Hi

[mistynights]

I am new to this site. I am a preschool teacher who has two american toads as a class pet. They have been doing fine and seem to love coming out the minute they hear kids in the room. I have seen toads outside and my sister has had many reptiles but this is the first time I have had toads to take care of. They love to bury themselves and sometimes pop their head up to see if I am giving pill bugs or crickets. Since winter is here I have been buying crickets because the pill bugs are a little harder to find in the colder weather. I thought it might be a good idea to be on here so the kids and I can ask any questions we may have.

[ejh805]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!!
I saw your pictures. It looks like you have a wonderful setup for the toads and it definitely looks like the kids enjoyed putting it together
It's good to know there's still interactive teaching going on.

Just a reminder, dust the crickets with vitamins and calcium occasionally, or the toads will eventually develop Metabolic Bone Disease.
Also, if these cute guys were wild-caught, you may want to consider de-worming them, since parasites are pretty common in wild toads and frogs. To do this, get some powder-type Panacur (you can get it on Amazon for around $7 including shipping), crush it up, and dust their food with it once a week for 2-3 weeks.

Again, welcome!

[deranged chipmunk]

Welcome to the forum! This is a great community,i have learned a lot from the other members here. I can't speak for everyone, but i am sure that if the kids (or you) have any questions, the members here would be more than happy to answer them. By the way, you can order pill bugs online. Just search for isopods. Numerous sponsors on this site sell them, and they are easy to culture again, welcome to the forum and ask away. If you get the opportunity, post some pics so we can admire your classroom friends!! (The frogs, not the kids....lol)

[deranged chipmunk]

Rats....Emily always beats me to it!!! Lol

[tgampper]

Hi and welcome to Frog Forum I keep a variety of frogs and toads, including the Woodhouse toad, which is a cousin of the American toad. They are very hardy and do well in a school environment. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

[GrifTheGreat]

Welcome to Frog Forum

[Heatheranne]

Welcome . I hope you will share lots of photos with us.

Here is a great care sheet in case you'd like one . It is listed here in the care article tab.

http://www.frogforum.net/content/toa...pelobates-125/

[mistynights]

thanks for the welcoming to the site. If you look at our pictures there is actually two different habitats. At first I just used a ten gallon aquarium but when I found our grant sponsors loved what we had done and that the kids wanted to keep them we made a new habitat in a twenty gallon aquarium. The kids love telling their parents what they learned about the toads and they now correct anyone, including teachers, who call them frogs. This was the only reason I started this project(because they kept calling them frogs). They love the idea that we can tell if they are boys or girls now. I even have my early morning toddlers helping me keep the water bowl clean and the toads fed. They love watching the toads bury themselves and then pop their heads up. We have had them since April and we line up to go outside at 8am at 8:30am the kids go to their daytime class while I take the pill bugs in to the toads with one or two of the students. It is so funny how the toads actually line up in the aquarium when we do at the door and are waiting the minute I come back inside. They also come out to watch the students watch them or to watch them play and then go back to their hiding spots until the kids come back into the room in the afternoon. Thank you for the vitamin dust info my sister actually has some from her lizard and is going to give it to me Monday. The hardest part is keeping the dirt moist since we turned the heat on. The kids want to know if the toads hibernate in the winter?

[Heatheranne]

Sounds like you're all really enjoying them . Yes, American bufo and fowleri toads hibernate in the winter in the wild. You can use coco fiber (not husk) substrate to help keep it more moist. it holds water a bit longer. I'll have to peek at your pictures. I am typing from my phone.