What to Feed Baby Frogs

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Baby frogs, or froglets, require a carefully crafted diet. What are the best items to feed a baby frog? Continue reading to learn more.

Baby frogs should be fed living prey like wingless fruit flies, small meal worms, juvenile crickets, and nymph roaches. Every piece of food should be cut smaller than the frog’s jaw. In addition, adding Calcium and Vitamin A supplements to the food is recommended.

What to Feed Baby Frogs

There are no dry foods or pellets recommended for baby frogs- but there are some widely available offerings that most froglets enjoy. Since frogs are carnivores and predators, they require live prey. Baby frogs hunt for their food. Wingless fruit flies, small meal worms, juvenile crickets, and sometimes nymph roaches can be found at local pet stores or bait shops.

Additional recommendations include grasshoppers, locusts, red worms, and larvae. Baby frogs know how to hunt by instinct and will catch their meals. Frogs should not be given fruits or vegetables.

It’s important that you get your baby frog’s food from a reliable source. Wild caught worms and insects are not recommended and can cause pets to get sick. Wild insects could be ill or carry parasites that will pass to your baby frog. Insects caught outdoors can also expose your pet to pesticides. Amphibians are very sensitive to poison and all precautions should be taken to ensure they aren’t ingested.

Some keepers choose to farm their own insects to save money, have readily available meals, and ensure high quality food for their pet. Meal worms and crickets are popular with beginner keepers as they require a low level of care to thrive. It can be easy and convenient to have live food in constant supply for your baby frog, especially because they eat so frequently in this stage of life.

Frogs require Vitamin A and Calcium added to their diet to stay healthy. Sometimes you can find crickets or mealworms that have been pre-loaded with these things- either the insect is dusted with a supplement or has ingested the supplement to be passed to the frog.

You can also find this supplement as a powder at some pet shops to dust the insects yourself. If you decide to farm your own insects, it’s easy to “gut load” them at home by feeding them nutrient rich foods before feeding to your frog.

How Often and How Much to Feed Baby Frogs

Baby frogs fresh from the tadpole phase are growing quickly and that means one thing- a big appetite. Froglets require plenty of nutrients to reach their highest growth potential and in this stage are required to eat more often than any other time.

It’s recommended to feed most froglets about once per day until they have grown to maturity. Once the frog is fully grown at around 4 months old the feeding schedule is to decreased to 2-5 times per week. Large frogs, like the Pacman Frog, eat more substantial prey less often. The frequency of feeding and recommend foods depend on the species and activity level of the frog.

The size of the food being offered to the baby frog should be in proportion to the frog’s mouth. A good rule to follow when choosing what size food is appropriate is to go no bigger than the frog’s jaw. Insects can bite the frog if left in the enclosure after feeding time. Offer only what a frog can eat in 1 minute and remove the rest.

Frogs don’t require much at once and are opportunistic feeders so they often keep eating even when full. Overfeeding a froglet can cause serious digestive issues, like impaction, and long-term health problems, such as obesity.

Frogs use their sticky tongues to grab food and draw it into the mouth. Sometimes gravel or substrate from the habitat is accidentally ingested by the frog and can cause digestive issues. To avoid this, use a bowl for meal worms and slower moving prey. Be sure to use a safe substrate in the froglet’s enclosure.

When kept as pets, froglets need an assortment of foods to ensure they are getting all necessary nutrients. It’s best to offer your baby frog a few different foods early on so they become used to a variety of tastes and textures. Some baby frogs will be resistant to a new item at first but will eventually accept the food, so try again later if an important food item is rejected. Their meal preferences can change frequently. A frog that is raised on a restricted diet will often reject new offerings which could be problematic for their long-term health.

How Do Baby Frogs Drink?

Baby frogs drink from wherever water pools. Make sure the water in your frog’s habitat is de-chlorinated and free of debris. Since frogs drink through their skin, it’s important to keep a shallow bowl of clean water available at all times. Change this water often. If the frog’s habitat has an automatic mister make sure that the water is also de-chlorinated.

Final Thoughts

Baby frogs are carnivorous predators who hunt for food. It’s important to offer them live prey like they would find in the wild. Froglets enjoy a wide variety of worms and insects, including flies, worms, grasshoppers and larvae. Larger frogs eat larger prey. They should not be offered vegetables or fruits. The food should come from a reliable source, such as a pet store. You should not feed wild caught worms or insects to your frog, as these can carry parasites or illnesses and sicken your pet. Frogs are sensitive to poisons and extra care should be taken not to expose them to chemicals or pesticides.

Many keepers choose to farm their own insects as it’s an easy way to make sure their frog is eating a variety of high-quality food and is readily available. Many keepers choose to farm mealworms or crickets for their ease of care. Insects and worms should be dusted or loaded with calcium and Vitamin A supplements to ensure frogs get all required nutrients.

Froglets should be fed every day until they are about 4 months old. They should be offered an assortment of live foods. All foods offered to a baby frog should be smaller than its mouth. Over feeding a froglet can cause serious digestive issues and long-term health problems. Froglets have sticky tongues they use to grab insects. The frog should only be fed as much as it can eat in about 1 minute, as frogs are opportunistic eaters and will not regulate themselves. Insects should be removed after feeding time is over or they can injure the pet. It’s important to make sure the frog eats a variety of different insects and worms. Young frog’s tastes change quickly. If a froglet does not like a food the first time it’s offered, they may grow to like it later on.  A restrictive diet can cause health and nutrition issues. Water in the baby frog’s habitat should be de-chlorinated and clean. Frogs drink through their skin so they should have a shallow bowl of water available at all times, changed frequently. Baby frogs are exciting to care for, especially when it’s time to feed them.