New to Western Toads. Please Help!

[Toadowner]

I just received another order of mealworms, and I believe a superworm has accidentally been placed in my order. Is the superworm safe to feed my toads? On a side note, the temperatures are dropping, and my toads are doing fine. I believe the temperature has dropped to below freezing overnight.

[daybr4ke]

As long as they are big enough to eat it, as superworms should be no problem. I give my toads superworms sometimes.

[Toadowner]

Thank You! They should be big enough to eat the superworm. They have eaten earthworms much longer than the superworm.

[Toadowner]

I just found a bunch of brown marmoted stink bugs in my firewood.At least, I think this is what they are, they are a gray color, and I have always Called them bark beetles. At any rate, would these be good to feed to my Western toads? I am thinking about attempting to breed them...

[daybr4ke]

If they're a form of stinkbug the toads will probably find them unpalatable. The idea of the "stink" mechanism is to make them taste bad so once they have one they won't eat more. It really depends on the frog/toad. Some frogs wont eat worms ever again after eating red wigglers, for example, since they taste bad. I had a frog that ate one and wouldn't eat worms, but my Woodhouse's toads love them, and never refuse them. If you want you can try feeding them to the toads.

[Cliygh and Mia 2]

Another thing to consider, especially if those stink-bugs are from the wild, are parasites or other harmful things from outside. In a pinch you can feed an animal like that something from the outdoors, but only if collected from an area where pesticides and herbicides are not in use, as they could kill the animal you are feeding the insects to. I'd stick with something else, but if you would like to breed them I'd try it, maybe they could be used as a feeder, but again, I'd stick to the regular staple items such as earthworms, crickets, dubias, ect

[Toadowner]

Thanks! After tasting the stink bugs once, the toads wouldn't go near them, so that plan is gone. Also, they survived winter fine, burrowing into the dirt. I am considering buying a 40l glass terrarium with a mesh lid, would this be fine? Thank you all so much!