You only have four toads? And you are considering breeding three different types of invertebrate foods?



Four toads, yes. And I believe what I said was, that I’m committed to raising crickets, and only considering raising worms. So that’s two, right? Although I’m open to a third. Mealworms maybe?



I have a funny feeling that you are overfeeding them, and that is what is making it difficult for you to keep up. The fact that you describe them as pigs also tells me that you are trying to feed them to satiation, instead of feeding them only what they need.



Hmmm? I think this may be a very keen observation. I too have wondered if I’m overfeeding them. It’s really hard for me to know as I’ve not had any experience at all. Instead of trying to be funny, maybe I should be more specific, which I will, after addressing this...



There is no reason why a yearling toad should be fed any more than a half a dozen crickets a week.



I’m really struggling with this statement and I’m not sure that I completely understand. Basically, you’re saying just one cricket a day. That’s it? May I ask, why? Should they be eating other things in addition to this? I’m sorry to be skeptical, but I’ve read just about anything I can get my hands on with reference to American Toads and one thing that is mentioned frequently, is that they’re voracious eaters.



To be more specific, and I’ll try to be concise… Toads approx. four months old. Sizes vary slightly, 1-1/4 in. to 1-3/8 in. Still very small. The crickets I’m feeding are small, 1/4 in. - 3/8 in. Pretty much the same size as the toads mouths are wide. I’ve been playing with the amount. For a few reasons. Foremost is feeding method, which has changed dramatically since they started eating crickets. When the toads were very small I would just drop in a bunch of fruit flies. All toads appeared to be growing at steady, even rate. Once large enough to accept small crickets, behavior changed. To start, I would dump in about 8 to 10 crickets. Two toads are very aggressive and would get a larger share. One was lagging and often would get to eat just one. I adjusted for this and strategically dropped crickets near each toad. Sometimes effective, other times not. I have strived to reach a balance between all of them. At any rate, no matter how many crickets any of them ate, they’d always look for more. I certainly didn’t want to overfeed. Made a huge effort to ensure that not one toad got more than 7 and not one less than two. There was a period of two weeks when not one toad got more than 3 crickets per night. All started to look very thin and appeared to be stressed. I figured they needed to be eating more in order to thrive. I’m currently (one week now) isolating them and making sure that all get six crickets a night. They appear to be more healthy, stronger, and content. (If toads in a caged environment can be content.) At 24 crickets per day and 10 cents apiece at the local pet store, I’m spending $2.40 a day. This is why I’ve decided to raise crickets and other things.



I am very open to your opinion, and if after reading this you can still say that I’m overfeeding and can present a strong case, then I will consider your argument and cut them back. I just don’t see how they are going to thrive on one cricket per day, but trust me, if they can then I’d be very happy and more than willing to do it.



You claim that dusting crickets is unnatural, but there's nothing natural about keeping animals in four glass walls. Dusting their food items is the best way to deliver the nutrients that they need. Feed the crickets a healthy meal of chopped vegetables and fruits.



Good point, well noted. However, I think that it was poor wording on my part. I didn’t mean to imply that dusting crickets was unnatural. What I was trying to convey is that I thought feeding *only* crickets was unnatural. But I guess you're right. It's all very, unnatural. But it sure is interesting.



> By the way, red worms and mealworms are ridiculously easy to breed.



This is encouraging. I can get mealworms. Can you suggest a supplier for red worms?



I am new to this and value any advice, from you or anyone else, experienced with american toads.



Thank you,



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corvus

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