Looking for Help with my Toads

[Kurt]

Super hot? A temperate zone species? I don't think so.

[Malachi]

They***Don't *** like it super hot, I meant LOL

My toadlets I have raised loved to stay in an 80 degree area.

My subadult likes 74 ish.

[Kurt]

Glad we clarified that.

[JimO]

Is your peat moss damp? If so, you might want to have an area with some soil and leaf litter that is a little drier. American toads don't like to be constantly wet. If you have a place to catch moths and grasshoppers where there have been no chemicals sprayed, it would be good to vary their diet, as Malachi pointed out. We have a few Southern toads as "yard pets" and they hang out under the porch light and eat moths, beetles, and other stuff attracted to the light.

Although I've seen toads many times eat beetles (especially June bugs), I don't recommend them because they are hard to digest and probably pretty prickly going down (I can only imagine). Also, I've seen lots of toad poo and often see beetle remains that are nearly fully intact, so I'm not sure they getmuch nutrion from them. You could also feed them a couple of meal worms once a week or so. Check their poo though and don't feed stuff that comes out undigested. Crickets are a good staple, but do dust them with calcium supplements frequently and vitamin supplements at least once a week.

[Greatballzofire]

Toads like to burrow by burying themselves butt first into the soil by excavating with their hind legs. So maybe that is what your toads are trying to do. Give them at least 3 inches of soil to burrow in.

[Greg M]

I'm sure that you've seen it already, but John's care sheet for toads (Toad Basic Care) is a great summary. I would be careful with the heat lamp - American toads are temperate zone animals, and do just fine at room temperature (70 - 80 degrees). Mine are kept at mid-70s with a dim fluorescent tube.

As others have already commented, supplementation with vitamins and calcium is advisable - I gut-load my crickets with Repashy insect gutload and dust with Repashy Plus ICB once a week. Other people have different schemes that are fine too. I also recommend a wide variety of (safe) prey if at all possible. I use Dubia roaches, crickets, butterworms, silkworms, hornworms, "phoenix" worms, isopods and the very occasional pinkie (as a treat for the big guys), all of which are available online as captive-bred stocks.

If your toads are juveniles, you need to be especially diligent about supplementation to ensure that the animals are receiving enough calcium and vitamin A. Calcium deficiencies can manifest as neurological symptoms (shaking, lack of co-ordination) and animals exhibiting these symptoms should be brought to a herp vet. Vitamin A deficiencies result in feeding difficulties - the so-called "short-tongue syndrome" which is actually squamous metaplasia of the mucus glands of the tongue. There are doubts that toads can convert beta-carotene into retinol, so vitamin supplements with preformed vitamin A (retinol acetate, for example) are probably preferred.

[Chelsi]

Thank you very much, I will watch the heat lamp and get supplementation as soon as possible. I feel like my toads have been kicking themselves and even using their front legs to rub the sides of their body and face.. are they having trouble shedding?

[Chelsi]

Yes the moss is damp, and alright I will do that. I also put a natural little log I found outside in their tank for cover, but they refuse to use it. I used to have a fake and heavy yard decoration ironically labeled "toad house" on the front for them to sit in, and they used that every day. Should I just switch out the log for the decoration?

[Chelsi]

Thanks Kurt!