I had recently acquired a Bufo alvarius at a reptile expo that came through my city, did all my research online about tank set ups and diets and got her a nice little home immediately. However it’s been a four days now and she seems to be comfortable, and she’s made a burrow under the half log decoration and soaks herself and explores at night. However there is one problem. She doesn’t seem to eat crickets. I’ve tried multiple methods, such as tongs, and even leaving a few in there to see if she would take notice, but she hasn’t. I did notice one thing though, she seemed interested by the reflection of my finger and even attempted to bite at it. I tried this again later by putting my finger against the glass and moving it, and she tried to bite it through the glass again. She isn’t an aggressive toad by any means and will happily let me refill her water bowl, even getting under the stream when I do so, so I know she’s not after my fingers through the glass because they’re mine, but could it be possible she only likes things of that size and shape? The breeder I had got her from mentioned they also eat pinkie mice but I have no way to get a hold of them anytime soon due to where I live. However the pet stores around here sell red wigglers, which are earth worms, would they do the trick to get her to eat? Would Goliath worms also work since they sell those here as well? She just doesn’t seem to care for the crickets and I’m becoming concerned for her.
Why not work with her and offer nightcrawlers? Nightcrawlers are a fantastic staple, highly nutritious, and chitin-free.
Earthworms seem to contain parasites that have effected American Toads so I would not recommend earthworms for a captive toad. You can try waxworms or mealworms. Sometimes toads like slow moving food more. You can try hornworms as well.
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I've never had problems with nightcrawlers when feeding any of my critters. IME crickets seem to be more prone to parasites than nightcrawlers are.
Most Worms carry parasites and other members have had problems with them. I had my toad tested before eating Worms and after and she had parasites that she got from the worms. Bait shops, Walmart, Petco and PetSmart all have the same worms.
I have taken them out of the rotation and my toads are doing much better.
If you can find a trusted place or you aren't deworming your toads then it's not an issue.
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Update on the situation:
I’ve never witnessed her eat, but crickets eventually disappear from the tank. I tried nightcrawlers as well but she doesn’t seem to take any interest in them. However I left for a few days and came back to a red mark on her nose I think from possibly rubbing against the glass, which she hasn’t done since the first week I acquired her. I have also put a black fabric around the sides of the tank about a week prior to red mark appearing and left one side open in hopes of reducing her stress. The room she’s in is quiet, so I don’t know what else could be causing her to be stressed if she is. She isn’t handled and the only time her tank is opened is to refill/clean the water dish, and to feed her as well. I’m in need of some help here, any advice? The internet doesn’t seem to be offering any on the red mark.
Can you describe the temperature and humidity of the enclosure? It could be something very simple or it could be something involving the toad wanting to hibernate and it could be acting up because of it.
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I guess what I should say is that not necessarily hibernate but the changing of the conditions around you would probably cause a change in the toad so a seasonal change could be happening too.
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Temperature of the tank is around 70-76 degrees, don’t have a way to check humidity but it gets sprayed lightly twice a day. I live on the west coast of the US so fall is noticeably here. Could either of those factors be a culprit?
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