Best way to feed

[frogbliss]

Hello!
I just got a Pacman who is between 3-5mo old. I have him in a small tank right now and am trying to get him to eat. I got waxworms and mealworms for him but he is not interested. I would like him to eat from tongs so there aren't just worms all over his tank all the time, but he is really not into it. For awhile he would be great about trying to bite the spoon I was using to move his substrate around to clean his water, and now when I put tongs or the spoon with a worm he won't even try to bite. Is there a better way to feed him? Or when should I start worrying if he still hasn't eaten?
Thanks!

[mysterythought]

It can take a lot of patience and practice to get a frog to take food from tongs. Does your frog eat the waxworms or mealworms when they're just dropped on the substrate in front of him? If he's not interested at all I would try crickets instead, they're a much better staple than mealworms and waxworms (mealworms are difficult to digest and waxworms are high in fat) and I've found that their movement patterns stimulate a feeding response really well.

If you can get some crickets, I'd start by dropping them in the tank in front of your frog with the tongs so that he'll start to associate tongs with food. Then you can try holding the cricket in front of the frog for longer periods of time before releasing it. Eventually your frog may strike before the cricket is released, and you can work on introducing a greater variety of foods by tong after your frog is reliably taking food from them. Earthworms are also a good staple to try and are often considered the ideal feeder for Pacman frogs, along with roaches and crickets. You can also try superworms as they're slightly softer than mealworms, but it's best to feed these less often as they're still high in chitin.

Also, how big is your frog? If he's still pretty small, 1 1/2 to 2 inches or so, he'll need to eat a lot more regularly than a larger frog to stay healthy. At that size most sources recommend that they should be fed every day or every other day. They can still go a while without food but the longer they go the more difficult it can be to get them to start eating again. It's common for them to go a few days to a week or so without eating just after being taken home or moved to a new enclosure, but personally I would start worrying if he still hasn't shown interest in food after 10 days to 2 weeks, especially if he's small.

[frogbliss]

It can take a lot of patience and practice to get a frog to take food from tongs. Does your frog eat the waxworms or mealworms when they're just dropped on the substrate in front of him? If he's not interested at all I would try crickets instead, they're a much better staple than mealworms and waxworms (mealworms are difficult to digest and waxworms are high in fat) and I've found that their movement patterns stimulate a feeding response really well.

If you can get some crickets, I'd start by dropping them in the tank in front of your frog with the tongs so that he'll start to associate tongs with food. Then you can try holding the cricket in front of the frog for longer periods of time before releasing it. Eventually your frog may strike before the cricket is released, and you can work on introducing a greater variety of foods by tong after your frog is reliably taking food from them. Earthworms are also a good staple to try and are often considered the ideal feeder for Pacman frogs, along with roaches and crickets. You can also try superworms as they're slightly softer than mealworms, but it's best to feed these less often as they're still high in chitin.

Also, how big is your frog? If he's still pretty small, 1 1/2 to 2 inches or so, he'll need to eat a lot more regularly than a larger frog to stay healthy. At that size most sources recommend that they should be fed every day or every other day. They can still go a while without food but the longer they go the more difficult it can be to get them to start eating again. It's common for them to go a few days to a week or so without eating just after being taken home or moved to a new enclosure, but personally I would start worrying if he still hasn't shown interest in food after 10 days to 2 weeks, especially if he's small.

Thanks for the reply! He won't eat even if i just put it on the substrate in front of him, but I did just get him so it may be that he is still settling in. I will get some crickets and see if he likes those better. I was also worried about him eating too much substrate while feeding so I was trying more with the tongs than I was just letting him eat on his own.
He is still pretty little, about 2 1/2" so once he starts eating I will be sure to feed him pretty regularly.

Again, thanks for the response! It was very helpful!

[mysterythought]

If you're still having trouble getting him to eat in a few days it would be helpful to answer the questions in this thread: http://www.frogforum.net/showthread....-the-Enclosure to help rule out any other issues making him reluctant to eat. Also, as long as you're using coco fiber based substrate it's okay for the frog to eat a little while he's feeding. They're pretty good about knowing whether they've got a mouthful of substrate or food, and they'll push most of the substrate out of their mouth before swallowing. Just be sure to keep an eye on how often the frog is pooping, and if he hasnt gone in a while and you notice a bulge on the frog's left hand side (right side when looking at the frog straight on) that's a sign he might need a little help moving things along. A warm bath in dechlorinated water with a few drops of honey will stimulate the frog to poop and give him a little boost in energy also. Good luck with your little guy and if you have any more questions don't be afraid to ask!

[HeatherK]

I second the Earthworms! That's all that mine will eat, & I'm fine with that because they are so good with being digested. Since yours is so tiny, you will want to cut the worm into smaller chunks. This will also make them start wiggling a pretty good amount, which makes the frog go after them a lot better. Sometimes I'll have to rub the worm against my frog's mouth for minutes at a time, & others he nearly gets my fingers before I'm able to get the worm to his level! It just depends, really. I have never fed any other way than tongs. (My dude is spoiled. )

As for when to start worrying, I wouldn't worry unless he has shown no interest in food after a little over a week at that size, then you would start looking at temperatures, humidity, size of enclosure, etc.

Good luck with your little guy! I'm sure everything will work out for you!