Reptile & Amphibian Forums

When my family and I decided to raise some tadpoles this past summer we had no idea that they would be morphing into little pigs. I actually thought that tadpoles turned into frogs, or toads. How foolish of me. I had no idea. I’m going to have to take out a second mortage just to feed these little guys! I told my 8 year son -- it was his idea to undertake this little project in the first place -- “pig-toads or college kid, you decide.”

All kidding aside, it has become increasingly obvious that if we are to keep these 4 toads, Bufo Americanus, I will have to seriously consider raising crickets in order to minimize cost. As a matter of fact I’ve already made the committment and 1000 crickets will be arriving on Tuesday. This coming weekend will be spent preparing the breeding environment. Of course, I have many concerns but, I’m feeling confident that I’ll have some measure of success. I’ve had so many questions and a lot of them have been answered though scouring this site and the web, as well as books from the library. Why, just about a month ago a few folks on this forum were kind enough to advise me though my maggot-feeding fiasco. I really appreciated that. BTW all of the toads are doing fine.

One thing that I’m not quite clear on is a matter of supplemental feeding. I’m sure these toads can survive and possibly even thrive on “fortified with 8 essential vitamins and iron” dusted crickets but, that seems just so unnaturalistic. Currently I am supplementing with woodlice, ants and earthworms. This is just occasionally, like when I’m fresh outta cricks and I can’t get to the pet store. However, winter is approaching here in Western PA, and these critters won’t be available much longer. I’m thinking that raising earthworms would also be a good idea but, I’m not sure which kind of worm to buy. I see that some websites offer something called red worms (compost worms?) that promise to be extremely prolific and easy to raise. Is this a good choice? If not, what should I be looking for and where can I get them?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

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corvus

I'm faced with the same problem of having crickets unplentiful in the winter months. Suppliers don't even want to ship them. Crickets can get some nasty smells going, that's probably the main reason why I don't try raising them. If you get a couple dead ones in the enclosure, then compound their waste smells...well...eeeww.

Redworms are a cinch to raise, although some herps appear not to like the taste of them. I've heard that earthworms are a little more difficult to raise, but I'm not sure where the difficulty part comes in. Maybe someone else can help with that thought. Just a small suggestion on the whole variety thing. You might try raising up some mealworms. Very easy to do. Actually, pillbugs aren't that hard either.

Thanks for the heads up regarding the smell. I hadn't even considered that. I'm sure my wife is gonna be thrilled!

I've read about the distaste for red worms and that rinsing them helps. What are all the kinds of *red* worm? Are the compost worms the same as dung worms? I know about earthworms and nightcrawlers. I thought that there were other types of worms similar to earthworms, but smaller.

Man, I really don't know much about worms. Meal worms might be a good idea. Well, the soft ones anyway.

Thanks again

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corvus
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Corvus

You only have four toads? And you are considering breeding three different types of invertebrate foods? 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. There is no reason why a yearling toad should be fed any more than a half a dozen crickets a week.

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.

By the way, red worms and mealworms are ridiculously easy to breed.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes

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

Just a suggestion. You might try visiting wormman.com for redworm information or even possibly placing an order. They have crickets, mealworms and a host of other feeders plus a chat room to talk about these things. They're pretty good about answering any question either by phone or email. If you pick up a copy of Reptile Magazine and take a look at food suppliers you'll even find more places to check out. Hope this helps you a little.

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