Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, i am having a bit of a problem with some newly formed toadlets. I have raised tadpoles to toads before, and plan on releasing them soon after they are fit for release back to where i got them. My problem is, about 5 hours after the tadpoles grow the front arms, they crawl out of the water, but sonn die a few hours later. The platform is terrarium carpet so its easy for them to get out. But, why are they dying soon after, their tails are still long so i know they arn't starving, are they leaving the wter too early and suffucating. so far 3 have crawled out and died. PLEASE HELP!!!

Hmm...the last of the 10 toadlets I'm raising have just lost their tails, so I hope I can help. What exactly is terrarium carpet? If it's something like Astroturf, it could be abrasive or could contain some kind of irritating chemical that affects amphibians more than reptiles. Floating platforms could be difficult for the toadlets to climb onto and off of easily, so you might want to replace them with rocks that extend slightly out of the water or some plants like Java moss that provide access to surface air while allowing the toadlet's body to remain in the water. Another easy way to provide access to the shore is to tilt the container you're using and prop one side up to create a land area.

I'm not sure at what point exactly the tadpoles switch from gills to lungs, but it's probably a good idea to make sure that they can keep part of their body in the water at least until the tails have lost the transparent fin/blade part entirely and have been absorbed up to about 3-4mm. Five hours after the appearance of front legs seems a bit early for coming out of the water entirely, although I'm going by my observation of American toads.
I doubt that the your toadlets are dying of starvation, as they don't seem to need to eat while they're still absorbing their tails. However, it's not a bad idea to have some aphids, fruitflies, etc. available, although you probably know that already having raised toads before.

Hope this helps...if not, some specifics about the species you've got, the setup you have, and the appearance of the dead toadlets (i.e. dried out, bellies shrunken, bloated...) might help determine the problem. I have heard about "spindly leg syndrome" which sometimes occurs in toadlets if the didn't get the right nutrition as tadpoles.

its like astro-turf, but sold in pet stores and is sterile of chemicles. It is not floating, i have sume rocks under it and it slopes up gentally. Another toad grew its arms but this one is staying in the water unlike the last couple. my other tadpoles are doing fine and are eating when fed. I think the other two may have been pushed up by the others on the edge and were too weak to hop back into the water.

also, they are american toadlets.

np