Toad keepers-how deep is your substrate?

[kueluck]

Sorry didn't clarify on that, it's a 25 watt red bulb that is used to keep temps from going under 65. We've had a really cold winter here in NC and I keep it handy for them. I swap out the all substrate twice a year, plus I "fluff" it several times also. It's seeded with spring tails and pill bugs. It's layered with hydroton, charcoal and eco earth mixed with an organic potting soil. Come spring I'm going to redo the tank with a drilled bottom, I'm switching all vivs over to this. All other toads are doing great.

[crazy]

I usually keep my substrate around 4 inches deep, with plenty of hiding places. I also used a heat lamp this winter; but mine had a 60 watt blue bulb in it and the temp in the aquarium never went above 70 degrees and fell only to around 65 a night. I never kept the heat lamp on all the time only when I was up and at home I had it on. They never hibernated (except for my spadefoot), but they did burrow a bit during the day or half burrowed at the top of the substrate and one likes to hide under the hollowed log in the aquarium. Now that it is getting warmer the aquarium is sitting at 80 and 73 at night, and I mist the aquarium every couple of nights for the plants and the spadefoot I have. Then again all of my toads are native to NC.

[kueluck]

Thanks for the input. It seems my male doen'st burrow as much as the girls do. Runway has been down for months and once it warms up enough I'm gonna release her into the wild. Now Morph is out most of the time now, but the other 2 girls stay undercover. I'm sure they come out at night since roaches are missing from the bowl on feeding nights.

I usually keep my substrate around 4 inches deep, with plenty of hiding places. I also used a heat lamp this winter; but mine had a 60 watt blue bulb in it and the temp in the aquarium never went above 70 degrees and fell only to around 65 a night. I never kept the heat lamp on all the time only when I was up and at home I had it on. They never hibernated (except for my spadefoot), but they did burrow a bit during the day or half burrowed at the top of the substrate and one likes to hide under the hollowed log in the aquarium. Now that it is getting warmer the aquarium is sitting at 80 and 73 at night, and I mist the aquarium every couple of nights for the plants and the spadefoot I have. Then again all of my toads are native to NC.

[crazy]

Thanks for the input. It seems my male doen'st burrow as much as the girls do. Runway has been down for months and once it warms up enough I'm gonna release her into the wild. Now Morph is out most of the time now, but the other 2 girls stay undercover. I'm sure they come out at night since roaches are missing from the bowl on feeding nights.

Np. Yeah it seems that captive toads tend to be weird on when they want to burrow and hibernate. Yours probably do come out at night and eat the roaches, I know that my spadefoot toad comes out on some nights and other times I don't see it for weeks on end. For my other toads its the opposite for me, my male toads want to burrow deeper into the subtrate and the females just half burrow at the top.

[DIDITHEDAD]

You should not have morw than 5 inch. Of dirt. Only 2-3 depending on size of taod.

[kueluck]

My female Fowlers, Runway just came up, she's been under since last Oct. She did the same thing last year so I'm going to release her later this month.

Np. Yeah it seems that captive toads tend to be weird on when they want to burrow and hibernate. Yours probably do come out at night and eat the roaches, I know that my spadefoot toad comes out on some nights and other times I don't see it for weeks on end. For my other toads its the opposite for me, my male toads want to burrow deeper into the subtrate and the females just half burrow at the top.

[crazy]

My female Fowlers, Runway just came up, she's been under since last Oct. She did the same thing last year so I'm going to release her later this month.

Nice. One of my females went under a few days ago but she is back up now. My largest toad bertha has gone down a few times in the past few weeks, but she comes back up with in a couple of days. Only my spadefoot toad stays under for long periods of time.