Feeding (and plants)

[reptileszz]

Hi all, how do you get your frogs to eat Reptomin? I have been feeding the sinking pellets by xenopus express but they are super tiny and he (the great unnamed ACF) eats a few of them but not a ton. A lot of them swirl around at the bottom until I vacuum them out. Should I just put the reptomin in and nothing else for a couple of days? He is super active and going to the top a lot. One would think he would go after one at some point. I even put a couple of floating cichlid pellets in there to see if he wanted them but nope.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks,
Carole

PS I was out of town for 6 days and my two moneywort plants were almost completely dead/rotting when I got home. It was cooler in here than usual and there is no tank heater. Would that do it? It might have dropped to like 68 degrees for a time. Frog seems ok but those plants were nasty and are now gone.

[Jenste]

I doubt a few days of 68*F would do it. Trim back the dead section of the plants and see if it bounces back.

Fast for a few days then add in a few of the Reptomin. If he ignores them fast two more days then try again. Repeat until he eats. I would forgo any "treats" for at least a month after he starts eating the Reptomin so that you don't have to get him to eat properly again.

[reptileszz]

I doubt a few days of 68*F would do it. Trim back the dead section of the plants and see if it bounces back.

Fast for a few days then add in a few of the Reptomin. If he ignores them fast two more days then try again. Repeat until he eats. I would forgo any "treats" for at least a month after he starts eating the Reptomin so that you don't have to get him to eat properly again.

Thanks, the plants were shot except for the top inch. I chucked them yesterday as they were so gross. The wisteria is fine and looks like it is reproducing. Will try the tough love routine with the frog. He is seriously active. Up and down all the time today.

Thanks!
Carole

[rodsboys]

Tough love is the way to go. I find young males to be a PITA when it comes to eating at first. It's like they're super models!
But seriously less frequent feedings, less variety, less food per feeding helps a ton. Be glad there is not a greedy female in with him, she could be working to eat him.

[mpmistr]

I have a method for feeding these frogs reptomin effectively. I will admit it's strange.

Anywho this is how I feed my frogs reptomin. I mix it with PE Mysis Shrimp (PE is the brand, feel free to substitute but PE is considered the best quality). Mysis shrimp are small crustaceans, pretty much freshwater brine shrimp.

I take a tiny bowl that I do not use soap on and put the frozen cube of mysis shrimp in it, add some tank water and let it thaw. I drain most of the water out, then add some reptomin and let it get a little soggy. I then just squeeze it into a clump and hand feed it to my frogs. They go pretty crazy for it. The mysis gives the reptomin a really appealing smell to them and all things considered mysis shrimp is pretty good food for a growing small frog.

I still use the same method today even though my frogs are quite large, I just make bigger reptomin clumps. My frogs are terrible at eating reptomin by itself, they have a lot of trouble finding it I never just drop pellets in. It just creates too much of a mess.

Any mysis left over I just feed to my fish, who also love the stuff.

P.S. Your plants probably need more light, 68F is fine for the frog and the vast majority of plants. You may want to try Java Fern and Anubias if your light is inadequate to grow other plants. It's that or upgrade the lights.

[reptileszz]

P.S. Your plants probably need more light, 68F is fine for the frog and the vast majority of plants. You may want to try Java Fern and Anubias if your light is inadequate to grow other plants. It's that or upgrade the lights.

Hmmm, I did put the light on a timer and it wasnt on as much as when I am home. I bet that did it.

Thanks,
Carole

[reptileszz]

Where do I get mysis shrimp? Is it in the freezer at Petsmart by any chance?

Carole

[rodsboys]

Where do I get mysis shrimp? Is it in the freezer at Petsmart by any chance?

Carole

yes they carry it at Petsmart.

[mpmistr]

Petsmart does carry them, though I've only seen them carry San Francisco brand mysis. It's not as high quality as PE Mysis (smaller shrimp, less shrimp density per cube) but it will do. I actually have to drive 45 minutes to find PE Mysis around here so I'm using the San Fran stuff right now myself.

