Hello all, meet my american toad friend, Banjo.

[yoshimi]

This is Banjo the night I found him hopping down the street. Sept 28th 2012, a dark and rainy night in MA, and I scooped him up walking home from work. Pretty sure it's an Eastern American toad, no idea if it's a boy or a girl, so I just called it a "he". Better than "it". Don't know when he was born, but my guess is Spring 2012. If anyone has any other guesses on anything, it'd be appreciated. I've seen him shed twice, about a month apart, and he's grown considerably. Here he is Dec 20th 2012 He's not hibernating; instead he eats like a pig and climbs that plant to get some rest. He used to burrow and he still does sometimes, by the food bowl waiting for a refill. It's really cute to see him climb the fake plants (1st time he did it, was the real plant I have in there with leaves that look like lily pads. I took him out of it only to have him climb back up and sit on the leaves.), but I am concerned as this doesn't seem to be normal toad behavior. I thought maybe he needed more ground covering so I cut down the stem on a fake plant so it was more like a bush, but he climbs that too. Even when he's way up (he lives in a 56-qt sterlite tub minus the cat who only did this once) , he doesn't hop out when the lid's off. I use EcoEarth coconut substrate (the bricks), and recently I was told it can cause problems if ingested. I'm bummed that I have to find another substrate when I thought I'd found the best one. It's the dirt that's on his skin when he sheds that I'm concerned about.
He eats out of a plastic salsa bowl that I found at the grocery store. Smooth sides means no escapees. I feed him baby dubia roaches (have a (mostly) adult set-up, currently waiting for them to breed), phoenix worms, and very seldom and only recently, mealworms. Fed off the last of the crickets about a month ago.
I don't know what the future holds for us. I tried to let him go free twice before it got cold, and he just sat there, looking so small and vulnerable. I'd love to keep him forever, but his happiness matters more than what I want. Here he is just being awesome:
Toadily yours,
Crystal

[yoshimi]

being a hover-mom when it comes to this toad, if i don't see poops for a few days i begin to worry. been doing the warm water soak which usually works, and tonight i found something odd. in a clump i found 4 seemingly dead phoenix worms all stuck together. i didn't think much of it at first because i can usually sift through the dirt and find a few escapees. in fact, under that clump were a couple live worms. I was thinking there was no way that was his poop, but then i did the weirdest thing and sniffed one. then i sniffed a live one. the nose knows it was a poop. i'm really hoping this isn't a serious thing. he seems fine, and i gave him another soak. anyone know how often he should be pooping? i feed him every day. but i don't find waste every day.

[Lina]

What a cute little fellow! I understand your worries about Banjo's health. Got my first frog last week and really want to give it proper conditions and a good life. Don't have any children but start to realize what parenthood is about. I remember reading something about phoenix worms not always being digested and managed to find the actual thread: http://www.frogforum.net/food-feeder...rms-no-no.html There you can find suggestions of how to deal with the problem.

My african bullfrog usually poops at night in the water bowl. Every third day I don't feed and then s/he usually will not poop. I guess there can be differences between species when it comes to how often it's natural for them to poop. I'm not so experienced yet so unfortunately I can't give you any good advise regarding that.

Coco fiber should be safe to use, it's coco husk that should be avoided. When I bought my frog I didn't know there were two types of coconut based substrates and got the wrong one. Luckily Lija noticed that on a photo I posted and adviced me to change. On your pics it looks like you have the coco fiber.

I hope everything will be fine with Banjo, please keep us updated with more photos as he grows!

[yoshimi]

thanks so much for replying! as soon as i scooped him up and interrupted his journey, i knew i had to do my best for him. he was healthy when i got him, so he needs to stay that way. problem was, no one i know has frogs at all, and info on his species is slim out there. i spent hours researching, but everything he does that doesn't fit makes me worry. i joined Frog Forum 2 days after i abducted him, but didn't post for fear i'd be chastised for the kidnapping and because he's not one of the popularly kept frogs or toads. nothing too exotic or exciting about him, but i find him enthralling. then i realized that ANY help over here is valuable. they might be different species with different needs, but more similarities than i'd find say, at a bird forum. plus, you all love frogs. right there is a good reason to share.

