Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello again,

I've heard that this is best, but have never seen it done: How do you train a Pacman frog to feed by hand? Do you have to hold the crickets with tweezers in front of the frog's face?!?

forecep/tong/tweezer feeding is good if your frog is up for it. it reduces the chance of crickets injuring your frog or having them run rampent in the tank. it also allows you to regulate the quantity of food that your frog receives. not all frogs are willing to take food from foreceps, but most will, it may just take some time and patients. hold the cricket or other food in the tongs (usually hold the crickets by the feet of their back legs) and let the cricket move around or vibrate the tongs in t your hand to make it seem like it is moving. generally keep the food item about one inch away from your frog, you can GENTLY tap your frog on the nose with the food item to try and stimulate it to eat of the tongs if it is stubborn.
again, some frogs take right to hand feeding, others never catch on, it depends on your frog and your patients.
good luck

Thanks for the advice. On this same topic, let me relate the following story:

Just the other night, I was feeding my little Pacman crickets, when I noticed that one of the crickets I dropped into the tank was missing a couple of back legs, and was pretty well on it's way to being dead. Not wanting to waste a good source of food, I tore off a piece of the egg carton that the crickets are using for food, and poked and prodded the cricket over to the mouth of my pacman. All of a sudden, my pacman started making lunges at the egg carton as it and the prodded cricket drew close! It would open it's mouth and lunge halfway forward. It did this 4 or 5 times. I decided to stop prodding the cricket, as I was fearful I was scaring my frog, (I've never seen him do that type of behaviour before).

My frog eventually ate the wounded cricket in the middle of the night, (I woke up the next morning to find the cricket gone). But my question is: Was my frog attacking out of fear? Or was it lunging to eat? Is this the same type of behaviour I should expect when I stick a prong with a cricket on the end of it in front of his face?

If he was lunging at you he was looking to eat! Don't worry, these frogs don't get scared. Watch your fingers! ; )

both responses are possible, but it is most likely that your frog was responding to the movement as a source of food and not out of fear. this behavior would and should be expected during "hand" feeding. when feeding the frog with tongs/tweezers, make sure that the frog doesn't get a hold of the tongs and if it does, let go of the tongs and the frog should drop them, otherwise gently align the tongs horizontally (flat on the dirt) and gently pull them straight back. plastic tongs will generally risk less damage to the frog then metal tongs will if it bites them.

My PacMan is a about 2 1/2 inches and Ive had him about 4 months... Ive been trying to hand feed him the whole time. He refuses. Ive let him go hungry for days and then offer him a cricket and... nothing. He only eats in the dark of night when Im asleep. Ive never seen him eat, I just wake up and the crickets are gone. Sometimes I have to dump the crickets in and then get him up out of his "nest" and get him going, because sometimes he wont even get up at night to eat!

I worry about him... I was under the impression that PacMans where ferocious eaters, willing to gulp up anything that moves. Not mine.

All Ive done in the last 4 or so months is worry that Im doing something wrong.

The good news is that he is growing and is staying fat, so even though I wish to hand feed him, at least he's eating.

I hope you have better luck with yours, as far as hand feeding goes! lol

Jennifer

I wouldn't recommend the hand feeding method as a way to normally feed your frog because it's not worth the time and pain. I personally feed my pixie frog sirloin meat chunks (w/o fat) that have been flattened and even roughed up for easier digestion and I use a dulled bamboo skewer to shake the piece of meat infront of his face.

Does anyone tease their frog when they're trying to grab the meal so that they practice their lunging skill, or mouth-eye coordination? Or is it just me? I think it's fun to do that sort of stuff because it makes his meals just a bit more rewarding, especially when it's steak.