If you have a LFS they may carry it though. I wish the LFS around here did. You could order it over the internet from Dr Fosters & Smiths ($$$ pricey) site or ask your LFS to carry it if you have one near you.

BTW, when your frogs are small feeding them mysis shrimp directly isn't bad either. It's a really good food to add variation, in nature african clawed frogs do eat a lot of small arthropods such as these though as they get larger they tend to outgrow them as adults (hence why I mix with reptomin).

[reptileszz]

OK, so it is now Thursday. I dont think this frog has eaten since Monday. I have been putting in a couple of reptomin pellets every day and when I come home at night they are either stuck to the filter or sitting on the bottom bloated and untouched. When I offer one on long tweezers the frog gets excited and goes thru the motions of shoving nothing in his mouth. What is wrong with this frog? Does he want to starve to death? I just dont get it. Everyone says what pigs they are... I finally get one that stays in the tank and its the most difficult one to get to eat. Ugh.

I got the shrimp but I really dont want to have to give this thing special food every day. The tank maintenance is time consuming enough. I dont want to have to prep food every single day. How long do I wait him out?

Carole

[mpmistr]

4 days seems a long time for a juvenile frog not to eat, growing frogs should be fed daily. He has to be hungry, if he does not eat reptomin today I would feed him cut up earthworm or try my mysis+reptomin trick.

[rodsboys]

You can try to put him in a small container with food. I have done it in the past with these guys, dwarf frogs, newts, and sick turtles. One he is eating with gusto you can start feeding in his regular tank.

[Jenste]

Actually, this is the time to be tough.

Please try what I suggested and DON'T feed him for a few days. The way you are doing it now, he knows it is available pretty much all day every day so there is no rush to try this "new" weird food.

Do not put food in for a few days.

Also, how large is the reptomin compared to the frog? If too big you should be breaking the sticks or using the smaller ones.

Don't let the food sit there all day. Feed when you are around to monitor then take it out after 15 min or so of him not eating.

I have had to deal with many stubborn frogs and this has always worked for me - - fast a few days, try feeding a small amount, if he doesn't eat then fast a few more days and repeat. These frogs can go a few weeks with out food so 4 days is not really worrying yet.

If you give in now and offer him a ton of stuff again, you are going to have a harder time getting him to eat the sticks later.

[mpmistr]

Try this. It's my bamboo skewer and reptomin method.

It's quite simple, it works with adult and baby reptomin, though I think in your case the baby reptomin would work better (it clumps a bit better).

Here I am taking 4 adult sticks and wetting them in tank water so they clump, I then stick the clump on the end of the bamboo skewer ***NOT THE SHARP END***. Reptomin will usually 'stick' to the flat end of the skewer quite easily. (The baby ones stick better)



Okay now you have a nice clump o' reptomin on a stick. Now my frogs know what's up when I do this, they come to the surface. As you can see below my albino frog is pretty smart and the second I open the tank he's ready to pounce!!



It was too fast to take a picture of but let's just say a half of a second after this picture the reptomin was in said frogs belly and he was a happy camper.

Since your frog is still learning about the magical bamboo feeding stick, you can dip it in the water, move it around near him. Make it seem like prey, movement attracts them, let him see it, move it around in front of him.. he will take a bite. After a few times of this he'll learn that bamboo stick + reptomin = food!

Worked for me, hopefully it it works for you. Let me know if this helps.

[reptileszz]

I think Jen is right, now I have to buckle down and not cave in. It's hard tho. I want him to eat and get big. He is certainly not as fat as he was when I got him (pet store owner said he was feeding fish flakes but I have no idea how long this frog had even been there). He hasnt grown at all. If anything he looks smaller. Of all the frogs to not hop out of the tank, its the one that wont eat. Alvin and Norm were eating like champs. This one is afraid of everything. He freaks out when the tweezers get near him half the time. If I can get the reptomin near him he just doesnt eat it. All of the reptomin from today is still in there completely untouched. Very very very frustrating. I feel like I cant win with these guys. Frogs I love and eat well die on me. Now I am plagued by this one. Ugh. No fun now.

