New Fire Belly Toad Owner With Questions

[spock22a]

The tank I have was made for reptiles/amphibians, and says not to use it like an aquarium. I could get night crawlers. Do crickets go into hibernation when put into a fridge the way other insects do? If they do then I can do that easily. I had been thinking of getting some night crawlers or meal worms to give him as snacks, so they could go in there too. I know that other students keep worms and things in fridges as fish food. This dorm is also used as a dining hall, but as long as the bugs are knocked out (until they're in with the frog) then there's no problem.

[Mentat]

Yes, do not fill a reptile/amphibian tank with water; it will crack. Crickets will die in a refrigerator, it's too cold for them; but mealworms and night crawlers will be fine. Mealworms are fatty and have a hard exoskeleton that can cause impaction, which makes them a poor food. Too bad you are not a science major and could keep your crickets or some Dubia roaches in a lab. By the way; your 5 gal is barely adequate for 1 FBT; please don't get a second one in there .

[spock22a]

Actually, I am a science major. Psychology is a science (particularly sense I am focusing on animal behavior), and I am also double majoring in wildlife biology and ecology. They don't let you keep other bugs in labs because it could contaminate the actual experiment, or other materials kept in the lab. If mealworms aren't good for them because of the exoskeleton, then why are crickets ok? They have exoskeleton too. Also, the care sheet for FBTs said that ten gallons was good for three to four frogs, and I have read other sources that have had numbers larger than that. I may not be a math major, but given those numbers it seem as though one FBT should do fine in 5.5gals.

[mapdoggis]

I have 5 FBTs and they live in a mostly aquatic setup with lots of land mass to crawl up on. It's only been a few weeks that I've had mine and I used to lay out a paper towel on the water for the crickets to walk on and the frogs to see and seize. If the crickets were super jumpy, I put them in the freezer for a few seconds to cool them off without killing them. Then I use chopsticks (instead of buying feeding tongs) to keep the crickets on the towel. The frogs are now just taking the crickets from the chopsticks. They don't even wait for the crickets to wiggle... so I wonder if they would eat them if they were dead...

On a side note, I also have a vermicomposting bin with European Nightcrawlers instead of red wigglers (I was told that reds emit a foul taste when injured). The bin is odorless, so might that be an option for you?

I've never heard the crickets that I have make noise. Now the frogs - they bark all night! I guess that means they're happy... or horny... or both?

[spock22a]

I have 5 FBTs and they live in a mostly aquatic setup with lots of land mass to crawl up on. It's only been a few weeks that I've had mine and I used to lay out a paper towel on the water for the crickets to walk on and the frogs to see and seize. If the crickets were super jumpy, I put them in the freezer for a few seconds to cool them off without killing them. Then I use chopsticks (instead of buying feeding tongs) to keep the crickets on the towel. The frogs are now just taking the crickets from the chopsticks. They don't even wait for the crickets to wiggle... so I wonder if they would eat them if they were dead...

On a side note, I also have a vermicomposting bin with European Nightcrawlers instead of red wigglers (I was told that reds emit a foul taste when injured). The bin is odorless, so might that be an option for you?

I've never heard the crickets that I have make noise. Now the frogs - they bark all night! I guess that means they're happy... or horny... or both?

The crickets I have won't stop making noise. Pip (my toad) hasn't made any noise yet, but I wonder if that's because he's too young to try and call a mate (or is female, not quite sure yet). From reading your experiences it sounds as though I will be able to eventually use classical conditioning on Pip to get him to associate the feeding tongs with the crickets. The way that they learned to take crickets from your chop sticks is the same concept as when Pavlov's dogs learned to pair the bell to being fed.

How is the bin sealed, and how much does it cost? I would want to be really sure about the seal being tight, sense I have asthma and something like that could be a trigger. I was also going to get a little fridge or cooler for keeping chilled food....