Any American Toad Keepers?

[MnGuy]

Hi,

Does anyone here keep American toads? What are they like as pets? What is their care like? How many feeder insects do you go through for an adult in a week?

A suburban homeowner in my area is selling American toad tadpoles they pulled from their backyard pond. I'm usually not into wild-caught animals, but I know American toads aren't really bred in captivity and it sounds like this homeowner is trying to "save" some of the many young. I was thinking of maybe grabbing two or three.

I don't own any insect-eating animals at this point, just a trio of newts, two garter snakes and one uromastyx. I've been reluctant in the past to get an insect eater due to the care insects require and the need to make repeated/regular trips to the pet store (or, ordering online). But I've also been enamored with American toads for so long.

Thanks!

[David339]

Originally Posted by MnGuy

Hi,

Does anyone here keep American toads? What are they like as pets? What is their care like? How many feeder insects do you go through for an adult in a week?

A suburban homeowner in my area is selling American toad tadpoles they pulled from their backyard pond. I'm usually not into wild-caught animals, but I know American toads aren't really bred in captivity and it sounds like this homeowner is trying to "save" some of the many young. I was thinking of maybe grabbing two or three.

I don't own any insect-eating animals at this point, just a trio of newts, two garter snakes and one uromastyx. I've been reluctant in the past to get an insect eater due to the care insects require and the need to make repeated/regular trips to the pet store (or, ordering online). But I've also been enamored with American toads for so long.

Thanks!

I have one single fowler's toad. He's about 1.5-2 inches and orange or rust colored. I believe they are similar and actually interbreed if I remember correctly. I keep mine in a 10 gallon tank with coconut fiber substrate and moss. I mist it lightly 2 times a day. He burrowed a lot when I first got him but now I usually see him with his head poking out of a burrow. He eats crickets (10 1/4 inch every 2-3 days) mainly with meal worms, dermestid beetles, fruit flies, spiders, isopods, earth worms. They pretty much eat whatever they can fit in their mouth. If you re raising it from a tadpole you will need some goldfish flake while it's a tadpole. Daphnia/moina wouldn't hurt for feeding the tadpoles either. If you have any algae covered items they will strip these clean feeding off them. Once he transforms into a froglet you will probably want to get springtails and melangaster fruit flies. They are the size of your thumb nail at metamorphosis. They are definitely entertaining to watch. Hopefully that helps.

Also, it's possible you may end up with something that's not an american toad. I regularly collect tadpoles(usually when I encounter a drying puddle full of them that aren't going to be surviving) as snacks for my water turtles. Some always end up making it to metamorphosis and I've had spring peepers, gray tree frogs and eastern narrowmouth toads metamorphosis. There are sites to help you identify the tadpoles.

[MnGuy]

Originally Posted by David339

I have one single fowler's toad. He's about 1.5-2 inches and orange or rust colored. I believe they are similar and actually interbreed if I remember correctly. I keep mine in a 10 gallon tank with coconut fiber substrate and moss. I mist it lightly 2 times a day. He burrowed a lot when I first got him but now I usually see him with his head poking out of a burrow. He eats crickets (10 1/4 inch every 2-3 days) mainly with meal worms, dermestid beetles, fruit flies, spiders, isopods, earth worms. They pretty much eat whatever they can fit in their mouth. If you re raising it from a tadpole you will need some goldfish flake while it's a tadpole. Daphnia/moina wouldn't hurt for feeding the tadpoles either. If you have any algae covered items they will strip these clean feeding off them. Once he transforms into a froglet you will probably want to get springtails and melangaster fruit flies. They are the size of your thumb nail at metamorphosis. They are definitely entertaining to watch. Hopefully that helps.

Also, it's possible you may end up with something that's not an american toad. I regularly collect tadpoles(usually when I encounter a drying puddle full of them that aren't going to be surviving) as snacks for my water turtles. Some always end up making it to metamorphosis and I've had spring peepers, gray tree frogs and eastern narrowmouth toads metamorphosis. There are sites to help you identify the tadpoles.

Thank you for the information. The person giving them away didn't have good photos of the tadpoles so I can't tell myself.

I'd love to have some spring peepers or tree frogs.

Is it a pain to deal with feeder insects? How much do you have to keep on you at a given time?

Thank you.

[David339]

Originally Posted by MnGuy

Thank you for the information. The person giving them away didn't have good photos of the tadpoles so I can't tell myself.

I'd love to have some spring peepers or tree frogs.

Is it a pain to deal with feeder insects? How much do you have to keep on you at a given time?

Thank you.

The insects aren't a pain. Crickets escaping can be annoying. I do my own fruit fly cultures and everything.

I don't know if I'd be a good example on quantity since I have a lot of insect eaters(around 30 mouths of different sizes). I buy something like 4500 crickets (about $60) a month, 3 different sizes.

Toads are definitely more exciting than tree frogs. I have 3-4 Fowler's toads that have been hopping up on the back porch for years since I will feed them while out for a cig plus the light coming through the sliding glass door draws a lot of bugs. My tree frogs are nocturnal and are usually sleeping on the glass when I'm active. Spring peepers croak really loud also. If you don't see the frog laying it then it could be anything that's in that area. Most of the random tadpoles I've collected or hatched end up being tree frogs of some sort.

