Cane Toad care

[toadstillcane]

i only give them as a treat and i have also came across several references that states coco fiber is not favored by this species these guys are unlike frogs in huge ways. Coco fiber is best for many species of frog and toads but coco fiber which may not hurt is not the recommend environment . I am sure many cane toad owners may agree. I think i have these guys down thanks. And sorry if i did not specify mammals as a treat my bad on that part. You want as much of a natural environment as possible try looking up there natural environment and let me know what you find. And for the top soil i use i have a sure method of treating it for parasites and other junk. as well as where i get if from. also i don't use top soil. I do not believe I mentioned top soil. Rocks and top soil are not the same thing. My toads are stapled on roaches i give 5 small mice once a month if that along with every one of my frogs i own. Now what toadstillcane suggested, yes too much protein can and will cause a variety of issues even many he did not state. But I never said i stapled them. Does anybody see anything i mentioned in my statement, a staple of mice and rats? And its funny people say that they get info from breeders. Well i know several breeders who give in conclusive information and sometimes flat out bad info. Nice reference toadstillcane... next time lets find something solid instead of being a mockery.
I do not take one persons word or one reference and run with it I take many and with this species i have scrutinized dozens from experts. I love my pets and i research there health and well being much more then you have i bet. Before you start tearing apart other peoples advice maybe you should do a little more in depth research and please avoid putting words in their mouths.

And Caspian if you lived in San Diego i would have a beer waiting for you.

PLEASE SHOW evidence to show taht toads or frogs are not good in eco earth or coco husk please Also have you tried top soil yes ive tried it but at least ive tried more then i can say for you also if its not coco earth or compost or top soil what are you using please see i asked you questions but youre here to argue with me how childish sir i didnt get my information from a breeder you fool i put the book story teller what i had heard as it dsaid in it my african bull frog shuold be fed on mice as a diet ill put in evidence of others that are now sayin its bad also you said you wouldnt give your frog mice lmao this is not a competition who s read more you tubed more i have had an have many pets snakes toads dogs an frogs pity you couldnt answer my questions just *****

[toadstillcane]

no i dont have reading problems just spelling and grammar problems but im having a valid topic discussion with evidence if neeeded also im trying to talk to both of you as youre both talking about it to me and im trying to reason with you both its the lipids fat that is bad for frogs toads an snakes sir especially corns an kings an pythons so why is my info the info on the worm no good when he could catch it also and pepole own 10 to 20 feet snakes with children an dogs and cats you see your treating me like a newbie which in a way i am but doesnt mean i dont know **** as i know some things clearly im not on about protein silly fat deposits now your the one who s not read my posts proper carbs protein fat and amino acids oh getting a little to technical but you get my drift you see to much of any thing is bad sir its a balanced diet that they need but aggain some here put dog food in as well is that natural sir

[toadstillcane]

Crickets are favored insects for feeding frogs, but they soon tire of them if given too many. Too many crickets in a frog's diet also can cause digestive problems because crickets contain "chitin," the same bio-compound in human nails and hair. Frogs that ingest too much chitin can develop "impaction," which is difficult to cure and almost always causes death. To prevent this, alternate the frog's diet with flies and other soft-bodied insects does this include toads lol so yes to much can kill see you dont know everything ive learnt a valuable lesson as i was giving my toads 2 boxes of crickets 1 box hoppers and calci worms a week but this is for 2 toads as ive just got them mybe im feeding to much my abf is on worms with caclicum and d3 now they have settled in im now going to feed them with throngs so i know what they are eating also i weigh mine you see i do have a valid topic or arguement with you moderation

[toadstillcane]

go here as its asying that they can be given as main diet Frog Forum - Pacman and Horned Frogs - Ceratophrys - Care and Breeding


every one is misleading and everyone s got a diferent opinion im taking in little bits of each thing i read and working out which is best for my animals also had a tortoise a rat a mouse or mice and dogs budgies lol rabbits ferrets

[demon amphibians]

I know what your saying. And yes a variety is the best especially for cane toads. Now crickets are nothing compared to roaches when it comes to nutrition. Worms such as earth worms are more rich in nutrition then roaches are also good for frogs and toads alike. But cane toads specifically love them if they can get them in there mouths they are so slimy that there long tongues cant grasp. Now frogs will lung and bite them which makes it easier for them to eat them. Mice can cause impaction because of there fur. and crickets can also cause this with there indigestible chitin. For my frogs they do not get crickets. I only give them to my cane toads because i want them to have a variety. Now there is no harm in giving your frogs mice as a treat or a supplement. I am sure any of the mods on here will agree. It is when people staple their phibs on them is when they start having problems. I would never staple my frogs or toads on mice. But i do supplement because every species i have are very large and in small quantities it is perfectly healthy. Now when i see a fat frog being fed mice i find it outright sickening because there are many people out there get entertainment out of it.

