What food for my whites tree frog??

[Small Pet Feeders]

We like to feed our Red eye Treefrog 1/2" crickets and small dubia roaches. Hydei fruit flies make for an interesting scatter game too!

[Clarabell]

Well I got my tree frogs today, let them settle in and traveled the 16 miles to fetch the crickets and.................... they had none!! all they had were mealworms, so gave them a few meal worms tonight, they seem rather happy with them but tomorrow off to a friends house to have some crickets off him whilst I wait for the store to get some more in stock, which wont be for 3 days.

Oh and want to know the real downer of the situation?? I asked "well what are you feeding the pet store reptiles? Can I not have a few of their crickets? As I have 2 baby Whites tree frogs that really need feeding..." The Girl looked at me and replied "the reptiles have just got to eat the dead crickets in their tanks until we get more"

Yeah so they are being reported in the morning and Il be writing a few angry letters!

[mim]

right ill try again-just did this on my fone for the battery to die before i could post it lol
i feed my whites crickets, mini mealworms (not that they seem bothered by these) and wax worms. u can get all of these delivered by pets at home and even tho they use royal mail they get here pretty quick. theres quite a few sites online that will deliver but u have to pay postage (as with p.a.h). failing that u could always breed them.
u can also feed whites locusts, roaches, i think theyll eat most bugs. i just got some calci grubs for mine today. well have to see if they like them. they seem to prefer crickets. u can feed them earthworms from the garden-make sure no pesticides etc!! these will need cuttin up (hence i have not tried these on my frog, just cannot face choppin up a worm).
tip: when u do buy crickets give them some lettuce or somethin else to eat (lots on here about it) and itll keep them alive longer. saves u using just half a tub and the other half dying.
make sure that whatever u r feedin them that it is no bigger than the ditance between their eyes and that u calcium dust them.
good luck

[Cronopio]

Mim and others, I'm curious that not more of you mention or use Dubia roaches -- from reading, I understand that they are higher in protein to shell ratio? Currently we have Fred on a diet of primarily roaches, with a treat of crickets about once a week or so -- he likes the crickets better because they are easier for him to catch. We like the roaches better because they don't die off so quickly and they don't smell.

Thoughts on the dubias? Is there a downside that I'm overlooking?

[JeffreH]

Dubias are excellent feeders, and most species of roach contain almost identical nutrional composition at a glance (percent protein, fat, etc). Even Madagascaran Hissing Roach nymphs yield similar nutrional data to that of B. dubia and Blatta lateralis, etc.

The problem is, many people cannot keep roaches, have difficulty obtaining them at their location/country, or they wish not to for whatever reason (initial cost, phobia, etc). It is illegal to keep a large variety of common feeder roaches in Florida for example; with a few exceptions like the Surinam Roach or Blaberus discoidalis.

Additionally, some frogs and species that rely more heavely on visual stimulation and movement can be uninterested in B. dubia. They are a slower species, they will bunker down when they feel threatened, and nymphs may even lightly cover themselves in loose substrate. This can be frustrating - I have noted many of the Rhacodactylus geckos do not like B. dubia very much and a friend of mine with a Milk Frog only has success with species like Eublaberus posticus (Orange Head Roach) nymphs, Blatta orientalis, Lobster roaches, and of course, Blatta lateralis (Turkistan Roaches). These are all faster moving species, and tend to have unique coloration as well that entices the animal.

But you are absolutely correct - generally roaches have a great meat: shell ratio, relatively decent calcium : phosporous ratio, and very high calorie from protein content vs calorie from fat. This makes them a very lean and quality feeder all around for most any species of insectivore, but a specific roach species may need to be obtained depending on the needs. Example: Bearded dragons will eat virtually any roach, but my Rhacs will only touch Blatta lateralis, E. posticus, and Lobsters due to movement and appearence.

[mim]

. I did say roaches! iv never personally used roaches, plainly coz I can only just about stand the crickets lol. Plus in not sure how small the smallest R and my froggies R still quite young. I did consider it but I don't think my frogs R big enough yet, plus I gotta find somewhere to get them.

[Cronopio]

. I did say roaches! iv never personally used roaches, plainly coz I can only just about stand the crickets lol. Plus in not sure how small the smallest R and my froggies R still quite young. I did consider it but I don't think my frogs R big enough yet, plus I gotta find somewhere to get them.

Thanks, Mim! Yes, I think many of us would be happier if we could call them beetles