Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: American Toad with Weird Poop

  1. #1

    Default American Toad with Weird Poop

    Hello! This is D.va, and lately she's been having some pretty funky poops, but no other apparent issues. She's as active as usual, has no problems moving around, and has an incredible appetite. If it weren't for (only some of) her poops coming out rather white and extra mucus-y, she'd be pretty normal otherwise.



    : "I'm a medical mystery"

    What I'm thinking might have happened is this: A couple months back, she ate a piece of white sphagnum moss (maybe about 1" or so long), probably thinking it was a dusted worm. I removed all of the sphagnum moss immediately after I saw that happen, and replaced it with green "terrarium moss" that she isn't interested in. I was worried about possible impaction, but her next several poops after that were completely normal, and one was gigantic, so I figured it had passed somewhere along the way. I'm wondering now if it hadn't passed at all, or only partially passed, and the rest of it is now coming out in pieces.

    Below are pictures of the poop, taken a few days apart each. The first one is forked/Y-shaped, which is why I started wondering if it was moss. The second was normal except for being extra mucus-y. The third one is from today. The white poops were very flexible and floated freely when the water bowl was moved. She's also had at least one other completely normal poop.




    Below are some pictures of her I've taken over the past couple days. She looks about the same as ever, but I'm posting them in case there's something I'm overlooking that might be more obvious to someone else. Her coloration is paler than it used to be, but that happened around the start of spring, so I figured it's due to the changing weather.



    And last pictures, the average temp/humidity and her current tank setup, in case that might be relevant. The empty bottom-right corner is where her water bowl usually sits.



    Finally! While trying to google an answer to "weird toad poop", I did find this list of questions on another thread here, so here's my answers to them

    1----what 'kind' of frog is it ( what species): 95% sure she's Eastern American
    2----please include a photo of the frog
    3----Please include a photo of the frog's current enclosure
    4----size of enclosure ( W" x D" x H" ): Roughly 30" L x 13" W x 13" H; 20 gallon
    5----# on inhabitants - ( if there is another frog --- is there a size difference ? ): It's just her in there. The house does have a dog and cat, but they don't have any close interactions. Occasionally the cat stands up against the dresser the tank is on to see what's inside, but otherwise ignores her completely.
    6----has or was the frog kept with a different species or with any other tank mate: No, never
    7----is there a new tank mate----was the new tank mate quarantined: n/a
    8----what is the typical humidity level
    9----what temperature is maintained
    10---what is, specifically, being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure: Room temperature. There's a heater attached to the glass beneath the thermometer on the left side for extra warmth. Summer months, there's an a/c in the room, during winter she gets her own additional space heater pointed toward the right side.
    11---describe the enclosure lighting ( very specifically): Her tank is right next to an east-facing window, and opposite a west-facing window on the far end of the room. I turn the overhead room light on when I get home from work until bed time, but I shut it off for her if I'm going to be staying up late. There's a hanging UV lamp (gives off little to no heat) above the center of the tank. This gets turned on for about 1 - 2 hours on days where she does not have her food dusted with calcium/vitamin D powder
    12---describe enclosure maintenance ( water changes, cleaning etc): Water is changed daily, and the dish is rinsed under steaming hot water for several minutes to clean; dried completely before being returned to the tank. Moss is lifted up to look for obvious poop daily. Excess supplement powder & worm guts are wiped off with clean water as needed. A sifting scoop is used to look for buried poop every other day. Moss and about 1/2 total dirt (the top layer) is replaced every 2 - 3 weeks. The entire enclosure gets a full cleaning (fully emptied, disinfected, all decorations rinsed under steaming water and air-dried) every 4 - 6 weeks, but almost always by the 5th.
    13---what kind of water is used: Bottled spring water for soaking and misting.
    14---material(s) used for substrate - be very specific: Eco Earth, the very fine, ground up coconut dust. On top of that is a layer of "Terrarium Moss"; it comes in a green box with a picture of a frog on it.
    15---enclosure set up: Plants are all plastic, except for the purple one at the back which is plastic and fabric. D.va ignores all of them except for the blue one at the front-left, which she likes to sit (and pee...) on daily. Water dish is made from a solid ABS plastic. The rock bowl in the back and large "mountain" are plastic. The mountain is hollow and dark on the inside. Background decorations are on the outside of the tank: a natural jungle scene on the back wall and partially on the left end, and on the right is a sheet of craft/scrapbooking paper with a top-down view photo of a tree trunk printed on it.
    16---when is the last time the frog ate: Tonight, 1 nightcrawler cut into bite-size pieces.
    17---have you found poop lately
    18---how often is the frog fed: About 3 - 4 times per week, depending on what she's eaten recently, if she's been slightly constipated, etc.
    19---what size feeder is given: Average sized nightcrawler, cut into ~1" chunks
    20---what other feeders are used as treats: About twice per month she'll get a few superworms. Once per month, I'll dump a dozen small crickets inside for her to chase down. During winter - early spring only, waxworms get added in, a few of them twice per month. Every 2 - 3 months I manage to find very small baby hornworms at the pet store and I'll give her one of those, but they're usually way too big for her.
    21---what is the frog's main food source: Nightcrawlers
    22---do feeders roam free in the enclosure or is the frog bowl fed: Everything except the crickets gets placed either in her bowl or on her "mountain"
    23---vitamins - what brand and how often: Rep-Cal Herptivite with Beta Carotene, once per week.
    24---calcium - what brand and how often: Rep-Cal Phosphorus-Free Calcium with Vitamin D3, Ultrafine powder, 2 - 3 times per week
    25---was the frog without calcium for any period of time: No, she gets it pretty regularly
    26---approximate age of the frog: 1 year, or close to it
    27---how long have you owned the frog: 1 year this August
    28---who cared for the frog before you: No one
    29---is the frog wild caught or captive bred: Wild caught
    30---how often the frog is handled -- are gloves used ( what kind of gloves): Yes, gloves are always used. Latex-free nitrile, un-powdered.
    31---is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area: Low traffic. Only myself and the cat have access to this room. The cat mostly ignores her. D.va does the "yummy food i want to eat that" toe tapping dance when she sees the cat. She's... she's not too bright.
    30---has or was the frog properly quarantined (yes or no): Not sure if this was necessary; if you think it is, please let me know how to properly quarantine her and for how long. I have a 10 gal tank available from when she was tiny if needed.
    32---has the frog been treated with any medication: No, not sure if this is necessary. Previously had some honey baths when she was younger, but otherwise just her vitamins.



