One of my toadlets passed away. :(

[nicodimus22]

Hey folks. One of my three toadlets passed away last evening. I noticed it was looking skinny compared to the other two during feeding on Friday. I gave it extra time alone in the feeding container to make sure it had ample opportunity Friday night and again last night. It ate very little compared to the other two toadlets both nights. I went back to check a couple hours later last night and the skinny one was nearly dead. It passed away in my hand a minute later.

While I am sad that I've lost a pet, my concern now lies with the other two toadlets that are still with me. This might be morbid, but right after the toadlet died, I took some pics of it to see if I could learn what (if anything) I had done wrong, or if there was something evident I can't see with the naked eye (these are still very small, about 3/4 of an inch long.) I am hopeful that whatever caused this one's death will not spread to the other two. I will not be able to post the photos until tomorrow, as my internet is out until August 1 and I am posting this from my phone.

I have my toadlets in a 10-gallon tank with coco fiber substrate. They have fresh spring water, which I change daily. The temperature is typically in the mid 70s, and they have an incandescent spot to bask in in one corner of the cage, if they so choose. I have been feeding them in a separate container each day, giving them flightless fruit flies dusted with Repashy's ICB+ supplement powder. I have had these critters for about 8 weeks so far. The remaining two seem plump and healthy. I am open to any ideas on what went wrong, so that I can try to prevent my others from meeting the same fate. Thanks for any input you can provide.

[John]

Sorry you lost the little guy. It's hard to say what might have caused it to not thrive. For what it's worth, whenever I have raised Bufonids I've always lost a few right around the stage you describe. Don't take it too much to heart.

[nicodimus22]

Thanks. I am trying not to get too upset about it. It is hard not to second guess yourself when a young animal in your care dies though. Could I have done something differently, etc...just trying to keep my focus on the two I have left now.

[Kisa]

Awe sorry you lost your little guy.

[LilyPad]

I'm so sorry Nicodimus

[nicodimus22]

I have my internet back now, but I think I am going to hold off on posting the pics of the deceased toadlet for two reasons:

-Posting pics of a dead pet might be seen as being in poor taste.
-My other toadlets are not suffering from some mystery problem that I need your help to identify from the pics.

I will keep them just in case the other toadlets develop similar issues and I need your help. Thanks for the kind words.

[Greg M]

Sorry to hear of your loss! As John said, it is (sadly) usual for a few toadlets to fail to thrive. This may well reflect genetic issues or even nutrition during the tadpole phase. As long as the other guys are doing well, I would try not to worry.