Pro-Tip: Seriously just get crickets

[synikalspinstress]

So I've had my three dudes for just over three weeks, and it's been a learning experience. My tank is 65-land, 35-water, and I regret that so much now. They spend so much time in the water. All of their time. For awhile, Pickle, my smallest dude, stuck to the land portions, or hid, but he, too, is now spending all his time in the water. If I had a tank that was built to hold water, I'd change it in a heartbeat.

Now, I sold my parents on getting these guys on the fact that they'll eat nightcrawlers, which they do. Sorta. Mine sometimes, often spitting out a mouthful after striking and going off the sulk for a bit. Recently (this past week) they've just decided to stop eating the worms altogether. Which. Why? (Weather getting colder, I made some asthetic changes to the tank, they just really hate that calcium+worm slime flavor...)

So I bought some mealworms, which, while not especially great for these guys, can be used as a treat, and I thought that might entice them to start eating, or, at least, get some calcium or vitamins into them. No-go. I don't think they're moving enough to get the toads' attentions.

I decided today that I was getting crickets, come Mell or her daughter. So I did, because my parents got that the toads needed to eat, and I'd given it my best effort. And the result was pretty immediate. Streak gunned for two of them, and Pickle has eaten two as well. I'm just waiting for Sash to catch on, but, she's always been the pudgiest, so, I'm not too concerned.

Long story short: yeah, they'll begrudgingly eat nightcrawlers. But, good gracious, crickets are the way to go. Seriously.

The only problem with crickets is a few of them crawled between the plastic tub and the substrate and basically around the false-bottom area, but, I can live with that. I clean that area out once a week anyway.

And now, some pictures of my dudes. (Took 'em from my cell phone, so, quality's not great.)



This is Sash, named for the diagonal line of dots across her back.



This is Streak, named because of the long streaks of black down their back.



And this is Pickle, because he's very lumpy and reminded me instantly of a baby dill pickle.

[daybr4ke]

Some people have easier times than others with nightcrawlers. All my frogs have trouble with worms sonetimes, and I did notice sulking in some frogs afterwords...I think frogs have more personality than people give them credit for. My Woodhouse's toads in particular seem to find earthworms difficult. One time one came crawling back out his mouth and she bad to gobble it back down. I wish I had it on video. I find most frogs exhibit the best feeding response with crickets, and some with roaches. I'm sorry worms aren't working out.
Also, I found a shallow plastic bin at the dollar tree over here. Its pretty useful, I use it as a feeding container.

[synikalspinstress]

Getting a separate feeding container makes the most sense. I have a small keeper that I use when I need to clean the water tub each week. I could use that. Mostly I'm just relieved they're eating again, and they look much more eager to eat.

[synikalspinstress]

Almost a month has gone by, and I love my little dudes. They're not really noisy, or very active right now, but they're just so cute. However, I just keep regretting this tank's set up more and more. Today especially, because Streak managed to squidge her way between their water tub and the glass. :/ Sash had done this previously, but, I thought I'd fixed it with a chuck of cork I wedged in. Turns out, no. Granted, Streak was able to squidge back out, but, that's just too risky for me. The pebbles I put in around the sides to prevent this from happening elsewhere could fall and hurt one of them. So I'm gonna switch out my shiny, glass, not-water-proof terrarium for a clear Sterilite bin.

Kinda bittersweet, but, it's a good lesson to pick up, reading the fine print instead of just the price tag, eh? (Even though it had a flunking TURTLE ON THE PACKAGING.)

I'm hoping it'll be good practice for me, before I finally get an aquarium, to figure out how I want my set up.

[alane]

Crickets, right? I've tried worms. It's neat when two of 'em get a hold of the same worm as then you get bedlam. Tractor frog pull. But they are picky about worms.

They live for crickets. The shadow of a cricket on a leaf above them drives 'em nuts.

I have mine in a semi-aquatic tank. A tall 40 gallon tank, half filled with water and with lots of floats, logs, plants.
They love to go swimming.

[alane]

Furthermore...

Last night I dumped a bunch of crickets into my tank. Most got eaten immediately. But the next morning, there's a few dead floating crickets. (the ones that sink are shrimp food)

All I have to do to get my frogs to eat them is to get a bamboo skewer and poke at the dead cricket.

One will come up and snap up the dead cricket I am poking at.

Sometimes, now, all I have to do is point, not even prod. They take the cue.

It is interesting that they won't eat from tongs. But if I simply prod at some dead cricket, that's good enough for them. they like crickets so.

[Cliygh and Mia 2]

But they are picky about worms.

Generally frogs (Including Fire-bellies) aren't picky about worms unless fed Red-wiggler worms prior to the better species. For earthworm feeders, I suggest feeding either Canadian nightcrawlers or European nightcrawlers, neither of which produce anything to make the frogs dislike them, unlike red-wigglers. You can probably find them easy in fishing stores and the like, just be sure to get non dyed varieties

[daybr4ke]

Mine aren't picky with worms, really, they just have trouble eating them. Often their tongues don't stick well to them, and it takes my African Bullfrog a lot of tries to bite one off the ground(he won't eat anything but mice from tongs.) and he sometimes gives up. The Woodhouse's toads on the other hand won't give up no matter how many times they fail. They once harrassed a nightcrawler for almost an hour until it got into the substrate. All my frogs love worms, if they can eat them lol
Edit: after re-reading what I posted above, this feels a little redundant.

[monster]

I think the problem with FBT's and worms is by the time you cut the worm into a small enough piece for them to eat the worm has no movement. Without any movement at all I think a lot of them don't recognize it as food. At least with a cricket even if it stops moving because it notices the danger the FBT has seen it move at some point so he will watch for more movement, were as small pieces of worm don't even move when you first drop it in. It's like dropping a rock in there. And a fire belly toad wouldn't have trouble picking the worm up with his tongue because they cant extend there tongue and don't use it to catch there food. They pretty jump towards the prey with an open mouth and hope when they get there the prey is still in the same spot and they just catch it in there mouth. This is why small rocks aren't good for them in there tanks, if the cricket moves they end up landing on the pebble with there mouth open and end up picking it up.

[alane]

Jeez. I find that I can even pick out a (freshly) dead cricket from my cricket pen, wave it around with the feeding tongs. it's snapped right up. frogs are not hesitant at all to eat a dead cricket. they just love them.

i've waved wriggling worms in front of them. they all come up and look. but then they don't strike. it's like they are all daring each other to go first.

once one goes first, they all tend to go. motion makes them quite excited.

but yeah. i can get rid of my dead crickets quick.


i find that the few times i've handled them, you just turn them upside down. they stop squirming and relax. i've had one relax totally, it did not bunch up like the typical unken reflex but instead went entirely limp, letting it's four legs just droop down. floppy frog. it's the unken reflex but it looks more like froggy hypnosis when they go upside down.

cool little critters.

i think they are smart enough to know what a cricket is and to _LIKE_ them. they seem to not be dumb frogs. (not like my pacman was)