American Toad Size?

[AlanLynch]

So my pet is a female American Toad and she's only two and a half inches, she's only a year old but when I got her she was about 1 inch or smaller. Is this too small? What's wrong? Why hasn't she been growing? (P.S. she's on a diet mostly of earthworms from outside she will occasionally eat millipedes, pill bugs, and meal worms though.)

[yoshimi]

2.5 is fine. She's probably still growing. I think girls are usually 2.5 to 3.5. Banjo is just shy of 3in. And that happened recently. Do you dust her worms with calcium/d3?

[AlanLynch]

No, she just eats regular worms. I don't have the kind of money to buy her special things. I get her necessities and some nice things. I would spoil her if I had money

[yoshimi]

Oh. I used to sell feeders to finance toad things. Can't do that anymore. :/ But earthworms are a good staple. Pill bugs might be a good source of calcium. They need it for their little bones and I guess deficiencies can be pretty nasty. But because it sounds like you collect from outside, it's about what'd she'd be eating out there. And you know she wouldn't stop to shake up a bug in a supplement. Funny thought tho.

[yoshimi]

And I should add that the guy I got Ukulele from got her feeders from outside, gave me a long list of things she's eaten. Crickets from pet store when he couldn't find anything. He didn't use supplements and I'm fairly sure he didn't treat her water either, and he had her for 3.5yrs. She grew only 1/4in but she's full size (little over 3in) so I'm guessing her age as 4.5-5yrs old. She's perfect, aside from that missing finger. Now she gets what Banjo gets. She doesn't seem to mind the supplement tastes, so that's good.
Not sure how old you are, (doesn't matter), but she should still be with you when you have your own cash flow, and less time to collect from outside. Luckily, things like water conditioner and supplements aren't that pricey and go far. Sounds like you spoil her pretty well.

[AlanLynch]

The only thing is though my toad doesn't really like to eat pillbugs. She wont eat them unless thats the only thing she has. However she will eat millipedes which are the black one hndred leggers and they have a hard shell which is probably good.

[yoshimi]

The only thing is though my toad doesn't really like to eat pillbugs. She wont eat them unless thats the only thing she has. However she will eat millipedes which are the black one hndred leggers and they have a hard shell which is probably good.

Pill bugs are isopods and crustaceans (weird, right?) that's why their shells have the calcium. millipedes are not crustaceans so the shell is probably akin to mealworm or darkling beetle exoskeltons; not so easy to digest for a toothless critter but likely fun to eat. Probably looks like a worm to them.
Try to give her a few days of just the pill bugs maybe? I think they actually eat poop (could be wrong on that, but i want some if that's the case), tho that sounds crazy to be feeding to a pet. "here ya go doll, i gutloaded it with your own poop..." I used to find them in MD and put them in my pockets as a little kid, along with anything and everything else. Loved the way they rolled into little balls. I remember my dismay to discover I'd absentmindedly fiddled with "jimmy" the pill bug and tore him apart, thinking it was lint or something. Built a town for some earthworms and was surprised to come back the next day and find no one there. I was an odd little kid who grew into an odd adult.
I should go collect some pillbugs and earthworms from the yard before I'm trespassing.. I have two frowny mouths to feed now, and twice the poo to clean up.

Back to original topic, if you found her as an inch or smaller, and have had her for less than a year, then she might be under than a year old. In that case, still growing. Even if she doesn't, it's nothing to worry about. She might just be petite. Dainty little lady.

No luck on the acquisition of boy toad? (if that wasn't you, sorry, but i thought you mentioned it)

[AlanLynch]

Im trying to aquire a male toad, yes.

[AlanLynch]

Also, Im a huge entomologist and Im pretty sure pillbugs are the only crustaceans who dont need a body of water.

[yoshimi]

Also, Im a huge entomologist and Im pretty sure pillbugs are the only crustaceans who dont need a body of water.

They need moisture/humidity tho right? I love bugs too, but far from an entomologist. I only stomp them at work, but it's a restaurant so not much of a choice there...
When finding pill bugs outside, best places to look? Under semi-wet driftwood? Or just dig? They're pricey to purchase online.

*i just googled it and there were good suggestions on where to look and how to attract them. watering a shady area and covering with plastic or cardboard should attract them and i'd think earthworms too. Awesome!

