mealworms for tiger legged monkey tree frogs?

[Ellie]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and fairly new to keeping frogs. My tiger leggeds which I will from now on refer to as tiger frogs are now about 4 months old. They are doing really well on crickets but one is much smaller than the other 2. I understand that it's probably a male and the others are girls. The problem is we've recently gone up a size in crickets for the girls and I'm worried they're too big for the male. My question is, would small meal worms be an option to vary their diet and ensure he gets what he needs? Many thanks x ellie

[JeffreH]

Hi Ellie,

Mealworms are 'okay' to feed sparingly, but the pose an impaction risk for some herps. The risk varies species to species and individual to individual, but their hard, chitinous exoskeleton can sometimes form a blockage (typically at the pyloric sphincter) when fed in excess or to an immuno-compromised individual.

Better options include silkworms, solider fly larvae (phoenix worms/calci-worms) and feeder cockroaches. Captive cultured earthworms are also very nutritious food items. If possible, try adding variety with any of these feeders that can also act as nutritional staples in the diet just like crickets. If you do offer mealworms, be sure to feed appropriate sized prey and do not feed an excessive amount... if possible, offering freshly molted (white) mealworms are easier on digestion. Waxworms should also be reserved as 'treats' in the diet due to high fat content, but are another possible option for adding variety. Variety is key to any diet, and I would encourage you to explore as many options as possible = )

[Ellie]

Thanks for the advice, sounds like you really know your stuff. I'll see if I can get hold of some of the alternatives you mentioned. I'd say the little frog is about an inch and a half in length now and looking at the sizes of meal worms available, they all seem rather big for him anyway but I wasn't aware they could cause impaction. Thanks again Jeff, appreciate it