how many FF ?

[flybyferns]

Hello All
PLEASE CHIME IN !!!
How many care articles can one read ?

Here is my understanding on the general feeding needs of my newly acquired dart frogs. I have been a tree frogger for many years. I will say for certain ( in my opinion) the darts are easier to care for than my two Agalychnis species.

I have spent hours and hours and hours reading; this being part of our responsibly of caring for them. I think it is easier to just pick the brains of the experts !! ie Thank You......... John Care!

Two most common types of insects that can be used are ------ flightless fruit flies and pin head crickets; a variety of fruit flies as their primary food source. I have been culturing two to different species of flies to accommodate the size and growth rate and needs for the species being kept. It's been easy enough!

Finding a supplier for –truly – pinhead crickets make using them practically impossible. Since the crickets grow so quickly; raising your own is likely worth it if you have frogs that can eat them as they grow out. I have not done this recently….but will likely do so. It is not difficult; just a big pain. Don't know for sure as I don't think I would be happy to find a big cricket in the Ranitomeya imitator enclosure. Most of the time when I purchase "pinhead" ; they are actually extra small crickets.
How annoying !

Feeders should be dusted before every feeding with a high-quality calcium and vitamin supplement. This information is published in the majority of care articles. I have chosen to do so.... daily.

There are many posts as to how much food… how many fruit flies? Common sense tells me if there are none left the following day then I need to put more in. Lots of recent , personal, research….too many sources to even remember…. generally states over and over :
-Since they eat very small flies, they need to eat many!!!!!!!
-It is important to use a regular feeding schedule.
-Feed froglets daily! No conflicting information regarding this.
-Froglets about twenty five or thirty fruit flies per feeding. This information varies greatly ---as usual. Why are we always confronted w/ conflicting information? I guess too many variables !!!

Food for thought !!
One source states specifically:
“A young-adult could eat 50 to 75 fruit flies in a day, and it should be fed this amount four or five days a week. Once your poison dart frogs are established and doing well with fat bellies, you can leave them for several days without worry of them needing to eat. As adults, as long as they’re in good shape, they can occasionally go a week without being fed” Interesting! I have read several versions of this information over and over. It’s good to know that if you have to go away for the weekend, you would not have to worry. (assuming your darts are healthy ) .

Currently I am feeding less flies daily, being careful not to put so many in that it stresses them as they are all in quarantine quarters. It's obvious they hate that !!!! They all have chubby little tummies ! None of them seem to be as shy as often described. I suppose I could put more in when they are in there permanent enclosures. I’ll likely create a ‘feeding station’. Don’t know? Thanks goodness for quarantine….one can really get to know the typical behavior(s) of the frog(s) . Mine are mostly are froglets. Dinner is an easy catch in these smaller grow out / quarantine quarters. AND full-time ....DAY TIME.... entertainment!

Lynn

[DonLisk]

We always seem to over feed our pets :-)

Dart Frogs will eat from the minute they wake until lights out. The more we seem to put in, the chubbier the frogs seem to get :-) I calcium dust most weekdays and then use Super-Vit on Sunday. I skip feeding Saturdays in hope the frogs will clean up the flies they missed all week.

I put in a level teaspoon of dusted flies each morning. (each tank has two frogs) Yeah I have some pretty chubby frogs.

[flybyferns]

That's a lot of FF !
I do the same- a lot

My dusting schedule is similar, as well.
I feed in the afternoon so they can clean in the morning.
Lynn

[Heatheranne]

Lynn and Don,

So, I have been feeding mine less, but two times a day. One good tap of the container tosses in about 50+ if I had to estimate. I have two nearly full grown cobalts. They have nice round bellies but do not look fat. They poop about two poops each daily, sometimes three. They look great. Is my feeding schedule okay?

[flybyferns]

Lynn and Don,

So, I have been feeding mine less, but two times a day. One good tap of the container tosses in about 50+ if I had to estimate. I have two nearly full grown cobalts. They have nice round bellies but do not look fat. They poop about two poops each daily, sometimes three. They look great. Is my feeding schedule okay?

Hi Heath,
I think that plenty.They are still in quarantine...right ?
Is there anything left over the next day?
Supplement/dusting schedule ?
Lynn

[tylototriton]

I agree with your initial (very well done) feeding synopsis Lynn. Honestly, I have no idea how many flies I feed my frogs, I sort of just dump a bunch in. For new frogs, smaller frogs, or frogs that are easily stressed I feed them more frequently but fewer flies over all (maybe 20 or 30 each?). However, for my longer term captives I feed them every few days (read that as, I feed them when I remember and my cultures are full) pretty heavily, supplementing almost every time. Generally all the flies will be gone in 36 hours or so, maybe 48 hours if I fed really heavily.

That all being said, I do worry about stress from too many feeders hanging around as well. A couple years ago, when I just started with Darts, I had 2 Phyllobates terribilis die. I'm fairly certain they were sick with some nasty little pathogen, but the first one died shortly after feeding, so i've wondered if the stress of too many feeders accelerated his death. I doubt it, but it is certainly a possibility. Since then I have been more careful about feeding too excessively.

So, that probably wasn't very helpful in regards to specifics. As I look back on my response it occurs to me that it sounds a lot like a recipe that calls for "a pinch of this and a dash of that".

~Alex

[flybyferns]

I agree with your initial (very well done) feeding synopsis Lynn. Honestly, I have no idea how many flies I feed my frogs, I sort of just dump a bunch in. For new frogs, smaller frogs, or frogs that are easily stressed I feed them more frequently but fewer flies over all (maybe 20 or 30 each?). However, for my longer term captives I feed them every few days (read that as, I feed them when I remember and my cultures are full) pretty heavily, supplementing almost every time. Generally all the flies will be gone in 36 hours or so, maybe 48 hours if I fed really heavily.

That all being said, I do worry about stress from too many feeders hanging around as well. A couple years ago, when I just started with Darts, I had 2 Phyllobates terribilis die. I'm fairly certain they were sick with some nasty little pathogen, but the first one died shortly after feeding, so i've wondered if the stress of too many feeders accelerated his death. I doubt it, but it is certainly a possibility. Since then I have been more careful about feeding too excessively.

So, that probably wasn't very helpful in regards to specifics. As I look back on my response it occurs to me that it sounds a lot like a recipe that calls for "a pinch of this and a dash of that".

~Alex

Hi Alex,
Since all my darts have been in their permanent quarters (one week today) ; I notice the Leucs really don't care if their FFs are near them. But, they have much more space now.
I don't witness the imitators eating very often?
But the auratus , are still most definitely, bothered by too many FF buzzing around them. They have been the most shy as well.
Actually, they all acted in a similar manner w. regard to this ( now that I think about it ) in quarantine.

"So, that probably wasn't very helpful in regards to specifics" either

Fun to share though !
Lynn

[Heatheranne]

Yep, mine are still in quarantine. They have bone left within about 10-15 minutes. I calcium/D every 2 days and herptivite every Monday.