Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted awhile back here on a "reluctant feeder", a large adult Pacman that hasn't ate for 9 months. Well... a few days after my latest reply on that post, he ate a hopper sized mouse! We had one for my boyfriends lizard, but it was too big... so we dropped it in Bufords tank rather jokingly, and he immediately went after it! I'm so happy, and since then (a week later) I fed him another one that he ate just as, if not more, enthusiastically.

A few of my questions are... is a week between feedings okay? Should it be more often or less? Also I've been feeding him live.. is that bad? I know it's a big no-no in the snake world, but seems to be less of a deal elsewhere.

Thanks!

I think feeding a mouse every week is not good. I feed mine a mouse every 4-6 weeks, with crickets every week.

No? I read somewhere and also can see from their view, that he's so large that crickets do not seem like they would hardly be filling. Plus I've put a few in there with zero interest.

What would you suggest?

Im no expert, but I was told that pinkies and mice in general have a high fat content, which is a good way to get your frog too fat. I would try to feed a mouse only once a month.

Its not that they have too much fat but that they are a much more nutrient dense food item. For example, a pinkie the size of an adult cricket weighs the same as 4-5 large adult crickets while an adult mouse has an equivalent weight to more than 100 adult crickets.
This makes it really easy to overfeed the frog when using rodents as a food source.

Ed

I have a few horned frogs and they do go off feed from time to time. Then they kick in again with a vengeance.

I have always fed my adults one large mouse every two weeks and some super worms here and there if they will take them. Some adult frogs dont seem to have any interest in small prey. My adults laugh at a cricket but they will take super worms if the mood strikes them. Sometimes they will, sometimes no. Dont ask me why I have no idea.

Feeding your frog a hopper every two weeks should not be a problem. Unless he starts to look obese. Horned frogs are naturally stocky but you can tell when one is too fat. They can hardly move. Mine are plump but they move around just fine and they sit normally not all sprawled out like a fat slob whose legs can barely get around the belly.

Lets be realistic. If your frog wont take small prey you have to feed him something. Just keep an eye on him and dont go overboard. If hes large enough try a mouse every two weeks and see how that goes.

Lets talk about prekilled. In general no matter what you are feeding (snake, lizard, frog, your cousin Billy) its better to feed dead prey. There is always a risk that the prey animal could bite and injury your frog. Is it likely? No. In my early years I fed live prey as I didnt know any better and knock wood I didnt have a problem. However you are taking a needless chance. If the frog strikes at the mouse and hits its hind quarters the mouse is going to turn around and bite his attacker as savagely as he possibly can. He's not gonna win but he doesnt know that. He could grab the frogs lip or even his eye and then you got a problem on your hands. Who needs the hassle? Plus, if you are a kind soul, humanely killing a mouse in 1 second is less cruel then being gobbled alive by a green mouth with legs.

I have yet to meet a horned frog that will not take a dead mouse wiggled in front of him. The difference between snakes and frogs is snakes will usually happily take a dead prey animal that is just sitting there. I feed my snakes on paper plates. I just put the prey animals on the plate and they come and get it. Some of them used to require wiggling and once in a while a picky kingsnake might need a wiggle but for the most part the prey just lays there and they eat it. Frogs are another story. They need moving prey. Ever watch a frog stare at a cricket until it moves and then whammo? They may exist but I have yet to see a frog eat something dead. So you're gonna have to wiggle. Grab the mouse by the tip of the tail or if your shy use tongs. The horned frog could easily latch onto your hand by mistake and then you have a funny story to tell.

My guys are so used to the routine that I toss the dead mouse in front of them and they grab it before it hits the ground. No wiggling required. However, if they miss and its just laying there party is over and I have to retrieve it and start again.