    Thanks for reading all of this; hopefully it's nothing too serious, but I've never had an amphibian before and am a bit at a loss. The nearest vet that treats amphibians is about a 3 hour drive away, so I'd like to be more certain about all of this before I schedule a day off from work. u__u If anyone can think of anything, or notices any glaring issues, please let me know!
    Last edited by coracoidal; June 26th, 2019 at 12:40 AM. Reason: hopefully fixed images

  2. # ADS
    Circuit advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Posts
    Many
     

  3. #2

    Default Re: American Toad with Weird Poop

    Hi there,

    First off, nice toad! It is good that your toad is active normal and still has an appetite.I have seen white and mushy bowel movements in the past with one of my toads. This was because I was feeding calcium dusted nightcrawlers for a brief week. The nightcrawlers are very watery and cause this to happen sometimes. Usually harder bodied insects such as crickets, mealworms etc produce firmer stool. Its entirely up to you as to how you go about feeding your toad but I would just alternate between nightcrawlers and calcium dusted crickets on regular basis. Hopefully this is all that is going on with your toad

  4. #3

    Default Re: American Toad with Weird Poop

    Hi! I don't know what others might say, but those poops look fine to me. The extra mucus is probably due to the large intake of nightcrawlers, but it also could be from overdusting. The one regular poop means that parasites or infection aren't likely an issue. Just in case, have you noticed any red discoloration on her? Look carefully on her belly and see if it is any different; if it is, I might suspect infection. I seriously doubt that she has parasites (you can usually find them in the feces), but if you are worried, feed her a couple of black soldier fly larva and she should be fine. One other question; how old are your supplements? If they are over a year old, I might suspect they have expired. Other than that, as long as she is eating healthy and seems to be active, I wouldn't say you need to go in to see a vet. If you are still concerned, I know you can buy small kits to collect fresh fecal matter and have them analyzed at a lab for a small price (Josh's frogs stocks these kits). Best of luck, hope everything goes well!!!

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Weird light colored gelatinous poop
    By cwebster in forum Pacman Frogs
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: February 7th, 2019, 09:22 PM
  2. Wanted: (Bufo americanus) Eastern American Toad, or American Toad
    By yoshimi in forum For Sale/Trade
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: September 11th, 2015, 08:15 PM
  3. weird growth on my American Green
    By nryland in forum Forum Questions & Workings
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: January 26th, 2014, 05:28 AM
  4. Replies: 0
    Last Post: January 24th, 2013, 07:58 AM
  5. South American Bird Poop Frog?
    By CrazyAirborne in forum Tree Frogs
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: June 1st, 2010, 10:22 PM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •