a branch at the front of the terrarium and stare at me like they want more. They have figured out when feeding time is, and all hang out on this branch waiting to be fed for about 30 minutes before I feed them. They all have that same look AFTER they eat. After about ten minutes, they jump away and go to their favorite spots. But, for a few minutes it's like they're sitting there begging for more.

Anyway, sorry I'm so long winded. I just wanted to be certain that I included all of the relevant details. I could have actually dragged this out. This is the short version.

[Cypress]

Sorry. This is what I get for not proof reading BEFORE I post. Frog 3 from the third paragraph should be frog 2, and frog 2 should be frog 3. I hope that makes things less confusing.

[Cypress]

Sorry. I just thought I should elaborate on something. The chubby frog only appears to be SLIGHTLY chubby and only when he's got his legs tucked. When he's moving around the tank, he looks great. The thin frog does not look emaciated or anything. He is just thinner than the others. He actually looks right when his legs are tucked. He mostly only looks thin when he's hanging out in the pool with his arms and legs stretched out.

[Gentlemangorath]

I had two Grays myself, and currently have a Green Tree Frog (american) that is very similar in care (just a bit warmer and humid than the Grays). I used to feed my guys 2-3 crickets every other night, but have since decided that with my new little guy, I'd rather give him a bit of a full belly than an empty one, and give him 3-4 now (dusted with Calcium+d3). I could also recommend tweezer feeding if you haven't attempted already, but that could still prove to be something they won't want to do until they are used to it, yet will help with managing feedings.

[Cypress]

Did they do well on that diet? Mine just always act like they're starving. Even the one that wouldn't eat at first has joined the others in making me feel bad. I just want to make them as happy as they can possibly be in captivity. At the same time, I don't want to trade happiness for health and longevity. I know they would eat more if given the opportunity, but don't want to knock even a month off of their lives by feeding them incorrectly. I am dusting their crickets about twice a week. I didn't mention that before.

I have used tweezers, but only with the one that wasn't eating. My husband would hold him while I forced his mouth open with a card in one hand and placed the cricket in his mouth with the tweezers from the other. I haven't tried feeding them voluntarily with the tweezers. The way I'm feeding is to lay out three sterilite style containers, put the crickets in, then put the frogs in with them. This has actually been the best method for me personally because it gives me a chance to clean the tank without worrying about a frog escaping or getting smashed by a rock when I move it. It also gives the frogs a chance to do what they do. They don't get to stalk their prey through the night or anything, but at least they get to pounce on the crickets. Sort of a compromise. Everyone in my house loves watch them. I don't get to often because I'm running around trying to get the tank back together before they finish, but I love to when I can.

I started doing it this way because on the first night, I removed about half of the plants and things so they could see the crickets better. I put six crickets in the tank. Frog 1 ate three as soon as they entered. Frogs 2 and 3 didn't even make it down from their perch before two of the crickets jumped in the water and drowned. Stupid kamikaze crickets. The last cricket squeezed in between a rock and the glass, was dead the next morning.

[Mentat]

If you get a small pyrex style glass bowl and affix it somewhere in their enclosure were frogs can reach, only need to place crickets in it. Crickets can't climb out and they don't even try to jump either. That way you can: monitor whose feeding; how much; and end their possibly stressful handling. Works for Dubia roaches too and can feed dusted insects right from it. Some of those bowls have two little handles and the frogs can sit on them while they feed. Good luck !