FEEDING FROGS: When a little is a lot

Wild Creations Co-Founder Peter Gasca responded recently to a customer e-mail which address's a common concern many have with conflicting information given about African Dwarf Frogs. We thought it was worth republishing here on the blog...

Brenda writes:
"Good morning.  I have read articles from PetSmart and PetCo that state the African Dwarf Frog needs to be fed every day but you state that it should only be twice a week.  I am very confused.  I want them to be healthy but if i over feed, they will die and if they don't get fed enough they will die as well.  Can you help out?  Thanks"

A little bit goes a long way.

Thank you so much for the email.  The information you received from PetSmart and Petco is not inaccurate, but it doesn't consider the feeding portions.  Many websites, big retailers included, will tell you that you need to feed daily with blood worms or brine shrimp, which are small and not very dense.  The food we provide is formulated for these frogs and is highly concentrated with the nutrients they need, and therefore feedings twice a week is suffice.  Also, the twice a week feedings is a minimum we recommend, but you are more than welcome to feed more often.  I would not, however, encourage you to feed every day, as most of the food will go uneaten and simply soil the aquarium.
We often receive the question about feeding more often, mostly because many people "humanize" the frog experience and assume they have the same metabolic and nutritional needs as us.  This, as is the case with many other animals, is just not the case.  These frogs could, as they might if left in nature to fend for themselves, go several weeks without feeding.  Their metabolism, however, is such that it will conserve energy until there is a food source.  We would never recommend withholding food for so long, but for these reasons, twice a week is more than suffice.

I would also note that we have been working with these frogs for well over nine years now (over two million in total), and the feeding schedule we recommend, with our food, has proven time and time again to be more than suffice for these little frogs.  They will go on to live as long as two or three years, and in some cases, as many as six or seven (we often receive emails from customers who have had their frogs for that long!).  Our experience is that this feeding is not only suffice, it is the best for their health and the life of the ecosystem habitat.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email or phone our office at 843-448-8880.
Regards
Pete Gasca