Starting and keeping pacmans on a worm and pinkie diet?...

[GrifTheGreat]

You can't compare captive care diet to a wild frog's diet. There is a huge difference. Wild frogs live much shorter lives partially duebto their diet and predation as well as the many hazards of habitat loss and polution.

I have read this article many times and I will not tell anyone that they have to follow whatever feeding method I suggest, but consider that in the wild it is about survival. There diet consists of these items because it is what is available. They will also eat large ants with nasty bites and stings, but does that mean you should feed the frog these ants? No. In the wild food is not handed to them and therefore they must eat what is available to survive. This is also why their diet mostly consists of other frogs. Their very design is that of a frog eater.

It is best to provide a healthier diet that promotes long healthy life rather than trying to mimic the diet of an animal that is fighting for survival.

[Lija]

these are no news.
Grif said it all I'll add.
there is a certainly a difference of a frog living in captivity and a wild, a big difference in lifestyle, activity level and of course amount of predators, this their diet in captivity has to reflect it. That is understandable that wild caught frogs diet consists mostly of vertebrates, out of large food items in general. There are not that many cricket/roach type of foods roaming around to satisfy needs of a large frog, thus it has option to sit and wait for food and be small=be eaten or go for large food items that will be satisfy the belly for longer. in a wild it eats anything that is moving and can be eaten. Analysis showed that their diet consist mainly out of frogs and looking at fat content they are not even close to such comparing to rodents. There is another aspect to this, they eat other frogs not just to satisfy their hunger, it is about survival and the less frogs are remaining the more space and food will be left for remaining ones. Same principle apply to many many frog species and not just frogs, bigger ones will eat smaller ones, that is what tadpoles do too.

[DVirginiana]

I'd also like to add that the only time these frogs are really easy to find in the wild is during breeding season when they are all out looking for pools to mate in. The rest of the time, they are buried to their eyes in soil. I imagine that to get any decent sample size, scientists would have to collect their specimens during mating season (otherwise you could dig up acres of rainforest looking for the right species and age-group of frog!). I seriously doubt that breeding season diets (when they are in a different environment, at the same time as many other amphibian species seeking out rainy-season mating pools) is the same as their diet the rest of the time.

Just a warning; a baby may not take nightcrawlers at first. It took a while for mine to go for anything that wasn't actually crawling. It may take a few feedings of crickets before you can get yours to eat nightcrawlers regularly (some frogs love them immediately though, so maybe you won't have to worry).

Also, if you want to use fish as a treat (once or twice a month max) most petstores sell frozen silversides. These are a safe species to feed, and the frozen ones don't have a parasite risk. I prefer these as treats to mice, as they are slightly less fatty but my frog still seems to appreciate the 'real meat'.