What to feed baby toad frogs

General Toad Care - Four Seasons Animal Hospital

Congratulations on welcoming a new toad to your family. We here at Four Seasons Animal Hospital want to help you with your new friend, starting with the basics…

Size & Life Span

Depending on the species of toad:

Average adult size: 2 to 6 inches

Average life span: up to 10+ years

Diet

A well-balanced toad diet includes recently fed crickets, waxworms, and mealworms. Your toad’s age will determine how often you feed him. If you have a young juvenile toad, you should feed him everyday. If you have an adult toad you should plan to feed him two to three times a week. You should give your toad four to six standard-sized food items (standard being the size of a cricket) when you feed him. Toads will recognize a routine. Try to feed your toad at the same time every feeding day. Only feed your toad store-bought crickets. Crickets caught in the wild could be carrying parasites that will make your toad sick. Food items should be sprinkled with a calcium supplement at every feeding and multi-vitamin supplement once or twice a week. Most toads will eat their food within 15 minutes. Wait at least 15 minutes and then remove any uneaten food to prevent food rot.

Housing

Cage Size & Design

You will need to purchase a ten gallon tank for one or two toads.

Cage Furniture

Substrate is ground covering that is specifically made for terrariums. Apply at least three inches of substrate down on the floor of your terrarium to allow your toad to burrow when he feels like hiding. The type of substrate will depend on your specific type of toad. In general ‘frog moss’, which is sold at pet stores, makes for good covering, as does additive-free potting or topsoil purchased at a garden store. Pulverized coconut fiber is also an excellent form of substrate. Never use artificial turf or gravel, as these ground coverings are too harsh for your toad’s delicate skin.

Temperature

Keep your toad’s tank between 65-82°F

Humidity & Water

Your toad should always have a bathing pool. You can make one in a couple steps: (1) buy a shallow plastic bowl, (2) make a hole in the substrate so that the bowl’s mouth is level with the rest of the substrate on the floor of the terrarium (3) put a sturdy plank of some kind into the bowl so that your toad can get in and out of the water easily as toads a relatively poor swimmers. The pool should be roughly half the toad’s height and four times as long as your toad. It is very important that the water you use to fill the pool is dechlorinated– toads can die if given chlorinated water.

Potential dechlorinated water sources include:

● Aged water: Allow chlorinated water to sit in an open container for 24-48 hours so chlorine can dissipate.

● Bottled spring water

● Filtered tap water: run through a sediment and activated charcoal filter

Maintain humidity over 60% by misting the tank as needed every day.

Lighting

Toads should have roughly 12 hours of ‘sunlight’ each day. Use a daylight lamp or a low UV level lamp, but only you have provided your toad with hiding places (so he can get away from the light if he wishes to). If you want to be able to see your toad at night, you can install a red lamp to light up his home at night. Toads are most active at night. Toads can’t see red light, so they will think they are moving around in the dark but you will still be able to see them.

Temperament

You should generally not put more than three toads together in a tank, as many toads can become aggressive. Never house different kinds of toads together.

Handling

Amphibian skin is very sensitive so handle toads as little as possible. Always wear gloves when handling your frog as oils or residue on your skin can harm your toad.

Please do not take a toad from the wild. Wild animals should not be taken from their home in the wilderness and should be left alone in their natural habitat.

What do Baby Toads Eat in the Wild and as Pets?

For years, many people mistakenly believed that touching a toad would cause you to grow warts! We know that’s not true, but toads have never received the same love that frogs get. Have you ever heard of a princess kissing a toad? Didn’t think so. Still, their popularity is growing, and people are starting to keep these carnivorous amphibians as pets.

If you’re planning to get a baby toad, you’ll need to figure out how and what to feed it. There are some differences in a baby toad’s diet if they’re in captivity versus the wild. But there are also some notable similarities. Starting at tadpoles, we’re going to discuss the main foods that toads will eat in the wild and in captivity, so you can be sure to feed your toad the proper diet.

What do Tadpoles Eat?

Toads are hatched from eggs, but they don’t come out with legs. Rather, they’re born as tadpoles. They don’t even have air-breathing lungs yet, so they’re stuck in the water until they mature.

When a tadpole is first born, it will eat the remaining yolk in its egg. After that, the little tadpole will rely mostly on plant matter to sustain itself. This means eating algae and little floating plant particles. However, if there’s not enough plant matter for the tadpole, it might turn to cannibalism. While this is uncommon, it’s far from unheard of.

Yolk in their egg sack
Algae
Plant matter
Other tadpoles

Image Credit: Alexas_Fotos, Pixabay

What do Baby Toads Eat in the Wild?