Now coco fiber is a great bedding i am not down sizing it. I keep my ABF's and American bullfrogs in it and for my frogs it is the best stuff out there. they love it. Now Cane toads require a different environment than frogs. cane toads are a much dryer climate species. Now coco fiber will work for them, what i am saying is that they prefer a rocky substrate over it. And unlike frogs it is safer for the cane toad because they have much better coordination when it comes to getting what they want in there mouths so there is much lesser chance of them eating the rocks and getting impaction.

Now calling people a fool and such is not an appropriate response to someone you disagree with. I mean none of us regardless of how long we have kept frogs and pets can consider our selves experts in the area. I mean we may have a certain level of knowledge but not all species are the same. And i do agree Americans have an attitude but i have traveled to well over 40 different countries all around the world in my life and trust the attitude is found in all of them. except japan. japan is the friendliest country i have ever experienced. lol. So if we can, lets not point fingers and try to learn something from one another.

[Gnag the nameless]

You bet you love you're animals more then me and you've done more searching then me know more haha I dont take one persons word you FOOLISH PRAT well you're looking a PLEB I've done years of reasonable research on phibs snakes dogs arrogant you are mate typical of a yank

I'm sorry I haven't checked up on this thread recently.

toadstillcane, due to your needless and rude insults toward Demon Amphibians, I am alerting John Clare, founder of the frog forum, as well as the moderators of your rudeness towards a kind and respectable member of this forum. They will decide the next best course of action.

I agree that you should be able to agree, disagree, and state your opinion, but if you are unable to do it in a respectful and civil manner you will subsequently have your account permanently banned from this forum.

[toadstillcane]

Thank you for your valid input im waiting on my tanks being built by a forum's member as it is 3ft by 2ft by 2ft I will do 3 1 ft divides 1 woody 2 rocky sandy 3 water and the substrate I will keep moist and then a drier side I am in process of making up my own substrates from mixture of compost eco earth and bark chips leaf mould stones plant inside mybe top soil just a little an hides as well cork bark you will be impressed how hard im trying

[toadstillcane]

I'm sorry I haven't checked up on this thread recently.

toadstillcane, due to your needless and rude insults toward Demon Amphibians, I am alerting John Clare, founder of the frog forum, as well as the moderators of your rudeness towards a kind and respectable member of this forum. They will decide the next best course of action.

I agree that you should be able to agree, disagree, and state your opinion, but if you are unable to do it in a respectful and civil manner you will subsequently have your account permanently banned from this forum.

The only thing I can say in my defence is that I have been off my medicine's proof of illness if needed can be shown to the manger or forum admin im sorry will not happen im not trying to excuse my behaviour im truly sorry for the utter disregard an disrespectful manner if I offended my embarrassed mind is enough punishment as is my shame again apologies

[demon amphibians]

Thank you for your valid input im waiting on my tanks being built by a forum's member as it is 3ft by 2ft by 2ft I will do 3 1 ft divides 1 woody 2 rocky sandy 3 water and the substrate I will keep moist and then a drier side I am in process of making up my own substrates from mixture of compost eco earth and bark chips leaf mould stones plant inside mybe top soil just a little an hides as well cork bark you will be impressed how hard im trying

what i do is i took a 40 gal tank and put a brand new kitty letter box at one end i put rocks and gravel in the bottom to simulate a river bed. I think this box can hold about 2 gal. then i filled the rest of the tank to the top of the litter box with goldfish gravel. (thoroughly cleaned of course) then i just added larger rocks and use branches to make plenty of hiding places. I tried aquatic plants but i failed miserably at keeping them alive so i just used fake plants throughout the tank. Hopefully you have a better green thumb then i do. I use the litter box because i do not have a filtration system ( when i first got my toads i found out that they are wild caught so i wanted as little stress as possible. So i just clean it out every couple of days. Now on the dry side you could use the eco earth maybe under a log or a plant it will give them a good place to burrow. for the bark chips. with frogs it is recommended that you do not use them. But given the differences between toads and frogs you should not have a problem with them ingesting any. I think you have a great set up. But just keep in mind if you mix anything with gravel cleaning will be quite the pain. But with luck and a large enough water pool they will do all their defecating in the water making your life much easier.

Even though i use a 40 gal tank i still believe it is to small for these guys as you already know they get freaking huge. while they are small what you have should suffice but when they start growing a large tank will be necessary for the both of us for two full grown cane toads i think that a tank of 60 gal should be appropriate.

I think you already mentioned it but how many toads do you have?

[demon amphibians]

Now for lung worms i will elaborate a little of what i know about them. lung worm can kill your frogs and toads simple as that and you will never even know they have lung worm. I am not aware of the treatments for it. But I do know that they are rare. They are carried in snails and slugs as well as fresh water crabs. Lung worm is said to be eradicated in the continental U.S. However lung worm is found in many Asian country's. Lung worm can effect pets such as dogs, cats, fish, frogs, toads and even us. I do know lung worm is very dangerous to humans and can be treated. Where we encounter lung worm is when we have frogs shipped from country's where lung worm is found. Now if you have a CB frog in the use or even the D.R. and you do feed your toads snails chances are they wont catch lung worm BUT there are plenty of other parasites to take its place.

