Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've heard that cockroaches are the best form of food for frogs. Is this true?

I know crickets are too, but at the moment, they're unavailable for me.

Anyways, I've been feeding my frogs mealworms, cockroaches, worms and an occasional goldfish(not feeders though.) Does this sound like a steady diet?

The frogs also live in a pond outdoors and I feed them an occasional insect or two.

Fish aren't that great of a food item for frogs due to their parasites and also other nutritional problems, but the rest sounds great. Roches are far better than crickets. You can breed them yourself quickly, they make no noise, and they do not stink like crickets do, and they have a far better meat to shell ratio than crickets. I ordered a thousand from Mike's Monitors (member here in monitor section) and now have three full colonies going very well. They are extremely easy to care for, all they need to breed is food and heat. I will never feed crickets again.
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www.frogfreaks.com

Yeah, I'm a little wary of goldfish too. Thing is, I've raised dozens of them and had to cull their numbers. So these goldfish were about 4-6mos.

I'm just looking for more variety. Actually, I catch the roaches, since I'm in a tropical climate in Asia and they abound. This may be dangerous, but so far no problems.

I also feed caterpillars. Wonder about this food source though. And how about baby mice?

Nonetheless, how often do you feed your frogs?

I feed froglets and juvies daily, and adults 2-3 times a week. Mice are fine, but only about twice a month, no more. W/C roaches or other insects can harbor parasites, bacteria, pesticides, etc. Maybe you could order some roaches from Mike's Monitors. He's very cheap, reliable, and has a heck of an overcount. They are extremely easy to breed and keep.
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www.frogfreaks.com

I would avoid caterpillars (unless you know them very well), as some are very toxic or carry stinging hairs; same goes for brightly-colored beetles, moths, and bugs, as well as ants and wasps. Drab moths, flies, crickets, roaches, earthworms, leaches, grubs, etc. are usually fine. As the previous poster said, go easy on fish and mice; the bulk of the diet should be invertebrates.

Okay, thanks. I know some insects are risky. What about superworms though?

I feed them a lot of these, since the petshops don't carry much where I live. Roadside roaches are all I can find, usually those by sewers.

Disgusting, I know, but the only viable source of nutrition for them other than earthworms, a staple I've fed them often.

Roadside roaches and other insects can also carry parasites, bacterias, fungi, insecticides, fertilizers, and the list goes on. I would just spend a few bucks and start up a roach colony if I were you. Mike's Monitors (monitor forum) can hook you up. Istarted with a 1,000 count for 30 bucks delivered, and have never had to buy bugs again.
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www.frogfreaks.com

Just to be sure that your frogs are getting a good nutritional balance, you might want to dust their food once a week with a powdered vitamin/mineral supplement.

Tim

Third Eye