I.Love.Toads

[nicodimus22]

By the way Amy, sorry if it seemed like I was trying to hijack your topic. I have already created several threads in the toad forum and I don't want to look like a self-important twit who creates new threads about his pets every day, so I just started talking/sharing in here since you were already talking about toadlets.

[LilyPad]

No problem! I am a thread hijacker too... sometimes it just happens to fit what you're looking for info on

[Pete]

ESA Online Journals - The Role of Behavioral Thermoregulation in the Growth Energetics of the Toad, Bufo Boreas

"In the laboratory, toads thermoregulate by basking beneath incandescent lamps when placed within a photothermal gradient. Basking depends on feeding, and when food is withheld, individuals abandon the available heat source and assume lower body temperatures. The preferred temperature of feeding individuals is around 26—27 degrees C as determined from animals both in the laboratory and in nature"

Well, after reading this, I took my Bufo boreas halophilus toadlets out in the early morning sun and evening sun this past weekend and watched their behavior. I was surprised to see that sometimes they would flatten out on the surface of the ground and darken up, much like lizards do when they bask, and sit still for about 15 min. So, I don't know about growth rates, but I thinking that they do bask. Maybe it differs by species, but I'll have to consider this in their setups. Thanks for the post.

[tgampper]

Well, after reading this, I took my Bufo boreas halophilus toadlets out in the early morning sun and evening sun this past weekend and watched their behavior. I was surprised to see that sometimes they would flatten out on the surface of the ground and darken up, much like lizards do when they bask, and sit still for about 15 min. So, I don't know about growth rates, but I thinking that they do bask. Maybe it differs by species, but I'll have to consider this in their setups. Thanks for the post.

I was also surprised when I learned that toads love basking in the sun. I was an amphibian keeper at the zoo and took care of several endangered toad species, such as Anaxyrus baxteri (Wyoming Toad), Atelopus zeteki (Panamanian Golden Toad) and Peltophryne lemur (Puerto Rican Crested Toad),. We had basking lights for all these species. I have included basking lights for my Anaxyrus woodhousii (Woodhouse toads) and they just love it.

[LilyPad]

I have a 50 watt blue daylight bulb for my tree frogs because they like to bask. I didn't know the same was true for toads though, I think I will have to put a different lamp on them. Right now I have a 15 watt blue bulb on their tank.

[Greg M]

Amen Terry! Woodhouse's toads love to bask - I get "toad pyramids" (sometimes three or four toads high) near the light source!

Frogs and toads are poikilotherms, but that doesn't mean that they are passive with respect to temperature. Frogs and toads appear to actively regulate their body temperature (and hence metabolism) by moving to warmer or cooler areas. Giving them a thermogradient in captivity allows them to thermoregulate in a manner analogous to how they do "in nature". A most cases, a low-wattage bulb or ceramic heater at one end will allow the toad to choose an optimal temperature. Obviously, one has to be careful to not overheat or desiccate the animal...

[nicodimus22]

I have included basking lights for my Anaxyrus woodhousii (Woodhouse toads) and they just love it.

What wattage/type of bulb would you recommend? (I have what I think are Fowler's toads, practically the same species as Woodhouse.)

[LilyPad]

I put the under tank heater on one side of the tank. When I got home from work they were all hanging out on that side of the tank. It'll be interesting to see if they have a growth spurt from the warmer temps. My house has been cool with the a/c running nonstop (can you say HEAT WAVE)

[tgampper]

What wattage/type of bulb would you recommend? (I have what I think are Fowler's toads, practically the same species as Woodhouse.)

I use a small 50-watt bulb (regular incandescent) for basking and a moonlight for night viewing. I have a light bar with space for two bulbs. Since they are mostly nocturnal, the moonlight bulb helps me enjoy their activity.

[LilyPad]

I really need one of those double bar lamps. Right now I have 1 lamp on my tree frogs and I have to wait for it to cool so I can change the light bulb...not very efficient! So most nights I don't use my moonlight bulb at all.

[tgampper]

Amen Terry! Woodhouse's toads love to bask - I get "toad pyramids" (sometimes three or four toads high) near the light source!

