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.