Quote Originally Posted by Greg M View Post
I find that hungry toads will come out and look around for food, so it is usually not necessary to dig them up. I wash my hands thoroughly, pick my guys up and feed them in a separate feeding cage with no substrate. I use this approach because I can monitor individual eating patterns, ensure that everybody is eating enough, not get supplement all over the cages, and avoid any impaction risk. They are very used to the routine and it does not seem to bother them in the least - in fact, they look up and eagerly hop around, trying to get out when they are really hungry. The use of a separate feeding cage is not accepted by all keepers - the notion being that it stresses the frog/toad. My feeling is that this depends on the species and individual. Some frog species, in particular, are very nervous and are best left alone (and perhaps should not be pets at all). All of my frogs and toads are species with relaxed personalities and are quite used to being moved around. They don't duck and hide or jump when I enter the room or open their cages. My belief is that most animals will eventually acclimate to people if they see them regularly and associate them with food. I am not advocating treating frogs/toads like cats or dogs, obviously...
Feeding them in a different container is an interesting idea. I have seen people do it in youtube videos (they used a large plastic storage container) but I didn't know if it was just done for the video, or as a routine thing. I just started using the Repashy insect supplement powder, and it definitely makes a bit of a mess in the aquarium. I use the coco fiber substrate, so I'm not overly worried about impaction from it, but I see the benefit you're referring to there. It is also a good way to make sure they're all eating enough. Right now, one of my toads is smaller than the other two, and I don't know if it's because that one isn't eating as much, or if that is simply because one is a male, and the two fatter toads are females. I may try this out...do you think I should just go out and buy a Rubbermaid storage container or something like that for feeding?

I tend to agree with you that in general, many animals will get used to people to a degree, especially when it comes to food. Do you wash your hands with tap water or something else? I have been rinsing my hands off with spring water before handling, just to be sure I'm not getting any chlorine on them. This may be overkill/paranoid on my part, but I'm trying to play it safe until I know better what I'm doing. Thanks for your input.