Feeding in or out of vivarium

[Amphibians]

Just wondering how many people take their animals out to feed in a seperate container, and who puts feeders in.

[SludgeMunkey]

I am a sworn "free feeder". I do this for three reasons: 1- I like to watch my critters hunt. 2- I have far too many to hand feed them all. 3- I try not to handle my animals at all. The nature of my work exposes me to all sorts of nasty stuff that could transfer to my pets via my skin..which makes me wonder about what that nasty stuff is doing to me sometimes...

The hardest part of being a free feeding hobbyist is that one must very carefully plan out the specimens' enclosures to prevent accidental ingestion of things other than food.

[Paul Rust]

I drop the feeders in the enclosures. I want them to hunt down their prey and I don't handle my animals if at all possible.

[Ebony]

I feed all my frogs in their enclosure. It is fun to watch them go after their food. It just means cleaning is more frequent and spot cleaning.

[Kurt]

I feed in the enclosures mostly, but certain enclosures do not allow for this, i.e., enclosures that are predominantly water. In those situations the frogs are fed outside their enclosures.

[daziladi]

Water setup here, so I feed outside of his enclosure. It also helps knowing exactly how much he's eating so I can write it on my calendar. While he's eating I do a partial water change, test his water pH levels and make any structural changes since he really dislikes anyone fussing around in there. Persnickety old coot! I always use a moistened paper towel to move him in and out, with as little distress as possible. He's trained me well, lol.

[Amphibians]

Interesting. But how do you account for all the nooks and spaces of a vivarium? when I drop crickets into my habitats it doesnt seem to take them long to crawl somewhere and hide. Do you just put in larger volumes of feeders than you know will be consumed?

[Kurt]

The way I see it those nooks and crannies provide enrichment for you frog. In this way food appears at random intervals just like in nature.

[Amphibians]

Interesting! I use enrichment techniques with all my other animals and those I work with, I never made the connection to frogs. Thanks Kurt I will probably start feeding that way from now on.

[Paul Rust]

If you are concerned that they are not getting food then put a small glass candy dish in one corner of the viv and put crickets in it. They can't climb out and the frogs can go in and eat them when they want to. I do this with tree frogs to monitor how much they eat every night.

[Skulldroog]

I drop my crickets into my terrarium. As others have said, I like to watch my guys hunt. They're so neat to watch.

Also, it's more like a real habitat this way like in nature. If you take them out to feed them every meal, they'll depend on that to get food. So every time you take them out they'll think they're getting food. I don't handle my animals all that much, but when I do, I don't want them going into the "terminator mode" as I call it. When I'm handling them.

[Kurt]

You're welcome.