[froglover9]

Good choice in picking toads. i have a male and a female. My female eats a lot. It eats more then my pixie and my American bullfrog and is growing faster then any frog or toad species i own. They do tend to eat smaller prey compared to my other frogs. my pixie will eat mid sized rats. My cane toad wont go after a full grown mouse. but it will eat 4-5 hoppers each feeding. even though a cane toad will eat smaller prey then a frog of the same size it will still eat the same weight in food. It is very important to give them a wide variety of food. This is the case for any frog or toad but for cane toads it is particularly important. In the wild they can eat up too 500 different types of food in one night. I feed mine Madagascar hissing roaches, dubia roaches, crickets (gut loaded and dusted) small mice maybe hopper and fuzzy size, moths and rolly polly's. I also feed them spiders that i catch around my house they love these, but there all time favorite food are moths. because they eat so much culturing your own toad food would be the cheapest idea. They will also eat dog food and raw meat. I read on a care sheet that you can feed them strips of steak but i have yet to try that. I am not recommending it but it might be something worth researching. Dusting food is important to prevent bone lose.

For the habitat. The bigger the tank the better i use a 40 gal tank and that is a bit small for this species. Care sheets say to use coco fiber. I tried it and my toads didn't like it one bit. Best thing to do is mimic there natural habitat use gravel, rocks branches and plenty of plants and hiding spots. For the water dish something they have room to move in and at least 4 inches deep. For temp between 70 and 80 F would be fine although I recommend lower 70's. For humidity these are some dry climate toads so they don't need much. Misting there tank once a week to every couple of days would be fine depending on how dry of climate you live in.

Cane toads are believed to be the hardiest species of amphibian in the world they can handle chlorinated water (however i recommend treated water). They have even been found swimming in salt water. They are super easy to care for and it is hard to kill these guys. So long as they feel comfortable in there surroundings they will eat and eat and eat until they are the size of a chicken. The largest specimen ever caught is bigger than the Goliath frog. If you want yours to get super big a female is the route to go. As you probably already know males don't get tvery big.

For sexing the babies sorry i cant help you there. The coloration and the shape of the head is how you would tell but i don't know what age it becomes noticeable.

Cane toads are some of my favorite toads because they are hardy and bold. While they are big, they aren't very active, so they need a reletively small tank. If they are housed in a to big aquarium, they may have indinfood and they may get lost. A 20 or 30 gallon tank is good for one adult. While top soil is a good natural substrate, these are very messy toads and I reccommend damp paper towels instead. I keep my canes in 30 gallon tanks with a paper towell substrate and multiple hides and it works well with my toads. I feed my toads gut-loaded crickets and earthworms. I use vitamin supplements regularilly. I offer mine pinkey mice once or twice a month on tongs to vary their diet. I don't reccommend any more than that as it can lead to obesity.

[demon amphibians]

That's odd your toads are not very active. mine are more active then even my American bullfrog and if anyone knows them they are always out and about. A 20 to 30 gal tank is sufficient for babies but when they start reaching 5 to 6 inches it is time to upgrade. A cane toad full grown will have a hard time even turning around in a 20 gal tank. You have to remember this is the largest toad in the world And rule of thumb the larger the toad the more space is required. Now they do not require as much space as an American bullfrog which will need A 75-100 gal tank I think a 60 gal may be sufficient for two full grown toads. Any more then that you will need more space.

Can toads do require a good amount of calcium so it is good to be supplementing regularly.

Something good to remember about the cane toad is unlike frogs they hunt with smell meaning they will even go after a bug that is not moving i have personally seen this happen on several accounts. Which is a good reason they have been found to eat dog food placed out in peoples yards making them a threat to pets. I wouldn't go feeding your toads dog food don't get me wrong. Unlike a pacman or a pixie which do not need a lot of space because they will just sit and wait for there food to come to them. Cane toads will go out and hunt for there food. Now as for pinky mice they contain more fatty lipids per weight then a more mature mouse such as a hopper. To much of this will cause obesity but remember these toads are more active then most other large bodied frogs so it will take a lot more to make them obese but none the less you don't want an obese toad. Also in my research on the nutritional value of mice, pinkies have been found to have a dangerous from of calcium deposits that can cause liver illness in frogs and toads. However the information on that matter was inconclusive. The hair on the mouse as mentioned many times in this thread can cause impaction in amphibians but with this particular toad impaction is much lesser of a threat then most other species but it is always good to be cautious. If feeding as treats once or maybe even twice a month a full grown mouse fed to a 7 inch cane toad, the risk of impaction is almost non existent. However if you staple your toad on mice the risk of impaction isn't a matter of if it will happen, it is when.