lindsayshocking

I have been keeping spadefoots for about 6 years now. My collection currently consists of New Mexico Spadefoots (spea multiplicata), Plains Spadefoots (spea bombifrons), Couch's Spadefoots (scaphiopus couchii) and Eastern Spadefoots (scaphiopus holbrookii). Unfortunately, I have learned that spadefoots are not common in the pet trade. Because of this, I've encountered a lot of trial and error when it came to housing spadefoots. They're burrowing toads, so I automatically knew I would need something that would be easy for them to burrow in--and a lot of it. In the wild, spadefoots will burrow several feet underground.

At first I tried regular coconut loose bedding. It's worked out well for my Pac Man Frog and my Pixie. The problem I ran into when it came to spadefoots is that it seems to sometimes mold. This can be inconvenient when the spadefoots are deep in burrow. As you see, that can create problems. One day, I stumbled across Carefresh Pet Bedding in Petco. This substrate is most commonly used for small animals like hamsters and rats. But when you look at the non-colored substrate, it looked like it would be a nice fit. So I tried it out.

And I've never looked back.

As you can see in my picture, my spadefoots love it. It's very lightweight, which means they can burrow very far down and be okay. New Mexico spadefoots like Obdulia and Melix blend in very well. It is also super easy to clean, which is a huge plus. Most of the time, my spadefoots are very good about using their water dishes...but sometimes they're lazy and just go in their burrows. When you have this nice colored substrate it's easy to spot to ensure that they're cage remains clean. Also, they really dislike the taste of Carefresh Pet Bedding, so if they accidentally get some when they're going for their food, they reject it. You don't want your frog eating their substrate!

I also use lightweight plastic dishes. Just so you know...heavy weight water dishes are BAD BAD BAD! These little guys will burrow under the water dishes, and you don't want them to get crushed!

And no, I do not work for Carefresh...but I just wanted to let you all know what to use if you want happy spadefoots!