[Heatheranne]

Hello Logan, and welcome.

I just wanted to let you know that your toad you will need some calcium with vitamin D3 supplement. Without it she will eventually develop issues, illness, deformities, muscular issues, and death. Look up Metabolic Bone Disease in amphibians. if you cant find it and want to read about it, let me know and ill link some data to you. The supplements are fairly inexpensive...only a few dollars, and can be found in the reptile section of a pet store. You should also get a reptile/amphibian multivitamin supplement. Feed insects with light dusting of the calcium with vitamin D3 every other day and food with light dusting of MVI one day a week, to ensure good health. Offer food nightly. Be cautious with feeding insects with hard segments. The hard chitin in their segments is passed through the intestines of the toads/frogs undigested, which can cause constipation and impaction. Worms are very nutritious and easier to digest.

Is there any way you could get the necessary supplements?

[yoshimi]

Online with a discount code, $15 would get calcium/d3, vitamin powder, and water conditioner, shipped via fedex or ups. The chain pet stores have rewards cards that save you $ on purchases. My bank is currently offering 10% cash back at one of them (my bank is awesome). There are ways to get this stuff on the cheap. I've offered to donate water treatment to Lola, but I believe he's using rain water now. Offer still stands.

It IS important, but I remember being young and broke. Now I'm old(er) and broke. Maybe we should take up a collection. I dunno, but Lola is so cute. I would really hate to read later that she'd having problems.

[AlanLynch]

Well I do need to go to petco to get dirt so Ill try to get all that stuff?

[yoshimi]

Well I do need to go to petco to get dirt so Ill try to get all that stuff?

Pet Supplies - Pet Products - Pet Food | Petco.com if that link works to shopping cart, i went through to see kinda what it'd cost there... for kicks. not perfect, but the 3-brick of ecoearth compressed coconut fiber (not husk) is a better deal (one brick is half the price), get calcium with d3 and reptivite or similar without d3. don't use them on the same days. the vitamin supplement might be more expensive but it'll go further cuz you'll use it less. the repti-calcium is a pretty big jar, will last a long time, great for earthworms. of course those brands aren't must-haves but they're good to compare. and getting a petperks card will save you i think 5%? then they'll email you another coupon i believe, for next time.
i just love saving money.

this is for the place i purchased my toady things from but the selections have changed. the substrates are the same i think, just different brands. http://www.wag.com/shoppingcart.qs

[AlanLynch]

Well I'll definetley get spring water but do I really need this vitamin stuff I mean, they live out in the wild without it and my toad is wild caught...

[yoshimi]

Well I'll definetley get spring water but do I really need this vitamin stuff I mean, they live out in the wild without it and my toad is wild caught...

She's WC but we can't entirely replicate what they'd eat or do outside. Vit A deficiencies can affect their ability to catch prey and calcium deficiencies can cause them to lose use of limbs. I've never witnessed it, but I've read many accounts herpetologists and pet owners alike that were truly awful. Never wanted to chance it. Captive toads should have vitamin d3 (important for people too), whether you take them out during the day or not.
Their exact requirements aren't known, but what can happen without supplements has been documented. Not over or under-doing it, following the guidelines, ensures you're giving her the best care possible. The longest and healthiest life you can. It can sound like a scam for overly cautious pet owners, but taking away the threat of predators won't mean anything if their health fails because of something preventable. Could be the difference between a lifespan of 5yrs or 40.
As long as supplements aren't overdone, there's little risk, only very real benefit.
My bf constantly picks on me about how much my "free" toad turned out not to cost. It's not all that much, but he's a dink. <3 The arguments for supplements are valid, and worth the cost to avoid even pricier vet bills or total premature and preventable heartbreak.

[yoshimi]

It's GREAT that you collect her food from outside, but over the winter or with a busy schedule, it's just not always possible.

I feel like the only way to justify keeping my Banjo in a tank after being plucked from outside, as not being selfish, is to do everything I can to keep her happy and healthy.

[AlanLynch]

Yeah I aleays kinda feel bad that I took an animal from outside and now the toad probably hates me but I think that it was a good thing for her, I mean shes safe now but she probably doesnt know that. By the way can I feed Lola grasshoppers?

[yoshimi]

as long as they're not too big, i think so.

[AlanLynch]

Aw man... I was gonna feed her the 2 inch ones....