What Do Frogs Eat? - Feeding Pet Frogs - AnimalWised

As we state above, once a tadpole develops into an adult frog (or if it goes through direct development) it will change its diet. Wild adult frogs are basically omnivorous and are considered a primary predator. They will eat plants, insects and animals, but it will depend on the availability of food resources and the size of the frog. Another major factor is the specific species of frog and how it relates t their environment. While frogs require proximity to aquatic environments, the majority of their prey exists in territorial species.

This is why adult frogs generally feed on beetles, insects of the Hymeniotera order (wasps, bee, ants, etc.), lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and diptera (flies, gladflies, mosquitos, etc.). They may also consume worms, small fish and snails. If the wild frog is large enough (or the animal is small enough), they can eat rodents and other mammals. The largest frogs can eat birds and may even resort to cannibalism.

How do frogs eat?

Frogs do not have teeth, so you may wonder how they managed to devour such prey. There are a few ways, but they will generally eat their prey whole. As most frogs are camouflaged, they will hide in their surroundings to catch prey and use the element of surprise. Some frogs will see the prey and open their mouths. They may grab their prey with their hands, close their mouths over it or use a combination of both. Since they have no way of chewing, they will need to clamp down on their prey and suffocate them. Eating prey whole is the reason their eyes bugle so much when they eat.

Some frogs have an extra long tongue and will use this in their methods of catching prey. When they see the prey from a certain distance, they will open their mouths and extend their tongue until it hits he prey. The tongue is sticky and the prey recoils directly back into their mouth.

What do water frogs eat?

There are some frogs which spend the majority of their time in the water. Since a frog's diet will depend on their environment, this means water frogs will generally eat small fish, water worms, insect larvae or anything which may fall in the water. Water frogs may also eat the frogspawn of other frogs for sustenance.

Among the water frogs, the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis), especially its albino version, are becoming popular as pets. These frogs are native to Africa and like to live in muddy areas under water. They get their na from the three claws on their hind legs which they use to eat prey. Part of their popularity is the fact they can live for up to 30 years.