The fact that toads like to bask was news to me At the zoo, we used a lot of pottery for hides and water bowls. You can use overturned, small flowerpots with a hollowed out opening as hides and shallow pottery bowls (about 1-2" deep) as water bowls. The basking light was placed over the flowerpot hide. It was a standard basking light with about a 100 watt bulb and metal reflector. Every morning, when I cleaned the cages, I found that most of the toads were crammed in the hide. There was at least one brave toad resting on top of the flowerpot directly under the lamp. I'll tell you that it was pretty hot under the lamp!

If you want to add a basking area for your toad, make sure you start off with a low-wattage bulb. Most toads are nocturnal and may have different temperature requirements.

[tgampper]

I really need one of those double bar lamps. Right now I have 1 lamp on my tree frogs and I have to wait for it to cool so I can change the light bulb...not very efficient! So most nights I don't use my moonlight bulb at all.

I had the same problem. The double light bar was one of my best investments I could make for my toads.

[nicodimus22]

I just got back from Petco with a 5.5" reflector lamp and a 50W incandescent spot bulb. I put it in the back corner of the tank, over the flat rock I have in there. The toads are all hiding at the moment, but time will tell if they come out and use it eventually. If they don't, oh well, I'm only out $23. If they do, and it makes them grow faster, great!

[LilyPad]

I have the same thing for my tree frogs nicodimus. They love it. Hopefully your toads will too. Have you tried putting some leaf litter in there yet? As soon as I did that, my toads were out all over the place because they have opportunities to hide in a hurry if need be. Do they come out when you feed them? My toads are like puppies when I open that lid, they know it is feeding time and they are ready for me! So far (since starting this thread!) 3 have had a growth spurt...one seems to be lagging behind though, so I might start feeding that one separately from the others to make sure it is getting what it needs.

[nicodimus22]

Have you tried putting some leaf litter in there yet? As soon as I did that, my toads were out all over the place because they have opportunities to hide in a hurry if need be. Do they come out when you feed them?

I haven't tried leaf litter yet, since they seem to be liking the egg crate so much.

Since I moved them into the 10-gallon tank from the half-gallon tank about 3 weeks ago, they seem to have become nocturnal. I have taken them to feeding them in a seperate container at around 9 or 10pm since that is when they come out on their own, and I don't like the idea of digging them up to feed them. It just seems unnatural. They very well could be American toads, which are nocturnal, I just can't tell at this point because they are so tiny. Their markings/warts still look more Fowler's to me though. I also see other toads identical to mine on my hikes, and the ones I see on the trail are active in the daytime, so I would reason that mine should be too.

I just checked again, and so far, they are not coming out and using the lamp after about 2 hours. If they are American toads, I may be wasting my time with it.

[LilyPad]

You'll find out eventually!! It's still a good lamp to have on even if they aren't Fowlers.

[nicodimus22]

In the wild, they would have the option of moving between warm sunny areas to cooler shady ones, as well as areas of different moisture. Giving them the same options in captivity seems like a reasonable idea, no matter what species they are. I just took out the parasite/predator/starving/getting stepped on parts out of the equation, and in return they have to deal with less space to roam freely and the occasional photo shoot.

[nicodimus22]

Update: After having the lamp in place for 3 days, I can say it has significantly altered their behavior. They don't bask directly in the spot, but they are out a lot more during the day. They are often sitting in the water dish that is in the adjacent corner to where the light is, getting a portion of the heat, but not the full blast of the spotlight. I haven't seen any growth spurts yet, but it hasn't been very long either. Whether it accelerates growth or not, at least this way they have the choice of raising/lowering their body temperatures as they wish. I feel like it was worth doing.

[nicodimus22]

Some updated photos 8/1/11, because hey, who doesn't like more pictures of baby toads?



















After some trial and error, this is how I've settled on my toad tank for now. They can burrow, they can hide, they can bask on a warm flat rock, they can sit in a shallow pool with an easy-access ramp:

[LilyPad]

Very cool! They sure are growing now. I love that pic with the tongue out. My girls love the toads because they stick their tongues out, unlike the tree frogs that chase and chomp. The toads stalk and reach their tongues!

I will have to get some more pics up of my babies now that they have grown so much. I had to unplug my heater though because I kept blowing the circuit with it and I have no where else in the house to put the tank to use a different circuit. They had a 15 watt light and I bumped it up to a 25 watt. Still not near the strength of the tree frog light, but it works.