In the wild, a toad is going to eat a diverse array of food. They have varied diets and are open to eating pretty much anything that comes along that will fit in their mouth. Remember, toads are carnivorous, so they strictly eat living creatures. For baby toads, those creatures are very small.

Any type of crawling insect or bug is a great meal for a toad in the wild. They’ll munch on small crickets and grasshoppers, which will increase in size as the toad does. Even small mice are fair game for a toad, though they tend to eat these more once they reach maturity.

Worms of all kinds are delicacies. Mealworms and earthworms are common cuisine for these four-legged amphibians. As the toad gets larger, bigger meals also become available. Snails, slugs, and locusts will all be eaten if they stray too near to a large enough toad. Centipedes and flies aren’t safe either.

Centipedes
Flies
Bugs
Small mice
Crickets
Grasshoppers
Mealworms
Earthworms
Slugs
Snails
Locusts

What do Baby Toad Pets Eat?

For toads in captivity, nutrition looks pretty similar to that of wild toads. However, there are some foods that pet toads are unlikely to eat. For example, centipedes and locusts might be common meals for a wild toad, but you’ll have a hard time purchasing feeder centipedes from the local pet store!

You never want to feed a pet toad something that you caught in the wild. Though these insects are on their meal list, wild-caught specimens are liable to have bacteria, diseases, and more that can negatively affect your toad’s health. Even if it’s a food your toad eats all the time, such as crickets, you’ll want to stick to store-bought crickets and never feed your pet toad crickets that you caught.

You might notice that some of the insects on this list are different from what wild toads eat. A lot of that comes down to what’s available. Since you have to get sterile insects that haven’t been out in the world, only insects that are grown as feeders are appropriate.

Image Credit: pixel2013, Pixabay

Grain moths
Small crickets
Pinhead crickets
Small earthworms
Mealworms
Ants
Fruit flies
Aphids
Leaf rollers

How to Feed Your Pet Toad

You have to be aware that juvenile toads eat their food whole. If you provide prey that’s too large, they’re likely to choke. Ensure that the insects you choose are no larger than the width of your toad’s head.

Gut Loading

Also, make sure to gut feed the insects you’re going to provide for your toad. Gut feeding is the process of loading the insects up with nutrients by allowing them to feed on fruits and vegetables before giving them to your toad. This ensures that your toad is getting as diverse of a nutrient intake as possible.

Image Credit: CassidyMarshall, Pixabay

Buy from Reputable Sources

Though you want to make sure to purchase all of your feeder insects from reputable sources, you will have plenty of choices to pick from. And you should feed as many of these to your toad as possible. It’s a good idea to feed them different foods each day. For instance, you might feed your toad earthworms on Monday, crickets on Tuesday, Aphids on Wednesday, and so on.

Establish a Routine

Another good habit is feeding your toad at the same time every evening. Keep in mind that toads are nocturnal, so feeding shouldn’t be done during the day. Captive toads do best on a feeding schedule since they recognize routine. Your toad will be healthiest if you feed it at the same time each night; around nine o’clock.

One more good rule of thumb is to only feed your toad for 15 minutes. Put the insects into your toad’s cage and let it go to town. But after 15 minutes, remove anything that hasn’t been eaten. This prevents overfeeding and ensures that dead insects don’t rot in your toad’s environment.

Related Read: What Do Tadpoles Eat in the Wild and as Pets?

Things to Never Feed a Toad

While toads certainly need a diverse and varied diet, there are plenty of things that you should never feed a toad; wild or domestic. These foods can cause serious problems for any toad. Take salt or seasoning as an example. They can cause a toad to dry up and dehydrate, which could spell death.

You’ll also see that feeding meat to your toad is a terrible idea, even though toads are carnivorous. These animals only eat live meals though. They aren’t scavengers. You should take care to only feed your toad living insects, though you can also feed rodents when they’re large enough.

Make sure to never feed your toad any leftover human food. While this might be ok for dogs, it’s a terrible choice for toads and can lead to disastrous consequences.

Salt
Seasoning
Pesticides
Expired Food
Sugar
Bread
Rice
Meat

Image Credit: ekamelev, Pixabay

Conclusion

Toads have a pretty diverse palate. In the wild, they’ll eat pretty much anything of an edible size that comes along. Worms, bugs, centipedes, slugs, and more are all tempting choices for a wild toad. But toads in captivity need more structure and safer feeding. They haven’t been exposed to all the same bacteria and could get sick from eating wild-caught insects. As such, baby pet toads should only be fed feeder insects from reputable pet stores to ensure continuing health and longevity.

