What do I feed my African Dwarf frog?
Because the frogs spend most of their time at the bottom of the tank, foods that float are a very poor choice for frogs. Flakes will often get eaten by the fish before the frogs can get to them and will quickly dissolve into the water - which doesn’t do anyone any good.
Sinking foods, such as Shrimp Pellets, can be used, but they carry some problems. Because frogs cannot see very well, they must use their sense of smell to detect food. Much of the time, the pellets may dissolve into the water before the frogs find them (Foods that remain uneaten and foul up the water are one of the reasons some people mistakenly believe frogs to be messy. In reality, it’s the method that is being used to feed them that is dirty!). Some frogs may try to eat the pellet before it has soften, which can cause intestinal problems leading to bloat/blockage and possibly death.
One method that works well for both the frog and the owner is to use either a small turkey baster-like apparatus (or even the little suckers that come with test kits to suck water out of the tank and into the test tube), or a pair of long tweezers (For example: Tweezers like these). Tweezers have a bit more control than the turkey baster method.
Frozen Bloodworms are a great frog good. Thaw the worms in a small cup. When thawed, grab a couple using either the tweezers or the turkey-baster and dangle them in front of your frog. They will strike quickly and will swallow them whole. Other foods can include very small pieces of frozen krill (too big and the pieces can be hard to digest), peas, live black worms, earthworm pieces, or whatever your frog likes to eat.
PLEASE NOTE: Some people report that feeding freeze dried foods can cause bloat and/or death in their frogs. This is likely due to the frogs eating large volumes of the food before it is moist – the freeze dried food then expands in their stomachs and is very painful and can be deadly (similar to why you are not supposed to throw real rice at a wedding; the birds can eat the rice and die). Also, if possible, when feeding frozen krill, removing the “meat” from the shell (in the tail) and feeding only the meat can reduce the chances of a frog having trouble digesting the hard shell part.
Using a method like this one ensures that the frogs are eating enough and that the fish cannot get the food that is meant for the frog.
Feed the frog until its belly is rounded and full looking.
