Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had this baby toad for a few months now, and never had any problems with it. Recently I noticed that it had not defecated in awhile. Now it's is somewhat swollen. Not so much its entire body, but its neck and near its back legs. It has trouble moving its back legs properly, and sometimes they don't even touch the ground while it rests. It also has not been hopping around at all.

It seems like he is compacted (if that is what you call it), but I don't know what caused it, or how it can be fixed. It could not have eaten any substrate or anything, because I've been keeping it on a moist paper towel (half the cage with it, and half without incase it doesn't want to be too wet). Other then that, the only thing that has been in the cage is crickets. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The word your looking for is impaction. And yes that is kind of what the problem sounds like, but if paper towels and crickets are the only thing in the cage, impaction is unlikely.
It definately sounds like an intestinal problem of sort to me though.
How big is the toad? What size crickets are you feeding him? And how often do you feed him?
He may have trouble digesting the crickets if they are too big or being fed too often.
What is the humidity and temperatures?
Improper environmental conditions could be causing problems with his metabolism.
He may also have an infection in his stomach or intestines from bacteria, fungus, or parasitic animals--especially if he is wild caught. If this is the case, for an animal so small and delicated, there is not much that can be done.

That's the word I was looking for.

It's a little larger then my thumbnail (sorry, that's all I can really think to compare it to). I've been feeding it day old crickets from wormman.com because petshops in my area haven't oppened back up since Katrina. I basically just throw a few crickets in with it every 2 or 3 days.

When we evacuated for the storm I took it with me, and the person I was staying with keeps the house pretty cold. I didn't have anything to heat its cage because I like it warm, so my whole room is usually in the mid 80s. The problem started after we got back from there, so it is most likely because it was too cold while we stayed there.

It does not look quite as bad today. It moved around a little, and its throat is not swollen anymore. Still doesn't look very well though, but hopefully that is a good sign.

I'm not sure what is wrong. Could the toad possibly have suffered any injuries while being transported like falls, or getting jostled around? That could be the cause of the swelling.

The best thing to do is make sure all the proper conditions are met, offer enough food, and keep an eye on him. I hope he makes a full recovery.