[David339]

If it were a green frog or bull frog then those tadpoles take years to turn into a frog.
Found a decent tadpole guide:
https://archive.usgs.gov/archive/sit...dpoleGuide.pdf

[Herpin' Man]

I keep a few toads, including americanus. I like them. They are hardy, as long as a few simple needs are met. They have lots of personality, and eat nearly anything that moves.
I keep mine in enclosures with coco fiber as a substrate, and some moss and leaves on the surface. I moisten one end only. I think one mistake people make with these is keeping them too wet. They also have a water dish to slop around in. They should be kept relatively cool- 75 or lower seems ideal.
I feed mostly crickets (which I buy in bulk) and dubia (which I culture). I have lots of other bug eaters, so the insects aren't an inconvenience to me. If you are going to raise these toads from new metamorphs, you are going to want to start culturing fruit flies, which is quite easy. Bean beetles are even easier to culture, however their population "boom" cycles mean that you won't always have them available, unless you have multiple cultures with timing staggered.
Making the decision to keep bug eating herps definitely carries an added layer of commitment. If I were you, for just a few toads, I would keep a modest dubia culture (FYI, you will hate cleaning the bin) and I would use banded crickets, preferably. They last much longer than the house crickets that most pet stores sell, so you could buy larger quantities online, saving money in the long run, and trips to the pet store in the short run.

[MnGuy]

Originally Posted by Herpin' Man

I keep a few toads, including americanus. I like them. They are hardy, as long as a few simple needs are met. They have lots of personality, and eat nearly anything that moves.
I keep mine in enclosures with coco fiber as a substrate, and some moss and leaves on the surface. I moisten one end only. I think one mistake people make with these is keeping them too wet. They also have a water dish to slop around in. They should be kept relatively cool- 75 or lower seems ideal.
I feed mostly crickets (which I buy in bulk) and dubia (which I culture). I have lots of other bug eaters, so the insects aren't an inconvenience to me. If you are going to raise these toads from new metamorphs, you are going to want to start culturing fruit flies, which is quite easy. Bean beetles are even easier to culture, however their population "boom" cycles mean that you won't always have them available, unless you have multiple cultures with timing staggered.
Making the decision to keep bug eating herps definitely carries an added layer of commitment. If I were you, for just a few toads, I would keep a modest dubia culture (FYI, you will hate cleaning the bin) and I would use banded crickets, preferably. They last much longer than the house crickets that most pet stores sell, so you could buy larger quantities online, saving money in the long run, and trips to the pet store in the short run.

Thank you for the great input. I think keeping roaches might be too much for me. I'm not afraid of insects; I'm just not sure I'm ready for the added commitment. Thank you for the honest insights.

I think toads might be out of the question for me. I think I could cope with the needs of something like dart frogs, but more demanding insect-eating herps might test my limits.

[Bubonic]

This was helpful to me as well-I have always had a love affair with toads. While other 4 and 5 year olds were into puppies and kitties, I was into toads as well. :P

I've wanted a toad for years now, but held off outta respect for others. Also, I wasn't sure I could feed 'em live bugs. I'm a bug lover. But not roaches. Or any bug that spreads disease.

Where I live now, I could feed an army of toads. We have millions of roaches. As large as an adult mouse, some are larger. One at my old rental we affectionately named "Hot Dog" b/c he nearly was long as one, loved junk food, and would greet you at any time of the day....he was like the WALL-E roach but with ego and grosser. LOL

At my new home there's SO many due to the kind that lives in pine trees. Which we have a forest of not far from our yard. It's AWFUL. Oh the joy of moving to a new place!

Anywho, after all that, I would have *zero* probs with feeding a toad! Bring it on! Toad, I hereby dub thee, "Raid"! :P

[David339]

Originally Posted by Bubonic

This was helpful to me as well-I have always had a love affair with toads. While other 4 and 5 year olds were into puppies and kitties, I was into toads as well. :P

I've wanted a toad for years now, but held off outta respect for others. Also, I wasn't sure I could feed 'em live bugs. I'm a bug lover. But not roaches. Or any bug that spreads disease.

Where I live now, I could feed an army of toads. We have millions of roaches. As large as an adult mouse, some are larger. One at my old rental we affectionately named "Hot Dog" b/c he nearly was long as one, loved junk food, and would greet you at any time of the day....he was like the WALL-E roach but with ego and grosser. LOL

At my new home there's SO many due to the kind that lives in pine trees. Which we have a forest of not far from our yard. It's AWFUL. Oh the joy of moving to a new place!

Anywho, after all that, I would have *zero* probs with feeding a toad! Bring it on! Toad, I hereby dub thee, "Raid"! :P

You'd be surprised how big of bugs they will eat. I have one big toad that comes on the porch at night and I've seen him eat multiple of those really big june bugs in an evening. Unfortunately he left a big surprise on the porch overnight as well.

[MnGuy]

Originally Posted by Bubonic

This was helpful to me as well-I have always had a love affair with toads. While other 4 and 5 year olds were into puppies and kitties, I was into toads as well. :P

I've wanted a toad for years now, but held off outta respect for others. Also, I wasn't sure I could feed 'em live bugs. I'm a bug lover. But not roaches. Or any bug that spreads disease.

Where I live now, I could feed an army of toads. We have millions of roaches. As large as an adult mouse, some are larger. One at my old rental we affectionately named "Hot Dog" b/c he nearly was long as one, loved junk food, and would greet you at any time of the day....he was like the WALL-E roach but with ego and grosser. LOL

At my new home there's SO many due to the kind that lives in pine trees. Which we have a forest of not far from our yard. It's AWFUL. Oh the joy of moving to a new place!

Anywho, after all that, I would have *zero* probs with feeding a toad! Bring it on! Toad, I hereby dub thee, "Raid"! :P

Where do you live that there are that many roaches, and such big ones at that?!