Hi,
My toad (bufo americanus) had a clump of shedded skin stuck to his stomach for a while (he never was very good at the whole shedding thing 
), and I didn't think anything of it but I noticed there was a tiny bit of blood where he was sitting before I picked him up yesterday, so I checked his stomach and it looks like there's a small open sore of some kind beneath the shedded skin. I've been letting him soak in his water dish and rubbing it gently with a wet Q-tip to see if I can get the skin off (he's also been rubbing at his belly while in his water dish), but it's hardened on there and I'm afraid of hurting him. My mom suggested trying petroleum jelly, but I wasn't sure if it was safe to use on toads, let alone open sores or anything like that, so I figured I'd ask. Any advice on how to treat him would also be appreciated. He's had a sore like this before that he recovered from, so I'm not terribly worried, but I am still worried about him.
While I'm at it, I was wondering if I should get the calcium and such at the pet store that you use to dust the crickets with. My mom takes care of the crickets we buy (I'm terrified of bugs--go figure), and she feeds them peanut butter on crackers and vegetables and healthy things like that, so is that enough or should we get the dust as well?
Thanks!
