Adult frogs need a regular diet of insects; some breeds might even need small vertebrates, such as mice, and or fish to stay healthy. These fresh preys should be alive when you give it to them.
In the wild, these frogs are opportunistic feeders; they will truly eat whatever you put it. You may want to copy this experience when you will be keeping your African Bullfrogs at home. Proper nutrition and feeding is more than just dropping random insects and preys inside the terrarium.
Gut – load diet is the process of increasing the nutritional value of the prey that you are going to feed your pet 48 hours before you serve it to them. We all live in an ecosystem and we all benefit from each other one way or another. A good example is the food chain. In which an animal preys on another animal and eventually the predator becomes the prey of another animal as well. The nutrients contained by the prey will pass on to its predator and so on.
In captivity, it is impossible for you to create the same natural cycle present in the wild but gut loading can be an alternative in order to replicate this process.
By this way, if you feed high nutritional value food to the prey you are about to serve, your pet will also receive the nutrients you have loaded to its meal. Make sure that the right kind of vitamins or nutrients will be passed in order to achieve balanced nutrition
Usually, in order to successfully gut load the prey you are providing, there is a need for you to administer multivitamin powder with calcium. Be mindful that phosphorus inhibits calcium absorption therefore the level of calcium should be higher than the phosphorus level. Its oxalates content should also be at minimum.
Most commercial gut loads you can purchase are low in calcium which may not be enough for the nutritional needs of your frog. Do not worry since you can formulate your own gut loading recipe. By this way you can save money and really make sure that the nutritional content will be exceptional. Below are the steps you can make use of in choosing the right ingredients for your gut load formula:
- Choose what kind of food you are going to use for gut loading your frog’s food. You may choose between fruits and vegetables. Have at least 2 or 3 options. Serve it alternately every now and then.
- Make sure that the fruits and vegetables of your choice are free from any chemical residue like pesticides. Rinse it thoroughly under fresh running water. These chemical components can be toxic to so make sure the foods are properly rinsed.
- The nutrient content of the prey you have gut loaded will pass on your frog after 2 to 3 weeks of consuming.
Author and long-time animal lover. Sharing knowledge on pet care through experience and the written word. 