My toads are turning black!!!

[Froggie85]

Since my FBT turned black he became a little fat hes not bloated though like a pink pong ball , but ever since he has like these spasm problems and goes around in circles on land and a lot in the water . I have no idea what is wrong with him though or how the previous owner took care of him . He is still active and eats though and seems better if hes hiding behind the plants and just sits there but if he comes out in the open he is all messed up . Have no clue whats going on he gets dusted crickets three times a week medium sized with repashy clacium plus supplement . In a 20 gallon tall tank with a 25 watt UVB light and water temp at 74 F 23 C .

[alane]

A few of mine seem to change at will. Yesterday, two of my males were almost black. Then, during the shed, they went green, almost immediately. Today I have six green frogs, not four green and two black.

I'm learning that "the dark one" is not a way to identify them. I need to memorize spots.

Good lord I hope their little warts don't change over time.

[Froggie85]

Mine has been dark for months I have seen it shed once and it never changed back to green

[privet01]

I think some tend to stay darker. The FBT I've had for over six years tends to stay light and bright though his bright green does darken slightly at times. Another FBT I got about 4 years ago was so dark you could barely make out the typical pattern you expect on FBT's backs. At one time he almost lightened up to the same color as the others, but his color changes the most. Sometimes very dark and sometimes light and bright.

So I wouldn't attribute any thing about their health based on color. I've sometimes thought that water alkalinity and lighting played a roll in when mine changed colors, but I think that was just anecdotal.

If they eat and look otherwise healthy, don't worry. The color changes of the individual FBT's may have more to do with their parentage or early environmental factors.

@Froggie85.... As for your FBT that has the "spasms" If it's not that he is shedding and trying to shake the skin loose, then I've no idea.

[Froggie85]

Ya I have no clue either he still is active and eats but does the strangest thing and he actually has mean behavior towards one of my toads he will bark and bark at it and then swim over or jump on it and hold him in the water . and no they are not mating he just seems to be mean , there is def food competition with him and its tough cause he wont eat unless hes in the terrarium they all are like that soooo I have been trying to come up with ideas and I just don't have the right one I don't want to handle them every feeding plus they don't eat hand fed or when taken out so Mr spasm eats and eats one of my other ones eat one is all and my other toad that's as big as my pinky seems like hes getting smaller and I've only seen him eat a few times in the month ive had them other then that he hides in the dark under a rock all day long . It is def complicated to me to try and do whats best for them and nothing still changes. I was hoping with raising my water temp up they would be more active and its been about a week since I rose the temps up and they still are not active at all I never see them hoping around just kinda peeking out and going back in there hiding places but that's it .

[privet01]

.......... and he actually has mean behavior towards one of my toads he will bark and bark at it and then swim over or jump on it and hold him in the water . and no they are not mating he just seems to be mean .......

Though many of the care sheets don't mention it most of us here with two or more FBT's can tell you that they seem to have a social pecking order. One of the males will dominate the other males and females. And this does include jumping on the backs of others and holding them tightly in an embrace similar to mating at which time you might hear the submissive toad let out a sort of warbling noise. I take that as it saying "Uncle".

At times this does include holding the other underwater for lengthy periods of time. Sometimes it seems to be very violent, but they are not going to do any damage to each other. And FBT's can handle an extended period under water with no harm. They are amphibians and they can absorb oxygen from the water through their skin. Or so I've read.

If you browse the forum you'll see many a newb asking about this behavior. It's just something you have to get used to.

As for them hiding all day. Many do. My dominate male is the only one that stays out and about most of the "day". The others spend more time hiding. Though some do come out for a little. Many times just to have the dominate one jump on them.

As for lack of activity................... well they don't do a lot. They tend to just lounge around thinking about their next meal. It's not like they hunt all day or have stuff to do.

[Froggie85]

Yours sounds like mine my dominate one will be out 90 percent of the day . one of my others ones will venture out and bark and then the dominate one and him will wrestle and then they go about there own but for my other one he hides all day and is only out at night I think mostly cause when I get up in the morning to turn there UVB light on they are all out but once I do that my little guy will go hide in the same spot all day long , my worry with that is him and maybe sometimes my other one that likes to argue with my dominate one not being able to eat cause they or at least the little one most times dont come out when its feeding time I watch to see if he eats but its really hard to tell when hes stuck in a corner under a rock where its dark and I can't see well my other issue with that is the little one hiding is him not getting the UVB he needs ..