Odd bugs???

[pj1298]

well my american toad is acting odd.... ive been trying to feed him but he refuses food and he keeps on burrowing really deep. is he hybernating? and today when i looked in his cage their were these tiny little grey bugs crawling around on the coconut fiber. i only saw 4 of them. ill try to get pictures up later. any ideas on what they might be?

[wesleybrouwer]

Mites or springtails maybe?

[Poly]

I'm not sure what the insects are, perhaps fruitflys? Anything in the toads cage that would attract insects? (Un-noticed fecal matter, rotting organic matter such as dead plants, fruit, etc.?)

As for the burrowing, this is normal behavior for toads, especially if they are WC (Wild Caught) and is near the winter season, it's getting ready for hibernation (It thinks it's going to have to hibernate!). My two american toads started doing this about 2 weeks ago, they would burrow themselves 2-3" in their substrate, and stay there for about 1 to 1.5 days (If they stay burried any longer than 3 days is when you should start to get worried, if this occurs, dig them up and feed them.), until they would again come up too feed. They too were not feeding as frequently, and it was quite difficult to envoke a feeding response from them. After a while of this behavior, they just seemed to stop, and go back to normal. No worries!

Here's my two toads comming out of what I call a 1.5 day "Mini-hibernation":



Also, could you please list the temperature & humidity you keep their "cage" at. And what exactly do you keep them in, an aquarium? A photo of their set-up would be nice too!

~Royce

[pj1298]

well ill get the pics up later. and i think the bugs are mites so are those normal? and also he does come out as you said after every 2 days but he only eats very little. he used to eat 3 mealworms easily but now he doesnt make it past 1.

[Poly]

No they are not common. You should remove your toad, and clean the tank right away. They could possibly endanger the toad somehow, play it safe, get rid of them!

[Jimbok3]

The bugs are most likely springtails, they love to live in the coconut fiber (because it's moist)