-- Bufo Alvarius Habitat Question --

[xtheanon]

Hi everyone, recently was lucky enough to get 3 colorado river toads and I wanted to make sure their terrarium is setup properly.. also questions about how much to feed them. How often I should change the water, humidity requirements and uv light recommendation.

have a new 40g tank, eco earth coconut substrate, 2 Flukers 8.5 dimmer lamps, a 100w night black heat bulb for uv, and a 100 halogen bulb for daylight,
2 cork flats that are round underneath for hides, a heat cable for warming the bottom of the cage on one side,
1 sticky temp gauge to monitor the heat cable temp and 3 velcro temp gauges for air temp monitoring, a granite water bowl free of bpa and plastic for em,
some tropical moss for the cage for humidity and a decent sized plant.
pic below

Keeping the terrarium at a steady 80 - 85 as well as 50 percent humidity plus. They hate being taken out of their habitat, I've been feeding one a time to monitor how many crickets each one consumes to make sure they all get food. Also they eat amazing amounts of crickets, so far I've spent 20 bucks on crickets in 4 days.. Whats a good amount of crickets to feed them, I'm gut loading the crickets and calcium dusting once a week as well. Each toad is eatting around 15 crickets a day. I read I should give enough for them to eat for 15 minutes then take away the rest. I'm going to need to start a cricket company cause they are going to cost me more than my dog and snake does in food combined lol.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've never taken care of an amphibian before and I don't wish to harm them only give them the best home I possibly can. Thanks

[xtheanon]

maybe I should get a couple of airstones with a small pump for a jacuzzi for em ha

[xtheanon]

another Q, is it alright if I let tap water sit in a stainless steel pot overnight for the toads water, I'm just trying to get rid of chlorine or chloramines right. I don't like the idea of treating water.. I've been buying gallon poland spring water.

[n321]

sounds good. These guys are pretty forgiving. Probably one of my favorite species...

[xtheanon]

thank you for answering... I've been trying to get any opinion on them for a long time. Nobody seemed to care enough to post until now, but it has a ton of views. I have a couple of questions though if you could help me, they want to eat every night but I've read they should only eat every 2-3 days. What should I do, should I give em about 10 crickets a night or wait and feed them every 2 days, I have a cricket enclosure in the room by them maybe the sound is driving up their appetite ? I don't know any info would help also the water question. Is it alright to just take tap water and let it sit out for 24 hours, is that good enough for them or should I filter it as well, I have a Brita pitcher I could use. I'm worried about the little guys I've never cared for a toad before.

[traveler]

I'm using still water (cheap one) for them but someone recommend me to buy revers osmosis filter and use it for them as not all chemicals are get out from water during the time ...
As well you can find some drops for tap water treatment they are good for frogs/rept. I did not try it as I do not like chemicals but they work ?!? I think filter is the best plus you can drink this water and it will be much better even for you Flickr: Traveler Toad's Photostream

[deeishealthy]

Nobody seemed to care enough to post until now, but it has a ton of views.

As one of those viewers I can tell you that it's not that I didn't care enough to post, it's that I don't have expertise in your area. I'm a WTF owner, not river toads. I'm not going to respond and give you false information, but this thread appears on the "what's new" which is why I read it.

[Heatheranne]

another Q, is it alright if I let tap water sit in a stainless steel pot overnight for the toads water, I'm just trying to get rid of chlorine or chloramines right. I don't like the idea of treating water.. I've been buying gallon poland spring water.

Hello. I've never had these type of toads, but the basics are the same.

Spring water is fine. Bottled drinking water and distilled water are not good. Reverse osmosis water removes too many of the natural minerals so it is similar to distilled water. Brita and other water filters do not necessarily remove chloramine, unless otherwise stated on the box. Dechlorinated tap water is good.

In terms of feeding...if they are in any way similar to American or fowleri toads they can eat daily or every other day. If you feed them daily, just feed them a few less crickets. Same general rules apply...feed them only what they will consume in about 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to use calcium/vita D3 and multivitamin as you would for all frogs and toads.

I hope this helps a little. I wish I knew more of the specifics for these toads.

[xtheanon]

thanks for the info about the water and multivitamin, do you have a multivitamin you could recommend, I saw a liquid spray multivitamin in a local petshop with a picture of a bearded dragon on it. Should I get that and spray the crickets with them once a week or so. I have d3 calcium dust I've been giving them once a week as well. How often should I give them the multivitamin and d3/calci ? I have a blacklight for uv so they are making their own d3 I don't want to give them too much calcium. Also sorry if I offended by saying nobody cared enough to post, I was just surprised to see nobody posting and so many views.

[Heatheranne]

No worries on the sounding offended...you just sounded frustrated, which is completely understandable. Many people will read posts but if they don't have the answers, they move on to the next post.

Good multivitamin powders are Repashy and Herptivite. I use herptivite, though Repashy is considered the best by most amphibian and reptile keepers. If you can not find them locally, joshsfrogs.com has them.

Repashy, I believe, is used daily. Check the bottle to be sure. Herptivite is used once a week, but not in the same day as the calcium/D3. Calcium/D3 should be used every other day if feeding daily or 2 to 3 times per week. Liquid calcium can be used, but ingestion of calcium through the GI tract is best. Vitamin D3 is required to properly absorb the calcium into the bone. Otherwise, it passes through with minimal absorption.

