New tank setup!

[Poly]

It's not really a new "setup" but a "rearranging".

Here is the way I had the tank before:

And after:

I added another 4 inches of soil, 5 new plants, a hollow mound, more moss, and some moss covered sticks and a log. I think this will be better for the toad as it has more hiding places, and more burrowing areas.

[John]

I think it's a definite improvement. You'll probably see the toad more too - more hiding places and substrate will make it feel more secure and less likely to hide.

[Poly]

Yes, I notice that! I figured I'd see it less, but it seems to be much more active now.

[LilyPad]

Just watch it without a lid. My toads happily climb plants to the top of the tank. It's very nice looking though!!

[Poly]

Thankyou Amy!

I don't think I will have any problems with my toad climbing out though, it's too fat for that... hahaha! Seriously on that point, it seems very clumsy and akward!?

[nicodimus22]

Moss looks nice, but it's a major impaction risk if you feed them in the tank. Toads are rather clumsy things, and they often miss with their tongues and can easily ingest substrate by accident. Sometimes mine miss the same fruit fly 2 or 3 times in a row and I just crack up. So cute. They can leap pretty high, so I echo Amy's sentiment about a lid.

[Poly]

Well, I'm going to get myself one of those "heat-resistant screen lid", so that won't be a worry for much longer. And what do you mean about the moss, it's soft...?

[nicodimus22]

When toads eat, they aren't very careful. They can easily eat substrate or anything that was around their food. If it's something that will easily pass through their system, it's not a big deal. If it's something that doesn't easily pass through, it can basically plug up the toad's intestine and kill it. This is called impaction. Moss is something that is dangerous for a toad to ingest, because it can make this happen.

[Poly]

I have a logs and sticks that are partially rotted, and if it were it grab some or the rotton wood and the wood stuck to it's tongue, I suppose it could swallow that aswell? Is it better to just feed a toad in a seperate container? And how much food does a toad of mine's size require? How often? Most of the care sheets I've read seem to be for full-grown toads!

[nicodimus22]

Some people support the idea of feeding them in a separate container, and some do not.

I'm in the 'support it' camp. I use a plastic storage tote from Wal-mart, I think it is a 25 gallon.

Advantages:

-You can monitor each toad's eating to make sure they are each getting enough (if you only have one toad, you can monitor it as well, to make sure it's actually eating and how much.)
-You virtually eliminate the risk of impaction.
-You condition the toads to associate your presence with food.
-You condition the toads to get used to a little regular handling, so it doesn't freak them out.
-When you dust the food, that powdery white mess doesn't get all over your nice tank.
-It creates a nice opportunity to change the water dish, clean the glass, change the substrate, etc without worrying about your toad being in the way.
-I find that my toads often poo in the feeding container, which is easier to clean than when they do it in the tank.

Disadvantages:

-The oil and salt found naturally on your skin isn't very good for toads, which absorb it through their skin when we touch them.
-The only time in nature something large would pick up a toad would be a predator trying to eat it. Some people believe frequent handling stresses the toad out because of this.
-It is possible to spread disease to and from any amphibian from handling, so you should wash your hands before and after.

Your toad is most likely in a stage of rapid growth and should be fed daily. Based on your picture, it looks just large enough to handle small crickets. As far as the amount goes, to my knowledge there is no such thing as overfeeding a toad, because they will stop eating when they are full. I can tell mine get full because their stalking slows down and then stops, and the remaining few fruit flies crawl on them and the toads just wipe them off and act disinterested. It is especially important for growing toads to get good nutrition, so you should powder the food daily with something like this:

Repashy Calcium ICB Plus 5.3 oz JAR - Alpha Pro Breeders

You just put a little powder into a Ziploc bag or small container, drop in the bugs, and shake for a few seconds before feeding.

As it reaches adulthood (2.5 to 3.5 inches in most cases) you can switch to feeding every other day, and you can drop the powder back to once a week.

[Poly]

Alright, thanks once again for the info, I will have to get some of that powder! I have a small net that I can pick my toad up in, I then will not be handeling him, so I'd inagine it will work quite well. I put it in it's feeding container today, but I do not thing it ate any of the insects... I am going to have to find smaller ones to feed to it.

[nicodimus22]

Using a net might be a little overkill. I think the point is just to limit skin contact, and to be aware that you shouldn't hold it for hours a day. Also, if you use a net, it might to try hop out of the top and hurt itself. I scoop mine up with one hand and then cup the other hand over them when I'm switching them from container to container, and they seem fine with it. They're very used to the routine by now. When those first few fruit flies go in, it looks like a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos in there!