Quote Originally Posted by LLLReptile View Post
How much dust are you putting on the crickets? They breathe through their skin/exoskeleton, simply put (it's a little more complex than that), and so when they get heavily dusted they can't breathe. Naturally, when they can't breathe, they can't move, so they look like they've died.

Try dusting them with less calcium. In addition, while gutloading is excellent, and variety of diet is great, it does not necessarily cover all nutritional bases. If you are feeding a truly varied diet with gutloaded insects, then I would still dust, but only once every other or every 3rd feeding of insects. With the crickets, you are also dusting them with calcium to help balance out the excess of phosphorous that makes up their exoskeleton. A light dusting of calcium with D3 essentially balances out the calcium that would otherwise be leeched out of the frog's system to bind with the phosphorous.

As far as not feeding, it is likely a combination of being treated for the eye issue (a stressful event) and being in a strange place. Once he heals up and is back in his normal environment, his appetite should return.

-Jen
I've actually never dusted before. I've just talked to my co workers and our customers who have. There the ones who have said the crickets are too shocked afterwards. But what your saying does make sense. I cant say currently I'm giving him a variety of things because I've only owned him for about 2 weeks and most of that he was being treated for the infection. Hes actually never eaten for me even when I dangle it in his face but they said he did eat while at the "doctor" so I'm not overly worried. Hes still pudggy so I'd assume hes ok unless he starts loosing weight.

I'll go ahead and get some calcium dust next time I work and see what happens. What your saying about the phosphorus does make a lot of sense.

As for variety, how big would you say he should be before I start giving him things like nightcrawlers? Hes smaller then a quarter right now and I'm only feeding tiny crickets. I refuse to feed any kind of meal worms or super worms because they were responsible for killing a little toad I had when I was in high school (apparently they were still alive after they were swallowed whole, changed into beetles, and ate him from the inside out). Is there anything else I can give him while hes so little or just stick with the crickets for now?