As the popularity of keeping hognose snakes as well as a number of other types of reptile and other animals that will eat feeder frogs as a large part of their diet, we have noticed an increase in the number of people reaching out and asking about the various types of suitable feeder frogs that they are able to use with their pet.
For the most part, there are usually a wide range of different feeder frog options available to you but your location and the season will definitely come into play for what species of frog is available.
There does tend to be four very common feeder frogs that are generally available in most areas in North America and Europe though offering a steady and reliable food source for your pet snake or other reptiles that eats frogs.
Depending on the specific season in your area at the time of wanting to get your feeder frogs, you may have to go with one species and then switch as the season’s change.
Due to seeing so many people reaching out and asking various questions about the different types of feeder frog recently, we have decided to publish our own, dedicated article on feeder frogs.
We will be going over what are generally considered to be the four best options as well as a commonly recommended option that should be avoided for hognose snakes and other reptiles at all costs!
How Do You Keep Feeder Frogs Alive?
If you are wanting to live feed the feeder frogs to your snake or reptile then having a tank specific to keeping your feeder frogs is usually the best option to take.
You simply feed the frogs until your snake or reptile requires feeding and then switch the enclosures that your feeder frog is in as required.
Be sure to supply your feeder frogs with a No products found. while they are in their own tank to keep their nutritional profile as high as possible.
This is a very common mistake that we see people make time and time again but the less you feed your feeder frogs, the less you feed your snake as the nutrients and calorie content of the frogs quickly drops off if you don’t supply them with food.
Due to the prices of the more suitable feeder frog species increasing, more and more people are switching to breeding their own feeder frogs but this can actually end up increasing your overall costs.
Needing the specific breeding tanks for your frogs as well as the food and power to maintain the tank all adds up so when you crunch the numbers, ordering your feeder frogs in can still work out to be cheaper than breeding them yourself.
The Four Best Feeder Frogs For Your Pets!
The four best feeder frog species are generally considered to be green frogs, pig frogs, green tree frogs, and baby/juvenile bullfrogs. All four are very popular feeder frog options for reptiles, large fish, and various other types of pets that will eat frogs in their diet.
If you are specifically looking for feeder frogs for large fish such as Arowana then baby and juvenile bullfrogs are generally considered to be the best option as they can sometimes help to bring out the color in your fish.
For all other types of pets that will eat feeder frogs, any four of the suitable feeder frog species are generally considered to fine with differences between them being minimal for reptiles.
As we mentioned back at the start of the article, one of the most important things to factor in is your location as well as the current season.
This can drastically change the availability of some of these feeder frog species with some becoming very difficult to find at certain times of the year in some areas usually forcing you to change your plans and switch up the diet of your pet by going with a different feeder frog species.
Green Frogs
Regular green frogs are by far the most common species used as feeder frogs as they are cheap, packed with essential nutrients, and are not poisonous in anyway.
The majority of people who try to breed their own supply of feeder frogs will usually use normal green frogs due to the frog being considered to be the easiest type of feeder frog for breeding too.
Pig Frogs
Pig frogs are usually the second most popular species to feeder frog in North America but can be difficult to find in Europe.
They are not poisonous and can make an excellent, nutritious meal for your reptile, large fish, or other type of pet that will eat frogs.
If you live in the southern USA then pig frogs can actually end up being cheaper than regular green frogs with pig frogs usually being available year-round in some states too.
Green Tree Frogs
Some people will avoid using green tree frogs as feeder frogs as they do secrete a very low level toxin but this is so low in strength that it is usually too weak to cause any problems to your pet.
A large number of people will still use green tree frogs as their feeder frog species of choice without issue. Just be sure that you are getting green tree frogs as other tree frog species are poisonous and should be avoided.
Bullfrogs
Baby and juvenile bullfrogs can make for an excellent feeder frog species, especially if you are looking for feeder frogs for large fish species such as arowana.
Bullfrogs of different sizes can still be used as a feeder frog for various types of reptiles, especially snakes depending on how large the snake is with a healthy bullfrog usually being considered the most nutritious type of feeder frog due to being jam-packed with vitamins and minerals.
Avoid Xenopus Frogs!
We have seen some people recommend xenopus frogs as a feeder frog species on social media but they should be avoided at all costs.
Their toxin can affect most types of animal and will relax the jaws of the animal trying to eat a xenopus frog making it difficult to swallow correctly and presenting a choking hazard.
Although the effect of a xenipus frog is usually temporary, there are reports from various people that accidentally used a xenopus frog as a feeder frog who report their snake or reptile has had issues with their jaws ever since so always avoid xenopus frogs.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over the various species of feeder frogs available to you to an end. The majority of our readers will probably stick to the regular green frogs or pig frogs as their feeder frog species of choice with them usually being the most popular option depending on your location and their low prices.
More and more people are starting to switch over to bullfrogs in Asia though with the trend slowly making its way into Europe and North America though due to the higher vitamin and mineral content in the frogs.
