Wild Caught Questions

[nirotorin]

Yep peeling, that's the ultimate solution. I don't always do it though. Sometimes it just seems too uptight. Same reason I feed my animals the occasional wild caught insect. I mean wild insects seem to be pretty ok for wild herps. Idunno I really think it's one of those things that isn't as big a deal as we make it sometimes.

That grasshopper tapeworm thing kind of freaks me out though.

[demon amphibians]

there are many good points in this thread. being cautious is a good very good practice. I will be honest 99% of the diet i feed to my frogs are insects that i personally breed. And i do believe this is the safest method. I just don't have the time to prob around and find bugs. not to mention i live in southern California and i am not sure i would trust any insects in this area. But where i lived in idaho there are several thousand acers of land that are not being used by people or civilization of any sort those are the places i would find wild insects to feed to my frogs. And if you do decide to use wild caught insects as feeders i would recommend avoiding area's with lakes and streams. this will reduce the chances of encountering parasites, poisons of all sorts, and of course the very dangerous chytrid.

And DVirginia, I spoke the to largest cricket breeder in the area. this guy sells to all major pet stores in the area. I was asking tips on breeding them and he said he feeds them veggies that a local farmer gives him that aren't up to standards to sell for human consumption. Not saying all breeders do this just saying the largest one in my area does. I even asked him if he has had issues with pesticides and he said he has had problems in the past.
And Namio, You are for sure right about removing the outer layer of the veggies being fed. It is a good practice to do for yourself as well. I know that farmed mammals and birds are irrelevant to breeding insects i was just trying to explain two different points and kind of got side tracked. I was making no parallel between the two subjects. although it may have seemed like it. I was in fact trying to explain that an animals movement Habits have little effect on whether they are safe to eat or not but i neglected the fact that this can not be compared to wild insects.
good posts everyone.

[DVirginiana]

And DVirginia, I spoke the to largest cricket breeder in the area. this guy sells to all major pet stores in the area. I was asking tips on breeding them and he said he feeds them veggies that a local farmer gives him that aren't up to standards to sell for human consumption. Not saying all breeders do this just saying the largest one in my area does. I even asked him if he has had issues with pesticides and he said he has had problems in the past.

Sounds like you have a quality cricket breeder in your area then. Honestly, his product is probably overall healthier for feeding the veggies. Most of the feeders , crickets and roaches, I have ordered from breeders have been fed (and even come with sometimes) the processed-cardboard-nutrient-meal stuff. That's also what they feed them in every petstore in my area except one very small private one that is pricey, but they keep their animals in such good conditions that I'd consider buying a pet from there instead of a breeder. idk for sure what they feed them there, but the crickets have the darker look I associate with natural foods. I mean, lighting is even changed for albinos and nocturnal critters in their place-- who cares if you want a closer look the animal is asleep! lol

I'll be honest, I've had to feed w/c prey to rescues before. When I have to rehab a slug-eating snake, I have no choice. I don't know how they are as a frog food-source, but I've had one experiment slug for almost a year now (happiest slug in the country...), so I try to keep a small veggie-fed colony since they live long enough to detox. Actually got to use it last winter when I got a call about a redbelly snake that had been attacked by a cat.

My general opinion about w/c feeders is that "If you have to ask, you should avoid it". Kind of like, if you don't have the resources and experience to feel confident in feeding stuff from your yard, it's probably not worth the risk. Haha, can't tell you how many times I've felt guilty for coming in from a fall herping trip and my garters going nuts because they smell salamanders but can't eat them. The runoff in our area is so contaminated it's made the cats sick before (and we live in the middle of nowhere, but it's mountainous sooo...) so no way I'm feeding anything from there to my cold-blooded babies.

[demon amphibians]

My general opinion about w/c feeders is that "If you have to ask, you should avoid it". Kind of like, if you don't have the resources and experience to feel confident in feeding stuff from your yard, it's probably not worth the risk. Haha, can't tell you how many times I've felt guilty for coming in from a fall herping trip and my garters going nuts because they smell salamanders but can't eat them. The runoff in our area is so contaminated it's made the cats sick before (and we live in the middle of nowhere, but it's mountainous sooo...) so no way I'm feeding anything from there to my cold-blooded babies.

I could not agree more. I firmly believe that in order to feed wild prey you must be a seasoned frog owner. And like you said if there are uncertainties then it is best to avoid doing it all together.

[Louis Charles Bruckner]

OK,
Your best bet is to breed your own feeders.
The easiest feeders I know of for all kinds of frogs except dart frogs are Dubia roaches unless you are in a state that forbids it. like florida
and they don't stink like crickets do. and all you need to house them is a plastic bin.

[Lija]

another "wild prey thread"? it has been discussed so many times already.
- re to "who knows what crickets's been feeding on in the breeding facility" - you don't feed insects right off the store, you keep for a few days at least and gut load them, this way you minimize possible "who knows what" in their gut and load them with what you want, of course it wont flush all chemicals that might be in their system, but it will minimize the possible amounts by much, besides breeders usually are protecting their colonies and will not feed off contaminated food.
- wild prey is not for "seasoned herp owners", in fact none of these people will feed wild caught prey to their herps, unless it is a last resort and with great caution.
- parasites/bacteria/fungus - guys seriously, do you really want to deal with that, do you realize what does it mean if you have a frog with tapeworms/pinworms/anything else, when you need to hospitalize all your herps, possibly euthanize if you have something like mycobacteria that might be zoonotic. The warmer climate you're living in the worse situation is.
- well and of course chemicals from outside unless you live in a middle of nowhere.

we can discuss wild caught prey topic endlessly but all i have to say - we operate on risk factors here, nobody is saying all these possibilities will occur, but the chances are, do you want to take them? and why?

[demon amphibians]

well you do know that we do have new members joining all the time and they might not always know how to navigate the sight. And everyones mixed opinions can be confusing to inexperenced members.

[Lija]

well you do know that we do have new members joining all the time and they might not always know how to navigate the sight. And everyones mixed opinions can be confusing to inexperenced members.

yes i do know that and that is why it is important not to get into a deep-not-on-the-point discussion while replying to a new members posts, like we see around here quite a bit sometimes, this will only get them confused while not really getting answers to their questions.