Hello everyone! I have been browsing this forum for the past three months and it has helped me tremendously in caring for my 4 juvenile Am Toads. I found them in September and my plan is to overwinter and release them in the spring to a location where they have become sparse. To save on time, I will tell you that all conditions/requirements have been met & maintained regarding their habitat/environment, diet, water/humidity, etc... They have all been thriving until lastnight, which is when I discovered the following...
Lastnight I found one toad which was struggling to walk, seemed dry and eyes were closing. It didn’t appear to be bloated and I felt no blockages/impactions. Placed it in the water bowl (which I add a few drops of liquid vitamins with each new change) and it leaned face first, having trouble to walk out. Seemed cold and became increasingly motionless. Wrapped it in a very moist, slightly warm cloth, then noticed some shedding that I gently helped to remove. Normally it has no problem with its shedding process. Gave it a warm bath, not too warm, and its eyes began to open more and it attempted to jump but was weak. It was a couple days since I last fed them crickets but there is always a dish of wax worms & mealies that they eat from. I was afraid that maybe it passed on eating so I force fed 2 baby earthworms, about 1” Long each. I did observe the toad swallowing them. After 4 hours of warming, moistening and feeding… it looked a bit more normal… eyes opened, but still not moving, especially it’s front legs that it seems to be pulling inward and tucked. At 1am I place it back into the tank and it continued to lean forward so I positioned it to prevent its nose from laying in the substrate. I checked on it at 4am and there was no movement, eyes still open, very slow breathing. Woke up at 9am and it’s still in the same position (which normally she is hiding or partially buried), eyes open, front legs tucked in, back legs are marginally splayed, and very little throat movement. When I touch it, it does try to move it’s legs but it’s not walking. I have searched the internet and cannot find what could be wrong. I believe it is a female because it doesn’t vocalize like the male one does. It’s name is Chanchu. Current tank temp is 68’ and humidity is 58’. The other 3 toads are partially dug into the substrate. Every now and then Chanchu twitches her back legs but no attempt to walk/move. I am thinking about moving her to a different container and providing more heat. Some other info I can give you is I also have small black slugs and roly-poly’s in the tank to help with tank cleaning and maintenance. There are also a lot of springtails and reddish mites, but not to the point of infestation. I read that they are not of any concern, or should I really be concerned? Another thought that I have is… I have a piece of curved bark that is buried halfway into the substrate and is used as a hiding place. Chanchu spends a lot of time in that location and I am wondering if there are any chemicals and/or ammonia that is possibly being released and has been absorbed by the toads? So here is where we stand... It has been 14 hours and Chanchu is in the same position, in the same location, no sign of bloat, does not want to eat, eyes are half open but appear clear, no throat movement, slight breathing, skin is sticky/clammy. She looks like a rubber statue! Here are my questions...

  • Should I half bury her in damp substrate or leave her in the open?
  • Should I continue warm baths? If so, is there anything I can add to the water to help her?
  • Should I continue to force feed her? If so, can I grind up insects/worms and syringe the mixture into her mouth? Also, would you recommend for me to add a drop of the liquid bird vitamins (Vita-Sol) that I have been adding to their water bath?

I cannot afford a vet visit so I am relying on research and your expertise! Any suggestions, advice, or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!! Many thanks!!!
ps. I would post a pic but don’t know how!