Baby toad advice

[butchblues]

Hey guys, new to the forum and seeking advice. Recently I collected and raised some E. American/Fowler’s toad tadpoles, I believe around 24? Anyway, I released the majority and still have 3, which I plan on keeping as pets. I have reptiles but these little dudes are my first time keeping toads. They are about 3-5 days old (metamorphosed?) and all currently housed in a critter keeper to make finding prey easier, which are pinheads (waiting on ff cultures to start producing too) and have moist paper towels as a temp substrate. I’ve attached a pic below. They are active and have seemingly voracious appetites. I also have springtails available but have not tried them yet.


And so I have a few questions: are paper towels an alright substrate until they get a bit bigger? I thought this would give prey less places to hide but I’ve heard they can contain harmful bleaching agents. I have coco fiber and sphagnum moss available, should I go ahead and use this instead and add springtails? I’m worried about impaction.


I’ve been dusting and putting maybe 10-15 pinheads in the enclosure a day. Is this enough? Is it possible to overfeed at this age? Also, are dubias acceptable as a staple once they're large enough? i really hate crickets and have a small dubia colony in the works.


Another question related to feeding: one of the three toads is somewhat smaller than the others. I’ve attributed it to being a day younger than the others, which is possible but I’m also worried about the others taking all the food. Should I separate the smaller one until they are more established?


Sorry for the long post! Thanks for reading and I appreciate any advice.

[Herpin Man]

I'd say that you are on the right track, however it is important for them to have someplace to burrow. A pile of sphagnum moss in a corner should do the trick. If it were me, I'd do a substrate of coco fiber/moss rather than the paper towel. It's also important for them to have a moisture gradient- a damp area to hydrate, and a dry area. American toads should not be kept wet.
Regarding feeding- at this size, feed them as much as they will eat, as often as you can. They will grow faster, and be able to eat larger prey sooner. I don't believe there is such a thing as overfeeding when they are small. Dusted fruit flies and bean beetles are also good food sources for the tiny ones.

[butchblues]

Thank you, I've given them the means to burrow now. These guys seem to grow at a crazy pace

[butchblues]

Thought I'd update, these little toads are doing great and putting on some serious growth!