Frogs very rarely get calcium or vita D toxicity, even when using UVB lighting and supplements. Deficiency is the most common problem. Signs of tetany (caused by low blood calcium levels) are numbness, tingling, twitching, tremors, lack of motor control mostly seen in their limbs when trying to walk, hop, or climb, progressing to seizures and death. Metabolic bone disease will occur at the more serious levels of deficiency or over a persistent period of time. Signs of high vitamin D3 and calcium are lethargy, decreased appetite and abdominal cramps, and muscular over-contractility.

I apologize it took so long for me to find your post. I am glad another member posted because it bumped your post back to the top of the recent posts. If ever you can't get a response, just add a "bump" or "help" post and we will see it sooner .

Do you have any photos?

[xtheanon]

[xtheanon]

Can I feed my toads super worms, and are pinkie's good for them I've read they were just full of fat and maybe feed each toad one per month. What's another good food for them, I'm getting tired of crickets already pain in the *** to try and breed.

[xtheanon]

I was told they were adults but they seem so small to adults I see on youtube. Maybe that's why they never seem to stop eatting ? I keep trying the 15 minute feeding frenzy for each toad. They still seem hungry after 20+ crickets. I don't want to overfeed them.. Are they like horses, gorge themselves till they pop...? These guys are voracious

[xtheanon]

I'm using still water (cheap one) for them but someone recommend me to buy revers osmosis filter and use it for them as not all chemicals are get out from water during the time ...
As well you can find some drops for tap water treatment they are good for frogs/rept. I did not try it as I do not like chemicals but they work ?!? I think filter is the best plus you can drink this water and it will be much better even for you Flickr: Traveler Toad's Photostream

Really like your setup, I might have to switch to moss for the substrate instead of coconut husk. Seems like it doesn't stick to them near as much = happier toads right ? Ha I know I would feel better. Also you're lucky to have such a large family ! These three that I have are costing me 15$ every two days at the moment buying crickets locally. I'd rather feed superworms, they seem a lot easier to house and live a lot longer but not sure if they're a good choice for them. They have more protein from what I've read. I have to order a large supply and figure out where to house them in my 1 bedroom apartment to try and cut down on costs. My python, dog and ferrets equate to roughly 50$ average a month, these guys are 400%+ more expensive a month so far. Not counting the two 100w bulbs I'm burning 24/7. I'd love to have more once I get the feeding cost under control but I'd be worried about introducing more due to parasites as most in the market are wc it seems, is that why you have others in separate habitats ?

[xtheanon]

No worries on the sounding offended...you just sounded frustrated, which is completely understandable. Many people will read posts but if they don't have the answers, they move on to the next post.

Good multivitamin powders are Repashy and Herptivite. I use herptivite, though Repashy is considered the best by most amphibian and reptile keepers. If you can not find them locally, joshsfrogs.com has them.

Repashy, I believe, is used daily. Check the bottle to be sure. Herptivite is used once a week, but not in the same day as the calcium/D3. Calcium/D3 should be used every other day if feeding daily or 2 to 3 times per week. Liquid calcium can be used, but ingestion of calcium through the GI tract is best. Vitamin D3 is required to properly absorb the calcium into the bone. Otherwise, it passes through with minimal absorption.

Frogs very rarely get calcium or vita D toxicity, even when using UVB lighting and supplements. Deficiency is the most common problem. Signs of tetany (caused by low blood calcium levels) are numbness, tingling, twitching, tremors, lack of motor control mostly seen in their limbs when trying to walk, hop, or climb, progressing to seizures and death. Metabolic bone disease will occur at the more serious levels of deficiency or over a persistent period of time. Signs of high vitamin D3 and calcium are lethargy, decreased appetite and abdominal cramps, and muscular over-contractility.

I apologize it took so long for me to find your post. I am glad another member posted because it bumped your post back to the top of the recent posts. If ever you can't get a response, just add a "bump" or "help" post and we will see it sooner .

Do you have any photos?

and thank you for the vitamin info, ordered some they're going to be healthier than I am ha! Just need to get them a gym for their terrarium

[Locascio]

You should be using prime to fix you water problems its safe to use with frogs as for feeding feed them as much as thay can eat in 15mins
Sent from my RM-845_nam_vzw_100 using Board Express

[Heatheranne]

Sorry I was away. Was at work. Super worms are considered high in fat as are pinkies. Only use them as rare treats.

The 15 minute rule is best, as noted above. It gives them plenty of food, but does not encourage obesity. It will keep them healthier than letting them gorge.

I am not a fan of moss if you are going to let them eat on top of it. It you tong feed or bowl feed away from the moss, that is fine. Feeding on top of loose moss can be risky...if they accidentally eat a piece, it can cause serious impaction. Moss is fine if you're not going to feed atop it.

[xtheanon]

Sorry I was away. Was at work. Super worms are considered high in fat as are pinkies. Only use them as rare treats.

The 15 minute rule is best, as noted above. It gives them plenty of food, but does not encourage obesity. It will keep them healthier than letting them gorge.

I am not a fan of moss if you are going to let them eat on top of it. It you tong feed or bowl feed away from the moss, that is fine. Feeding on top of loose moss can be risky...if they accidentally eat a piece, it can cause serious impaction. Moss is fine if you're not going to feed atop it.

So I tong feed, but one did eat one tendril of moss, not a lot. Is it something I need to worry about if they accidentally ingest even the one strand of moss occasionally? If so I'll just feed them outside of their habitat

[Heatheranne]

If you tong feed away from the moss it should be fine. Monitor for abdominal bloating and lack of poop. If he poops, he's okay.

[Wormwood]

Try roaches in place of super worms. You can get them fairly easily online. Earth worms might also be an option but can take a while for any toad to get used to snapping up.