Dart frogs are food lovers. If they seem to not eating food that’s a clear sign of something wrong with the frog.
It’s crucial to find out why the dart frog has lost interest in food. The reason can be stress, hibernation mood, viral infection from another frog, or bacterial infection.
You can find the reason by inspecting these problems in your dart frog. So you need to know a bit of detail about these factors. In this article, I will fully unfold why your dart frog is not eating. Let’s go to the main subject!
Dart Frog Not Eating: [What Could Be The Reasons?]
Image Credit: Instagram, dart_frogs_friends
After intensive research, I’ve found 6 reasons your cute pet might stop eating. Let’s have a look at these reasons…
1. The Frog Is Stressed
Stress plays a big role in the loss of appetite in your dart frog. As a result, it might stop eating at all. As an owner, this thing should pop up instantly every time you notice the frog not eating any food. Stressed dart frogs may lose their appetite and stop eating. This can be caused by a number of factors.
Let’s have an eye on those factors..
A. Overcrowding
Provide a larger tank or vivarium. If your frog feels cramped, it may become stressed. Giving them more space to move around will help reduce their stress levels. So you can’t overcrowd the dart frog vivarium.
If you want to keep multiple frogs then make sure to provide each of them with at least 5-10 gallons for smooth movement.
B. Abnormal temperature & humidity
Also, make sure the temperature and humidity in their vivarium are at optimal levels. Too much or too little of either can cause stress. If the temperature becomes less than 74 degrees Fahrenheit and more than 85 degrees Fahrenheit then it would create excessive stress. Thus they don’t eat.
So there’s little room for any overheating and hypothermia ( instant fall of temperature) in the dart frog tank. If in case the humidity level does not remain more than 80% and becomes drier then the dart frog will put a red flag on the food.
C. Too much handling
Handle them gently and less often. Over-handling can be stressful for your frog, so try to limit it to once a week or less. Let them approach you on their own terms instead of scooping them up every time you want to hold them.
D. The improper ratio of male & female
Ensure they are not bullied by other frogs, which could cause stress. You must make sure there are more males than females. Or else the female frog will fight violently and might stop eating after being attacked.
E. Fear of people
Provide hiding places. Frogs feel safer when they have somewhere to hide away from potential threats. Provide some rocks, plants, or other objects that they can use for shelter.
2. Hibernation
Undoubtedly hibernation is one of the striking reasons why the dart frog shows zero interest in food. These colorful creatures go into hibernation due to conserve energy while slowing down their metabolism at the lowest level.
Though all the dart frog does not go for hibernation, some of the species can do that when feel highly stressed. So it would be quite helpful if you know the signs of hibernation of dart frogs then you can detect it easily.
These signs include –
- Seems to act like a frog that is living dead
- No breathing at all
- Fall of heartbeat
- With the tank’s increased temperature, the dart frog immediately responds and becomes active.
If it’s the case then you don’t need to fret about it. Because it’s manageable.
3. Viral infection
The strongest sign of a sick dart frog is it stops eating. Along with that, you might notice unusual behavior of the frog. Even if you take total care of your dart frog, it might catch the sickness. In some cases, in a group dart frog tank, one frog might get sick due to the transmission of viral infection from other frogs.
So you need to be agile to detect the sick dart frog. Symptoms of viral infection include…
- Zero consumption of food
- Getting soaked water too much compared to the normal level
- Weird spots or marks on the frog skin
- Listless looks
- Highly inactive
Make sure to check them frequently for their good health. If you notice any of this make an appointment with a veterinarian to find out the reason for not eating.
4. Bacterial Infection
A poison dart frog’s health can be in danger if a bacterial infection goes untreated. Conditions like these are often caught in the wild, but can also happen while in captivity. If your frog isn’t eating, it could be a sign that something is wrong and it might catch a bacterial infection.
Bacterial infections are serious and can be deadly if not treated promptly. Some common signs of infection include:
- Lethargy or lack of appetite
- Discoloration/Lump on the skin
- Sores or ulcers
- Foggy eyes
- Unusual behavior or movement
- Rapid weight loss
If you notice any of these signs along with no eating, take your frog to the vet as soon as possible. Antibiotics will likely be required to clear the infection.
5. Your Dart Frog is Not Hungry!
The reason could be as simple as the frog not being hungry! To keep the frog healthy you need to know it’s feeding portion and frequency. You can do some research on the particular species you are keeping or ask a vet to know how much and how frequently you should feed it.
Sometime dart frogs can go days without eating. Observe the situation carefully to know what’s going on.
6. Wrong Food
As a frog owner it is essential to know the preferred types of food of your dart frog. Dart frogs love to prey live foods. So you should give it live food to stimulate it’s natural instinct. Not giving what it prefers could be the reason your frog not eating.
Learn more about your dart frog diet from this article.
Final words
As you saw there are not too many things that impact the eating habit of your dart frog. So, keep your frog under proper check and use the knowledge to find out the underlying reasons.
I expect you will be able to find out and get back the frog on into its normal feeding mood.
