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Thread: Ridiculously bad aim

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    Default Ridiculously bad aim

    Hi - new to the forum looking for advice!

    We have a WC toad - not sure if it's American or Fowler's. My boys found it in the driveway over the summer. He was maybe the size of a quarter then. He's never been a particularly "high energy" creature - he eats mealworms and never showed any interest in anything that moved faster. I do dust them. The last two months or so his aim has deteriorated to comedic levels. He's basically alerting on them and then nodding at them. I don't think it's short tongue syndrome because he's not within range of even hitting the worms with his tongue. He tries a couple times and then gives up. No interest in eating them off tongs. I've been force feeding him every couple of days. I've seen conflicting info on hibernation and I'm not sure if he's trying that. He has a cave which he doesn't use. He doesn't burrow a whole lot, more like firmly nestles into the substrate (the coconut husk stuff). He does go into the water and I have seen poop.

    Would love any thoughts.

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  3. #2
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    Default Re: Ridiculously bad aim

    It does sound like a vitamin deficiency of some sort. Have you tried small amounts of vitamin A, like, once a month? What kind of calcium are you using? Calcium+D3 is what you should be using and it should be tossed every 6 months. Mealworms are not a good feeder. They are high in fat and chitin and low in nutrients. If he is unwilling to eat crickets, the worms (night crawler pieces especially) would make for an excellent feeder. If you have normal temperatures and humidity, then he shouldn't be trying to hibernate.

    Vitamin A - https://www.amazon.com/Repashy-Vitam...vitamin+a+plus
    Calcium - https://www.amazon.com/Rep-Cal-SRP00...eywords=repcal
    Multivitamin - https://www.amazon.com/HERPTIVITE-Mu...eywords=repcal

    There are other brands out there, but I have tried several and these seem to keep my frogs in the best shape. My toad doesn't burrow in completely, but does what you said, just kind of digs his butt in a bit.
    2.0.3 Hyla versicolor "Eastern Gray Tree Frogs"
    2.2.0 Agalychnis callidryas "Red Eyed Tree Frogs"

    0.0.3 Dendrobates auratus "Turquoise and Bronze"
    0.0.1 Anaxyrus fowleri "Fowler's Toad"



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    Default Re: Ridiculously bad aim

    I like how Amy added in the supplement containing preformed vitamin A. I have heard that although some supplements use beta-carotene as a safe source of vitamin A (since preformed is fat solubale and toxic in excess), amphibians cannot fully rely on beta-caroetene and need some preformed vitamin A in the diet. They would likely receive both due to beta-carotene from algae at the tadpole stage and plant matter from the gut of insects, then some vitamin A would be from the occasional small veretebrate taken.

    If you were using a supplement with only beta-carotene and not feeding pink mice, whole fish or fish oil on the insects, then short tongue is would still be a real risk.

    It could also be a lack of D3 in the diet or an underpowered UVB lamp. The 2% lamps
    generally recommended for amphibians are completely useless when used over a screen top as this halves the already low output. Although, many keepers have kept toads without. Just make sure enough D3 and calcium is given. Mealworms are very poor in nutrition so should be gutloaded with a commercial high-calcium diet or with dusted calcium supplement and occasionally multivitamin dusted for vitamin D3 and A. I would use earthworms, suppmented crickets and roaches as the main diet.

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