little man seems active and is waiting for food right now. as always. i read the original conversation quoted in that thread, and it was more like a forum fight between 2 fly larvae companies. one said that phoenix worms can sit on a shelf and get old and tough before they get fed off, and the phoenix worm people were all mad about that. then they admitted it happens, and suggest poking holes. truthfully, i ordered 2 cups of them recently and one was obviously older, as it had some black ones and even some that weren't moving. that's the one i've been feeding out of, even some of the black ones who were still wiggling. those may have been passed too without me noticing, dunno, but i doubt it. so i guess i can poke holes in the last survivors living in old cup, or freeze and toss the lot to start feeding out of new cup. i'm not giving up on phoenix worms just yet, cuz this was the 1st i've ever seen them as poo like that. they were most definitely dead, btw. it would be very creepy to realize that the ones i've been finding who've buried themselves in dirt were not escapees but actually poop. ew. PERHAPS, tho he doesn't necessarily need heat, it HAS been quite cold here the past few days, and altho his tank is comparatively warm, a temp drop may be affecting his digestion when not in a warm bath. tho not his appetite. happens with other bug eating critters.
i'm quickly running out of feeder dubia and my roach breeding won't produce for another few weeks. the only other thing i have is mealworms and if i'm worried about impaction that's the last thing i want to be using regularly, or at all... i swore off of crickets, but i'll probably go get 50 from petco. half the price of baby dubia, but twice as annoying. i've handled them before, i can do it again. and 50 is manageable. there, i talked or typed myself into a plan.

banjo has only pooped once right in the bowl, and only when i'd heated up some water for a soak. the rest of the time, i have to look for it. i WISH he went in the bowl like a cat in a litter box! but it's not that difficult to find; he makes a depression in the dirt and i've even watched him "go". digs a semi-hole like he's going to burrow then does his business. the worms i found were in such a depression (moreso if they'd been alive, i guess). since he's not quite grown up yet, i feel like i need to feed and dust his food with vitamin or calcium every day. i also give him snacks or 2nd meals sometimes, which has made him fat... he can stand an experiment for a day, i think.

i didn't know there was a difference either, between the 2 substrates! i just checked my package and it said "compressed coconut fiber expandable substrate" phew. i could've sworn i'd read that it was right for him, which is why i stocked up. i'll still do my best to make sure he's not eating it. gets hard cuz he enthusiastically climbs into food bowl to get at food sometimes. brings his dirt with him. ah well.

i'm definitely not going anywhere, and i'll be taking pics. most end up being through translucent plastic, but with focus on, all his glorious detail is visible. thanks so much for kind and helpful words.

[kueluck]

Banjo’s a cutie, and the worms post is mine, haven’t gone back to them since. Native toads are so easy and forgiving when it comes to care. Mine do best at temps 68 to 75 with humidity around 50%. I feed mostly red runner roaches, butter worms, earthworms (not red wigglers) & crickets just for a change. Keep the photos coming, can’t get enough of the toads.

[yoshimi]

He's living a little warmer than room temp, which is about 70. Or less, cuz he's in kitchen which is connected to bathroom which has no heat, and it's 22 outside right now. I don't have thermometer in there, cuz it's in roach breeding bin. And I don't have a humidity gauge at all, but if I did, again it'd be in roach bin as I'm newer at breeding them than I am at Banjo. I can tell when my house gets too cold cuz his tank fogs up. I'm sitting here drinking hot coffee and I'm still cold but he's not foggy so I think I'll change his dirt/clean tank this afternoon to warm him up and hunt for hidden poop.

I'll have to google red runner roaches, as I've never heard of them. Dubia was my 1st choice and we both love them. When I 1st got him, I ordered pricey silkworms and phoenix worms from Mulberry Farms, and he ate maybe ONE silkworm and the rest just died. he ate 2 phoenix worms on 1st introduction but no more after that until recently when most of them were dead. That's why I purchased more, before now he's decided he likes them. This was the 1st time he's passed any. I considered butterworms, but they're too big for him I think, and too fatty maybe. Hornworms look great but also too big for him. I know earthworms are great, but he lived with 2 in the 1st bit that he was with me and didn't give them glance. Maybe he was just nervous back then. I agree about not wanting to cut them up. But I heard red wigglers were recommended and smaller? If he could learn to eat worms, that'd be the best. There're supposed to be so good for them.

How often do your toads poop? I don't know how many you care for, but I'm going with plural because if I came across another I'd likely take it home and eventually introduce as a tankmate for Banjo. Really wish he wasn't by himself. I see all over the place how 2 toads are better than one. But I've only ever spotted one other toad and it was hopping into my bf's yard (not that dangerous, he wasn't about to mow or anything), so just watched him go on his way. And that was years ago.

Your avatar toad is awesome. Do you know at what age their throats turn dark if they're boys? Can you tell at all about how old my Banjo is? Probably not, not enough reference pics. He used to fit well on 3 fingers and now I'd say he's a 4-fingered toad. Can't believe how much he's grown in just under 4 months. Tho when I say it like that, doesn't seem that crazy. He was just a little nugget when I kidnapped him. <3

[yoshimi]

Gail, you are my new hero.

[Heatheranne]

Cute toad! I agree, I'd leave the hide too. He may find he likes its when he comes up again. My toad used to hibernate on his own too. He'd come out every month or so for a good meal and a soak and then under he'd go again. I love the little guys. They have the cutest faces. They remind me of little grumpy old men, ha ha!

