Best treatment plans for MBD in Western Toads

[Larry Wardog]

Hello,
I work with American toads and Gray tree frogs and I am also working on researching them on my way to becoming a herpetologist but I'm not an expert yet.

I'll try and explain a little bit more on some of your questions and some of the information. I'm going to try to give main points so I don't write a short story.

Lighting:
I supply my toads with LED and UVB. Reptisun 5.0 I would recommend the tube fixture with an Amazon plug for the timer. So you never have to turn it on or off. Set it according to the season. 10-12 spring and summer, and 8-10 hours fall and winter. Same for LED. I use MicMol for LED.
Use a plexiglass piece and drill holes in the plexiglass so the uvb can pass through and reach the toad.

Enclosure size:
2 toads need at least a 40 gallon. I have a pair of toads who have been together for 4 years now in and out of quarantine, and they went from a 125 gallon to a 20 gallon quarantine tank. They had to be separated because they were starting to stress each other out. So a 40 gallon is good to keep them happy at least from the opinion of a biologist I work with and my personal opinion.

Supplements:
Contrary to what has been stated, use the UVB and offer D3. Not much light will hit the toad and not all the powder will be taken by the toad so it's the best way to assure the toad will get D3. I use these supplements I feed to Banded Crickets, Mealworms, Dubia Roaches, and others.

Mazuri Better Bug Gutload
Reptocal by Tetrafauna
Repashy Crested Gecko Diet
Repashy Superpig
Repashy Calcium A
Yummy Chummies Dog treats (salmon)

The "water"
Fluker's Cricket Quencher

I blend all the supplements together in a cup to let the crickets and mealworms eat it. I had a toad go from 46 grams to 118 grams in a few months with this supplementation and gutload.

Feeders:
I use Banded Crickets as my main feeder because they live longer, are less aggressive, and don't smell. Think of you eating dinner. You have the main course like chicken or steak. Then you have the side like fries or mashed potatoes. Think this way when you offer food to your toads.

Main feeders can be fed long periods of time and can sustain the animal being the main source of nutrition. You can feed multiple main feeders and a few side feeders for best results. Think of it like you are the animal. You probably do not want to eat potato chips every night or steak. You would want to mix it up.

Main Feeders:
Banded Crickets
Domestic (Pet store) Crickets
Dubia Roaches
Red Runner Roaches
Orangehead Roaches
Hornworms
Silkworms
Reptiworms, Calciworms (Same insect different name)
Earwigs
Isopods
Captive House Flies
Earthworms but from a trusted source

Note* do not feed earthworms as frequently because many places have unhealthy worms. My toads have gotten parasites from consuming earthworms.

Side feeders:
Waxworms and Waxmoths
Mealworms
Isopods
Butterworms
Black soldier flies

You can offer as many or as little as you want in order to create variety.

Your temperature and humidity seem good but if you upgrade the tank size, use the supplements and feeders recommended then you should be in good shape. Please let me know if I missed something. Thanks!

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