Related Read:10 Best Pet Reptiles for Beginners (With Pictures)

Featured Image: ROverhate, Pixabay

What and how to feed amphibians?

A varied diet is the key to good health for your amphibian. In their natural environment, many amphibians are formidable hunters. For example, the American bullfrog usually feeds on bats and turtles. Chinese giant salamanders have been known to eat duck, and an African bullfrog was once seen eating 17 newly hatched spitting cobra babies.

Most amphibians prefer to get their food live. Many living organisms can become their victims, ranging from crickets and earthworms to roach and crayfish.

Red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas)

The easiest and most affordable way to feed your pets is insects. Crickets, for example, are sold in many pet stores. But this diet definitely needs vitamin supplements.

First, make sure your amphibian food is the right size for them. Then, before feeding, sprinkle it with a supplement containing calcium and vitamin D3. Supplementation with calcium is essential to prevent the development of MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease). This serious disease occurs when there are not enough minerals in the amphibian diet. Plant insects intended for feeding in a jar, add 1-2 pinches of mineral supplement there, close the lid and shake so that the insects are covered with this powder.

Use a feeding bowl or tweezers to keep the powder from falling off insects. Feed nocturnal amphibians such as the fire salamander at night. In the care of nocturnal animals, you will be helped by a lamp that emits waves invisible to amphibians.

Insect larvae such as maggots or mealworms are also very nutritious. These worm-like creatures are an early stage in the development of beetles. Use them before they have scary jaws.

Earthworms and coretra do not need additional additives. Dig up earthworms only where there are no pesticides. Place them in a cup while feeding to prevent them from running away and burrowing into the substrate.

Pseudophryne australis (Pseudophryne australis)

The smaller the size of the food, the better because smaller prey is better digested and, when the food consists of immature forms of insects, it contains less difficult to digest parts. While in many amphibians pieces of the substrate swallowed with food can be harmlessly removed from the body, in some they clog the stomach. Remove uneaten food before it pollutes your terrarium.

Try to meet the individual requirements of your pets. Some of them require a very specific approach. Tree frogs, for example, feed only on crawling and flying insects, while the red-eyed tree frog hunts only at night.

Whenever possible, offer your pets the insects you have caught. You can buy special traps, or you can catch them by dragging the net through the tall grass. This will be a good addition to your amphibian table. You can sort the caught insects by size using the appropriate holes in the container where you keep them.

Related article Worms are the ideal food for tailed amphibians

If you have insects, feed them food with vitamin supplements that your pets need. You can also give insects vegetables and fruits such as sweet potatoes or oranges. The amphibian that eats them will also get all these vitamins.

How to diversify the diet? Vary the types of food you offer your pets. In the pet store you can buy various insects, worms, beetle larvae, such as mealworm larvae or wax moths. You can buy earthworms and maggots in fishermen's stores. To diversify the diet of your wards, collect insects.

Paddlefoot

Strict feeding schedule . Try to feed your amphibians an average of 3 times a week. After eating, many animals stop eating, and you can remove the uneaten insects. Satisfy all the specific requirements of your pets. Small, active frogs, such as mantellas, need to be fed daily and given frequent vitamin supplements. And salamanders that feed on fish and earthworms, such as sirens, can be fed once every two weeks and not given any supplements.

Temperature . Metabolism in cold-blooded animals such as reptiles and salamanders depends on the temperature of their environment. This means that the higher the ambient temperature, the faster the metabolism and the more often you need to feed your animal. However, if the temperature is too high, they may stop eating or be unable to digest food. In many amphibians, the digestion process takes place at a temperature of +12 to +22°C, but some amphibians, such as hymenochiruses, require temperatures above +26°C.

Meat-eating amphibians. Some amphibian species are carnivorous. A toad-aga and a horned frog can eat a mouse or a whole fish - both are very nutritious. In the wild, tiger salamanders also feed on mice. But if you feed them rodents in captivity, then they may develop an eye disease - clouding of the cornea.

Tags: amphibians, amphibian keeping, amphibian feeding

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For many amphibian lovers, their food causes not very pleasant feelings. Usually you can handle slippery amphibians, but many people don't like insects. In this article, we give some tips for those who would rather take an extra trip to the pet store than grow crickets in their garage or apartment.

Red-eyed littoria (Litoria chloris)

Making a handy container for insects

handle insects. Sometimes such containers are sold in pet stores, but it is quite simple to make them yourself.

For frogs that feed on small crickets, a small to medium sized container is suitable for holding crickets. If you need large insects using the same technology, make a larger container.

