Building Fowler's Toad viv-Have questions

[Buddy]

Hi,

I'm building a Fowler's toad viv, around fifty gallons for two toads. I'm not sure what the dimensions of the tank is. I know its long and tall, I just don't know the width of it.

I guess my main area of concern is does it matter what kind of leaf litter I choose for the tank? From the research I've done on the animals what I found is that they sometimes take in moisture from the soil when they burrow. So would a leaf litter that holds in humidity well be beneficial?

Would it be okay to grab leaf litter that's around my house and bake it or should I order some offline? Does freezing the leaves help too or no?

[Mentat]

Leaf litter will help keep substrate humidity and is a shelter for smaller frog species. For a tank, you want leaves collected from areas where no chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) are in use. If unsure, it's safer to buy from a good source online. To sterilize, you can bake leaves at low heat (150 to 175F) under supervision for an hour and let it cool down slowly overnight .

[deranged chipmunk]

Thank you Carlos for getting to this. I missed it. Like Carlos said, it's safer to buy online. It's an inexpensive part of the tank that the frogs will come in contact with daily, so why mess around with it? Genesisexotics.com has excellent leaf litter. I recommend the oak litter.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[Buddy]

Thank you guys for the help I really appreciate it. I'm new to owning frogs and I want them to have the best home possible.

The area I was going to collect leaves from is pesticide/chemical free. My parents own a house on a pond in MA and the environmental regulations are very strict. The area was tested for chemical crawling or something brought on by household cleaners that seep into the ground and would eventually contaminate the pond so I think everyone on the property now uses all natural cleaning products.

I'm back home in New Jersey and there is no way I'm going to risk bringing in leaves that could possibly have been contaminated, so I'll be sure to check that site out. Thanks again you guys. I'm sure I'll have more questions as I start building my viv.