Gail, are your toads of the babies you raised back when?

[yoshimi]

Cute toad! I agree, I'd leave the hide too. He may find he likes its when he comes up again. My toad used to hibernate on his own too. He'd come out every month or so for a good meal and a soak and then under he'd go again. I love the little guys. They have the cutest faces. They remind me of little grumpy old men, ha ha!

they so do! so serious. banjo doesn't hibernate, just takes naps or rests or whatever. every morning when i get up, he's up too. that's usually when i feed him unless i fed him the night before. not sure what he does all night besides stand around and soak, but if i feed him in the morning, he eats (so cute how intent he is on food), then goes to bed. bed used to be a plant, but i'm very pleased that now he has a burrow. i may try a smaller hide. the cereal bowl was a little big. his home is only about 15gallons, so until i upgrade, i don't want to overload it.

[Heatheranne]

Awe . Good thinking. Any new photos?

[yoshimi]

Awe . Good thinking. Any new photos?

just this: he knows he's beautiful. And fat. Belly full of crickets. Too fat?

[kueluck]

Heather – yes they are the babies and I'll release most of them come spring.

Crystal – looks good. I don't think a toad can be to fat, can they?? One good pee or poop and they'll look slimmed down.

[Heatheranne]

just this: he knows he's beautiful. And fat. Belly full of crickets. Too fat?

Looks like he could have a good poop. If he doesn't poop tonight, sneak 3 drops of honey in his water bowl and mix it up. If he has a good honey soak, He'll likely go . Give him a regular soak after to rinse off the excess honey. He's super cute .

[Heatheranne]

Heather – yes they are the babies and I'll release most of them come spring.

Crystal – looks good. I don't think a toad can be to fat, can they?? One good pee or poop and they'll look slimmed down.

That's awesome! We released all of our babies in the fall. It was tough to see them go, but hopefully there out there enjoying the big world. Lots of yummy little bugs and wild crickets where we set them free. There was also a nice large bush to hide under .

[yoshimi]

i thought the same thing about needing a poo after i took pic. gave him warm water soak, think all he did was pee. then when i woke up this morning he was sitting in food bowl which always makes me feel bad for him, cuz i know nothing's going to just appear in there. so a few more crickets and fresh warm water bath. i shouldn't be feeding him if i'm not sure if he's going. took a flashlight to his burrow and didn't see anything. putting honey on shopping list. what else works as toad laxative?

and you guys are so awesome and lucky to find baby toads and release them without having a breakdown about it. i just never see them unless i'm in a car and i've lived here for 5yrs.

still unsure about letting him go in the spring. we have a nature trail where he'd be safe from cars if he stays off the roads (found him on sidewalk), and lawnmowers, but not nature itself. of course i'd rather he be eaten then smooshed before his time. brings me back to thinking that with me, he's safe. no badgers or snakes here, just 2 cats who'd get the fur beaten off of them if they messed with him. and of course me, who is likely his biggest threat. but i have the rest of the winter to love him without having to think about saying good bye.

UPDATE: another warm water bath and he pooped out 12 more phoenix worms and 2 were still wriggling in the water. wtheck?? there were a few casings but mostly whole worms. it's my fault cuz i thought i could dust them with reptivite and not waste them, but that was days ago and i don't recall giving him 12. so no, they're going into the freezer to die along with the cup of poop water. feel bad for them, but worse for my toad who was walking around with them in his belly.

[Heatheranne]

Try night crawlers cut to proper size. He'll love them and they're easy to digest . I think I'd keep him if it were me .

[kueluck]

<~~feels no guilt killing bugs for the welfare of the toad. Definitely keep him, definitely. (using Rainman inflections, if you're old enough to know what that means)

[yoshimi]

Oh sweet geebus, i kept the phoenix worms in a styrofoam cooler with an ice pack and when i went to go get the cup and freeze them, the cup lid was off a bit and they were loose in there. mostly black ones, but a few white. i'm used to dealing with them, but it was a gross shock. used feeding tongs to get them all back into cup (all were on bottom of cooler, none had climbed sides, phew), and into the freezer they went. no guilt. little sh*ts. i'll try earthworms eventually, maybe when he's bigger (i've seen toads eat them whole), and until then it's crickets, dubia roaches (breeding them), and an occasional bran-fed mealworm. he only gets them when i know he's pooped, and never very many. i've gotten good at finding the newly molted ones. so of course i want to keep him. and i still want a friend for him. all he has is me, with my giant planet head, peering at him.
i'd just turned 6 when Rain Man came out. i should probably watch it someday. i've been busy these past 24yrs.

[GrifTheGreat]

Welcome!!