Related article Worms are ideal food for tailed amphibians

Take a large yogurt cup (preferably with a bottom diameter of 6 centimeters). You can try using a plastic container, but it most likely contains some kind of chemicals, as crickets often die quickly in it. So it is better to take a container made specifically for food.

Poke a few holes in the sides of the cup. You can use a pushpin for this. The holes should be large enough to allow air to pass through, but not so wide that crickets can gnaw through them and get out. These containers can be changed every few months. Cut a hole in the lid of the cup large enough for a few crickets to crawl through. It is better if it is located closer to the wall of the glass. Then you can easily shake out a few crickets for breakfast for your pets.

Make a plug for this hole. Cut it out of a piece of rubber. It should fit snugly into the hole, so that even the strongest cricket could not push it out. If you are lucky enough to buy a container with a hole in the lid, you can find another whole lid to put on top. Then all you have to do is take it off and feed the frogs through the hole.

Singing cricket

And finally, one more addition - useful, but not necessary. Cut off the edge of the sponge, rinse it well so that no chemical particles remain (even a new sponge may contain chemicals). Blot the sponge well several times and wring it out. Then take a needle and thread and sew the sponge vertically inside the cup on one side, passing the thread through the holes you made earlier. Now when you shake out dinner for your frogs, the sponge will not hang around the glass, injuring insects and blocking the hole. In addition, there are many holes under it, and to wet it, you just need to put the side of the cup under a stream of water from the tap without the risk of your crickets scatter.

You will need to clean the container every time you want to buy more crickets. Right before going to the pet store, feed the leftover crickets to the frogs and then rinse him under very hot water. Crickets smell, and it will be very unpleasant if the glass is left dirty. If there are a few dead insects left in the container, shake them out, along with the remaining live ones, outside.

Temperature regime for keeping crickets

It is recommended to keep crickets at a temperature of 25-30°C. But crickets smell bad, so not everyone wants them to live long in an apartment. If the house is not too hot and not too cold, then room temperature is fine for crickets. It is not recommended to keep them in the yard or in the garage if it gets cool or, conversely, too hot - above 30°C.

Feeding crickets before they become frog food

If you don't keep crickets for more than a week, you don't need to worry about feeding them. They need moisture - a sponge provides it. You can give them nutrients to keep your frogs healthy. In the pet store you can buy (although not in all) cricket food enriched with calcium, which literally stuffs insects with this useful substance. This is very, very good for the health of your charges. If you're willing to spend a couple of hundred a week on insects, then buy pellets fortified with calcium. Simply toss a few pellets into the cricket container and close it. Feed this to your crickets the day before you feed them to the frogs. Alternatively, you can give the crickets pieces of carrots and potatoes.

Coral-toed Litoria (Litoria caerulea)

If you are feeding your crickets a diet that does not contain calcium, dust them with calcium powder before giving them to the frogs. You need to sprinkle lightly, and not roll completely in calcium, like fish before frying.

How long do crickets live?

If you grow them yourself, they will probably last a long time. And for someone it's easier to go once a week and buy crickets for their two frogs. If you keep them in the heat or overfeed calcium, they can die quickly and you end up with a foul-smelling bunch of dead crickets.

Related article Vermicultivation: Raising Worms at Home

Breeding Crickets at Home

If there is no suitable pet store near you, you will have to raise your own crickets. Here you can find useful information on this subject.

How many crickets to feed the frogs?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions. The easiest way to determine this is by experience. Start with three crickets per frog per feeding and see if they fill up or stay hungry. Remember that all frogs behave differently, even within the same species. Some will gorge themselves on something tasty regardless of their needs, while others will only eat when they are very hungry.

Overfeeding is bad for frogs, although some simply ignore the extra food unless they are hungry. To determine how much food your frog needs, you must first understand its character.

You can feed frogs mealworms, moth caterpillars or grasshoppers, but they still prefer crickets.

Cricket (Gryllidae)

Frogs smaller than 1 cm
If frogs are too small to swallow even the smallest cricket, they can be fed bloodworms. It is best to offer it live in a lid with a little water. Also popular food for frogs are wingless fruit flies (Drosophila).

Frogs 1 to 3 cm
Give small two to three week old crickets daily. Their size should not exceed the width of the frog's head. The use of a calcium or vitamin supplement is recommended. Frogs really need these supplements to grow up healthy.

Related article What and how to feed amphibians?

Frogs 3 to 7 cm
Give 3 to 4 week old crickets every 2-3 days. You can sprinkle them with additives less often - 1-2 times a week. You can offer frogs newborn mice (if the frogs agree to eat them).

Frogs 7 cm or more
Give them large crickets 3 times a week.