Feeder frogs?

[Teh Frog Whisperer]

I was wondering, what kinds of frogs are there that are cheap and easy to breed as feeders? I'm asking because I was thinking about the time I fed a little bullfrog I found in my backyard to my Budgett frog before I knew about the risks of parasites and stuff, and he absolutely loved it. Naturally, I don't want him to catch any parasites, so what kind of frog can I use as an easy feeder?

[jelkins]

Xenopus would be my suggestion.

[Iratus ranunculus]

Yeah, if you want the skin secretions of Xenopus to paralyze the jaw of your budgetts frog.

Using feeder frogs is a big no-no unless you are keeping an eastern hognose snake or something like that.

[Tony]

Feeder frogs would provide a more natural food source for many predatory frogs, they just have to be treated to minimize the risk of disease transmission. I strongly suspect that specialized frog eaters like Ceratophrys cornuta would do much better in captivity if people fed them appropriately instead of trying to make them eat rodents.

[Teh Frog Whisperer]

What kind of frog would you recommend? Should I try breeding Xenopus spp. like Justin suggested?

[Tony]

I don't keep any frog eaters, but if I did I would just go with whatever is seasonally available, green frogs, pig frogs, bullfrogs, green tree frogs, etc., quarantine as any other new WC and then feed them off when they have a clean bill of health. I don't know the suitability of Xenopus as a feeder, but they would probably be the easiest to culture if they were a good choice.

[Iratus ranunculus]

Feeder frogs would provide a more natural food source for many predatory frogs, they just have to be treated to minimize the risk of disease transmission. I strongly suspect that specialized frog eaters like Ceratophrys cornuta would do much better in captivity if people fed them appropriately instead of trying to make them eat rodents.

I will grant this. However there are massive technical difficulties with actually doing it. Namely, freshwater parasites can encyst and resist freezing, the only method that can really be used to combat parasites in feeders. There is also the problem of breeding amphibians in captivity. Sure, you can do it with hormone treatments, but that is beyond the reach of hobbyists.

I don't keep any frog eaters, but if I did I would just go with whatever is seasonally available, green frogs, pig frogs, bullfrogs, green tree frogs, etc., quarantine as any other new WC and then feed them off when they have a clean bill of health. I don't know the suitability of Xenopus as a feeder, but they would probably be the easiest to culture if they were a good choice.

I will use large texts for this.

XENOPUS MUST NOT BE USED

Their skin produces toxins which cause Oral Dyskinesias in snakes, who knows what said toxins will do to a frog. They are also asymptomatic chytrid carriers. To say nothing of the high parasite risk. Bad Idea.

[Teh Frog Whisperer]

I won't use Xenopus, then. Can I breed green treefrogs? They have them regularly in stock at my local pet store.

[Iratus ranunculus]

I won't use Xenopus, then. Can I breed green treefrogs? They have them regularly in stock at my local pet store.

No one has ever succeeded. They are in stock due to massive commercial collection.