Super worms & crickets

[spec]

The petshop has informed me that if the super worms aren't killed in the normal routine of being eaten, they can eat your frog from the inside and kill it. Is this true?

Crickets my local pet store has are brown ones. I personaly havn't seen these to be native to where i live. I generaly see the black ones, are these safe for him to eat? Should i be concerned living in a big city to not catch bugs outside, they spray for mesquito's and who in the heck knows what else people spray etc. I'm concerned about catching my own and having some sort of chemical reaction happen to my frog. Is this an issue i should concern myself with?


p.s I read in another post about cricket shortages. There isn't a shortage here in houston that i'm aware of.

[1beataway]

Hi there.

What kind of frog are you feeding?

I work in a petstore too, and I have heard several times what you are saying about superworms, but I believe it's just a myth. I haven't fed them to frogs, but I have fed them to bearded dragons, and there's no problems, and I know of a lot of people who feed them without smashing in their heads, and they have no problems. I believe the stomach acid should kill the bugs. That being said, I wouldn't feed them to anything that wasn't quite large. Mealworms seem like a better choice, IMO.

The brown crickets are safe to feed. I think there's a chance of bringing in some germs your frog is not use to by catching wild bugs, but I could be wrong and just overly paranoid.

I have not heard of any cricket shortage. In the summer months, it seems like we do not receive as many crickets alive as the rest of the year, but it always seems to be weather-related. When it's very, very hot, more of our crickets are dead. But this seems to happen only to the prepackaged crickets (in small boxes of 24) rather than to the couple thousands we receive for our cricket bins. We still don't lose but maybe a few percent. Also, I do know that sometimes we won't receive a shipment because it is too hot to ship. I assume in Houston, you might have the same problem. If you're referring more to the cricket virus, from what I've read in threads on this forum, it seems more like poor conditions and not an actual virus.

[spec]

Feeding a Pacman and i'm also thinking about making a home to another frog.

[1beataway]

I just saw your other thread. Personally, I think superworms may be too big. Worms like mealworms and the superworms are harder for the frogs to digest, so you don't want to feed them a lot of those. I like the superworms for much larger animals. But others may disagree with me.

I think you said he won't eat mealworms. Have you tried waxworms? I'm not sure how pacmans handle worms like red wigglers or earthworms, but they don't have that hard outer covering. I'll let someone who has/have had a pacman answer (at work, we get them in very tiny, and feed them just crickets, and usually sell them within a few days).

What kind of frog are you thinking of next?

[Julia]

The theory about Superworms/Mealworms eating their way out of the stomach is a myth. The frogs stomach acid is enough to kill the worm.

Brown crickets are commonly used to feed frogs. Make sure you gut load them to make them nutritious.

Catching and feeding bugs from outside is not a great idea unless you know for sure the bug has not come in contact with any harmful chemicals or pesticides. If you go ahead and catch outside food be sure to research it and make sure it is not toxic.

[spec]

I didn't know where to put this ? but here it goes. I'm currently a smoker (cough) and i've read alot about frogs in general. I quit smoking inside due to the fact from what i understand, they breathe through there skin. (and my gf gripes about it anyways) Good call?

[spec]

I was about to go purchanse some earth worms. shuold i squeeze the dirt out of them before feeding? I used to do it as a kid, doesn't kill them. And as far as the frog i want to get, something relatively easy to care for, doesn't require me to turn my house into a terrarium. AND THE UGLIER THE BETTER! was thinking a chubby, from what i see they're pretty close in the care aspect as a pacman

[1beataway]

I do not know about the earthworms.

Chubbies aren't bad, but boring IMO. They don't move much. You won't seem them much. But they have nice coloring. If you want something similar to a pacman, I think they would be a good choice. There are other types of frogs that are a little more showy that don't require much space as well, if that is the main concern.

[spec]

Was thinking a pixie frog also, any suggestions. I've seen the sponsor site and i'm probably going to order from them. Any websites in particular i should venture too? i'm in search of a quality juvinile pet.

[Kurt]

Chubbies aren't bad, but boring IMO.

I don't know about that. They are Microhylids, so they have the ability to shoot their tongues out the side of their mouths, which is pretty cool to watch.

Other Microhylids are the tomato frog, Dyscophus guineti & the rubber frogs, Phrynomantis sp.

[UncleChester]

I didn't know where to put this ? but here it goes. I'm currently a smoker (cough) and i've read alot about frogs in general. I quit smoking inside due to the fact from what i understand, they breathe through there skin. (and my gf gripes about it anyways) Good call?

Definitely a good call. As I understand it, they do most of their breathing through their lungs. They can't absorb enough oxygen through the skin to be fully active so the through the skin 'breathing' is mostly when hibernating underwater for example (I could be off here, and I'm sure it varies from species to species). Either way frogs, and girlfriends, have sensitive skin. Best not to irritate either with second hand smoke. Plus, you can afford more frog stuff with the money you save.

[CrazyAirborne]

Either way frogs, and girlfriends, have sensitive skin. Best not to irritate either with second hand smoke.

haha.. quoted for truth!