Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am going away for a few days this weekend. I was wondering what I should do about feeding my FBTs. Some people have told me that its ok to dump a bunch of crix in before we go and that they will only eat when hungry. The store where we got them says they should eat about 4 crix a day, but some people tell me that that is way too much. I have been told that I should feed them every other day, but I just don't feel right about that, so I have been feeding them 2 each everyday. Is this enough? I've only had them for a few days and the 1st night I had them they ate 4 each. If I put a bunch in will they keep eating, or will they stop when they aren't hungry anymore? I don't want to over feed them and I am terrified of starving them. We lost our last frog after we skipped a day of feeding. Don't know what the reason was, but don't want to take any chances. I know that the best thing would be to have someone feed them while we are gone, but if that isn't possible, what should we do? There is so much conflicting info! Please help

If they are well fed then they will be fine when you go away.

At work I feed the FBT's three times a week and that is all they get and they have been doing well for over 8 years now (including several reproductions).

Ed

I agree with Ed, you should not even worry about feeding them at all. If you are going away for seven days or more, then you should make an effort to find someone to feed them. Please drill it into your head that captive amphibians and reptiles are almost always overfed. Four crickets a day is overfeeding! I think that two a day is over doing it as well. The standard for feeding is three times a week. The idea here is that most people are unable to control their tendencies to give "just a little bit more", and if they are fed everyday and you did this every day, the animal would get overfed. Almost all amphibians and reptiles are adapted for, and are perfectly capable of a thriving, with a few large meals, as opposed to many small meals. This is why the three times a week schedule is so advantageous.

I also wanted to emphasize that it is NOT okay to dump in a bunch of crickets. The frogs are perfectly capable of engorging themselves. The crickets that they do not eat can easily drown and completely foul the water. Water chemistry is much more important than getting a regular meal!!! On top of all of this, the crickets can attack and kill frogs. If they are given no other alternative food source, they will turn on the frogs. For all of these reasons, you should only throw in as many crickets as they are capable of eating in one meal.

It is very important that when you are responsible for every parameter of an animal's health, that you understand its biology and its natural history. Ectotherms simply do not need as much food as Endotherms!!! I can assure you that your previous frog did not die from skipping a day in feeding. If you ever have doubts about whether or not you are overfeeding, chances are you are overfeeding.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

Thank you so much! I am trying to do the right thing. I thought that 4 was definately too much. We have been down to 2 a day, but I am starting to understand that that may even be too much.

You just have to learn to separate what you know as a human (Endotherm) from Amphibians and Reptiles (ectotherm). This may help you understand better... only 20 percent of the food that we eat gets converted into biomass (new red blood cells, fat, muscle, hair and skin etc.) , that means that 80 percent of the food we eat just gets burned up in metabolism (=heat). Compared to an amphibian, this is just wasted energy! They are much more efficient at converting food into energy necessary for survival.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

feed them right before you leave and right when you get back. they should be fine for 2 or 3 days.
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sincerely,
Jonathan D. de Kluyver
JDDK Reptiles
Quality Reptiles and Amphibians
www.jddkreptiles.com