FB appetite, behavior, eco earth, health questions

[Hoppity100]

I already have the bricks of eco earth that you add water to, I let it dry and its a tiny bit damp, mine seem to be okay with it. Where do people buy the moss for frogs? We have pet supplies plus, petsmart, and petco. The box stores don't sell it, so I used eco earth thinking it was the next best substrate. I had sand before but it really made cleaning the tank alot harder. I am looking for a flat tray to fit in my aquarium so I can make land bigger. I just hope my substrate is adequate since I can't find the moss.

[FriedrichsFrogs]

turning down food a day or two aftr feeding is odd behavior. Alex seems to have hit on the biggest issues already. Ill just add to stay clear of mealworms completely, their exoskeleton is problematic for fbts to digest and their size can also present problems as fbts only grow to be 1 or 2 inches. Small pebbles should be avoided to use in the tank because they could be swallowed. Continue to monitor your toads behavior

[MantisMan]

turning down food a day or two aftr feeding is odd behavior. Alex seems to have hit on the biggest issues already. Ill just add to stay clear of mealworms completely, their exoskeleton is problematic for fbts to digest and their size can also present problems as fbts only grow to be 1 or 2 inches. Small pebbles should be avoided to use in the tank because they could be swallowed. Continue to monitor your toads behavior

my biggest firebelly, moaper, is 2.5 inches
but anyways there r only a few reasons mine dont eat
1: hibernation
2: mid-late spawning season when they r actually spawning, females still eat a lot but dont be alarmed if males have a reduced appetite, eating isnt the first thing on their mind
3: they've just gorged themselves
4: they r sick or dead for some reason
5: 1-3 day old tadpoles, metamorphosizing toadlets, and baby toadlets often have reduced appetite for the first month because their tongues dont seem sticky enough to grip food

here r a few links u can look get substrate from:
Amazon.com: Zoo Med New Zealand Sphagnum Moss, .33 Pounds (150 grams): Pet Supplies
Amazon.com: Zoo Med Terrarium Moss 30 to 40 Gallons: Pet Supplies
if u use this stuff, make sure to remove the big wood chips from the surface layer so they cant injest or be stabbed by them:
Amazon.com: Hagen Exo Terra Coco Husk Terrarium Substrate, 7-Quart: Pet Supplies

more:
Amazon.com: Exo Terra Plantation Soil, 7.2-Quart: Pet Supplies
Amazon.com: Small Animal Supplies Green Terrarium Moss - Xl (30 To 40Gal): Pet Supplies

so these r just a few suggestions

[Hoppity100]

Oh, thanks for sending that, do you know if eco earth fiber substrate is safe if I can't get any moss for some reason? If its not safe, I just wondered why? Thanks I forgot to mention if eco earth is not safe, would this be from size and shape of substrate if frogs eat it by accident? That's all my store had, I'll have to use it till I get moss. I'd use sand but that makes tank really hard to clean and rinse.

[Hoppity100]

Have some questions: do eggs first appear as many small white dots that look like grains of sand? I looked at driftwood tonight and found all these white dots! The male calls the female every night. They get along real well. Yes, the male was not hungry recently, now I know why. LOL And isn't the husk substrate more risky than the fiber substrate?

[MantisMan]

sounds like shed skin
eggs are laid singly just under the water's surface
they r encased in a double membrane and are half black, half white spheres
trust me u will know when they spawn, mine do it all night and after each egg makes a stupid croaking sound

[Hoppity100]

Oh, I just looked at my driftwood, white dots are like sprinkled on it again. I don't think these are eggs but either from water or moisture. Tank is getting cleaned tomorrow, I will rinse wood now. White dots are not in the water, but thanks for describing what eggs look like. Like you said, I'll know when anything is spawning. Your stupid chirping sound is funny except mine do it at night and I for some reason, don't mind it. They don't chirp all night. Here's something: some people describe crickets and worms as stupid. I used to think so until I watched the crickets in the tank...they are on high alert. They're not as stupid as I thought. The worms must not have eyes, but they slither away not knowing they're right in front of a frog's mouth (laughing). The worms need glasses but if they don't have eyes they wouldn't wear glasses anyway LOL

[FrogFriend]

If you have a PetSmart in your home town, you should have moss. This is where I got my moss from. If your store doesn't carry it then you can either order from the website or the links that you were sent. As for eating, I know everyone says that FBTs eat ALL the time, but mine will get full and not hunt when they are done. I remove anything that is not eaten but I try to make sure I don't put more in there then what they can eat. Especially after putting the Calcium powder on, the crickets wont last long after that. As for not eating for extended periods of time and being ok with it, gotta remember that some animals, especially ones that hunt or hibernate, are built in a way that if the food is not there then they can go with out, or maybe they just can't catch anything that night...this is how the wild works. Now, me personally, I wouldn't push it with my toads. I feed them every 2-3 days. When I first got them they seemed like they had to eat ALL the time and whatever and however much was put in their tank was eaten. But they were younger, it was going into the Spring and who knows how often they were really fed at the places I got them from. I used to be very particular about feeding them. I had my tongs and ensured that each toad got at least one cricket. There were a couple of problems with this! 1) They started to get bad at hunting 2) They were getting a bit chubby and lazy and 3) I realized in the wild some toads are quicker to the food then others and this made the one that maybe didn't get as many more driven to hunt at the next feeding. I did however always ensure that if I hadn't seen one get any food in a couple of feedings that I would offer a cricket specifically to that one...and it was always this one in particular. His hunting abilities have gotten a LOT better and I don't have to worry so much anymore. Anyway, it's all a learning process. I wish I had known about this forum when I first got my toads, it would have helped! But I don't know everything and this is my first winter with them, so I am glad I am here now and can ask questions.