Hey guys, new to the forum and seeking advice. Recently I collected and raised some E. American/Fowler’s toad tadpoles, I believe around 24? Anyway, I released the majority and still have 3, which I plan on keeping as pets. I have reptiles but these little dudes are my first time keeping toads. They are about 3-5 days old (metamorphosed?) and all currently housed in a critter keeper to make finding prey easier, which are pinheads (waiting on ff cultures to start producing too) and have moist paper towels as a temp substrate. I’ve attached a pic below. They are active and have seemingly voracious appetites. I also have springtails available but have not tried them yet.
And so I have a few questions: are paper towels an alright substrate until they get a bit bigger? I thought this would give prey less places to hide but I’ve heard they can contain harmful bleaching agents. I have coco fiber and sphagnum moss available, should I go ahead and use this instead and add springtails? I’m worried about impaction.
I’ve been dusting and putting maybe 10-15 pinheads in the enclosure a day. Is this enough? Is it possible to overfeed at this age? Also, are dubias acceptable as a staple once they're large enough? i really hate crickets and have a small dubia colony in the works.
Another question related to feeding: one of the three toads is somewhat smaller than the others. I’ve attributed it to being a day younger than the others, which is possible but I’m also worried about the others taking all the food. Should I separate the smaller one until they are more established?
Sorry for the long post! Thanks for reading and I appreciate any advice.
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Last edited by butchblues; June 2nd, 2019 at 06:43 PM.
I'd say that you are on the right track, however it is important for them to have someplace to burrow. A pile of sphagnum moss in a corner should do the trick. If it were me, I'd do a substrate of coco fiber/moss rather than the paper towel. It's also important for them to have a moisture gradient- a damp area to hydrate, and a dry area. American toads should not be kept wet.
Regarding feeding- at this size, feed them as much as they will eat, as often as you can. They will grow faster, and be able to eat larger prey sooner. I don't believe there is such a thing as overfeeding when they are small. Dusted fruit flies and bean beetles are also good food sources for the tiny ones.
Thank you, I've given them the means to burrow now. These guys seem to grow at a crazy pace
Thought I'd update, these little toads are doing great and putting on some serious growth!
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