Thanks, will go the tough love route for now but by the end of the weekend if he isnt eating maybe the store will take him back. This is very stressful.

Carole

[mpmistr]

I think Jen is right, now I have to buckle down and not cave in. It's hard tho. I want him to eat and get big. He is certainly not as fat as he was when I got him (pet store owner said he was feeding fish flakes but I have no idea how long this frog had even been there). He hasnt grown at all. If anything he looks smaller. Of all the frogs to not hop out of the tank, its the one that wont eat. Alvin and Norm were eating like champs. This one is afraid of everything. He freaks out when the tweezers get near him half the time. If I can get the reptomin near him he just doesnt eat it. All of the reptomin from today is still in there completely untouched. Very very very frustrating. I feel like I cant win with these guys. Frogs I love and eat well die on me. Now I am plagued by this one. Ugh. No fun now.

Thanks, will go the tough love route for now but by the end of the weekend if he isnt eating maybe the store will take him back. This is very stressful.

Carole

Picture of the frog? Did you try my trick with the bamboo stick?

I mean tough love is great and all but how long as this frog not eaten? I know adults can go a long time without food but if it comes down between tough love to get the frog to eat pellets or letting the frog die of malnutrition I would rather feed the frog earthworms and worry about putting him on a pellet diet later..

[rodsboys]

You just have to stick with it. I have a frog(Carl) that I have had over a year. He was a little punk for some time, the female I bought at the same time is not 4 or 5 times his size. He eats well now and no body in general pop tries to eat him, but by far my tiniest frog. Glad I kept him though, he has a great personality and a beautiful reticulated pattern.

[reptileszz]

Picture of the frog? Did you try my trick with the bamboo stick?

I mean tough love is great and all but how long as this frog not eaten? I know adults can go a long time without food but if it comes down between tough love to get the frog to eat pellets or letting the frog die of malnutrition I would rather feed the frog earthworms and worry about putting him on a pellet diet later..

I'm not getting the difference between bamboo stick and tweezers. They both put the food right in front of him... I have to say it is no fun not feeding him/her (I need to look into how to sex these guys) but I dont want to have to cut up earthworms forever and reptomin is a good diet.

Thanks and sorry for being such a pain.
Carole

[mpmistr]

I'm not getting the difference between bamboo stick and tweezers. They both put the food right in front of him... I have to say it is no fun not feeding him/her (I need to look into how to sex these guys) but I dont want to have to cut up earthworms forever and reptomin is a good diet.

Thanks and sorry for being such a pain.
Carole

Bamboo stick may be less threatening and the reptomin is a bit more noticeable and prominent. Also the stick may be longer (unless you have really long tweezers) so you don't have to get your hands in the water, which may be spooking your frog. I've always fed my frogs reptomin in this way because they will not eat it otherwise (I also have a lot of floating plants which makes it rather hard to find).

Now I've had frogs that refuse reptomin and it can take a while for them to get around to eating it. I really think you should soak some reptomin with some mysis shrimp and feed them with tweezers or a bamboo skewer and see if he takes it. I cannot see him refusing a mysis shrimp infused reptomin sticks.

Some may not agree but I think earthworms, mysis, and even the occasional cricket is good for these frogs. I know they can survive on reptomin alone but I personally feel live/wet-frozen foods really enrich their diets and make for happier frogs.

[reptileszz]

OK, I was actually thinking about taking this frog back to the store. It's just so disheartening and I am growing weary of this. These frogs are seeming less appealing but the day to tell the truth. The fun has gone out of it completely. Maybe I will take him back and get two super huge ones that look like they eat anything. I just dont know.

Carole