Need help with feeding worms to my Whites Tree Frogs!

[Drew]

I had read that WTF's enjoy Earthworms so I ordered some online and they arrived recently. The problem I am having though is that when I put them in they just bury under the substrate and never come out so the frogs can't get them. So I started putting the worms in a dish and they just climb right out! So I got another dish that has a little bit of a lip round it... and they STILL climb out! Does anyone know of a way to to feed them these worms without they getting away?

I'm tearing my hair out here!

I usually put the worms in at night right around the time the frogs are coming out of their hiding spots so that theres a chance some of the worms will still be in the dish when the frogs get there. This isn't working either. I have even tried taking the frogs out and putting the frogs and the worms into a container so they can eat in there and then go back in the tank... but yep... you guessed it, still no luck! The frogs just don't seem to be interested in eating at that time.

I really can't afford to be staying up into the middle of the night to try again and see if the frogs are hungry then! lol!

Any tips anyone... please?!

[LilyPad]

Ignore my first posting as I completely misread what you wrote while trying to read on my phone. Will your frogs hand feed at all? That would probably be the best way to do it.

[Ted]

Tree frogs do eat earthworms because I've done it a lot...I've advised folks on how to do it,but I don't know if anyone ever takes my advice but here it goes again.take a fine guitar string,,a .006 stainless e string,,take a piece of worm,stick it on the end of the wire,,hold it like a foot up,and manipulate it over their head and make it fly around like a bug..they usually fall for this trick,,something just triggers a response in them ...

[UncleChester]

Earthworms stick very well to smooth glass or plastic containers (as you've noticed- they can climb just about anything). My tree frogs (Hyla versicolor and Hyla cinerea) don't seem capable of picking them off a smooth surface, especially if the worm is at all wet. Free feeding in the cage is also an exercise in futility as you've noticed.

Hand feeding as mentioned above is the way to go. I use tweezers with blunt ends to dangle the worms in front of my frogs and they have a much easier time actually getting the worm.

Not all worms taste the same, some have foul tasting secretions to ward off predators, and some frogs may be pickier about this compared to others. You might practice hand feeding with items you know the frogs find palatable if you also have trouble hand feeding them worms.