# Frogs & Toads > Toads >  Toad Tadpole with back legs

## YogaFrog

Hello! I have had a tadpole for almost 3 weeks, and I am 99.9% sure it is a toad (either american, fowler's, oak, or southern based on the ones native here in Alabama). His name is Wasabi, and he has been doing great! I am amazed almost every time I check on him, he is changing so fast! I have a few different foods I have been giving to him, some spirulina/veggie tablets, HBH frog and tadpole tablets (I rotate which one i put in his tank, I don't add too much at a time), and there is a rock with some algae growing on it (from where we found him) that he has been munching and perching on. The rock also is sloped so some of it is out of the water. Based on how long his back legs are, I have a feeling the front legs are coming soon. I realize this is a critical time, and I don't want to screw it up! Should I be feeding him something live yet? I read he won't eat while he is absorbing his tail, is this true? Can anyone give me some general advice for this time? When I see his front legs pop out, how long after should I alter his habitat (dropping the water line and making some land)? Any advice is appreciated! Thanks  :Smile:

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## Gail

Keep feeding just as you are now.  How many inches of water do you have and what size tank?

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## YogaFrog

> Keep feeding just as you are now.  How many inches of water do you have and what size tank?


The tank is an exo terra version critter tank (the medium one with two handles) and I only have a couple inches of spring water that I change every other day.

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## YogaFrog

Btw, I have a 10 gallon tank waiting for when it is ready for a real habitat...kind of waiting to be sure of the species so I can set it up right...

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## Gail

The front legs will come in one at a time. Once the first one comes in make land area for it to climb out on.  Make sure you have an ample supply of food ready like flightless fruit flies before it totally resorbs it's tail.  Mine actually started to eat the FF while it still had a nubbin.

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## YogaFrog

What type of substrate should I use for the land while it is still aquatic? Eventually, I plan on using top soil in the 10 gallon tank and have a water dish and moss. But I feel like soil would just turn in to a muddy puddle if I tried to use it to create land. What do you think?

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## Gail

Use some tiny smooth stones or aquarium gravel.  Just make sure it's clean and don't use tap water to rinse it off.  I'll post a picture tonight after work to show you what is working for me right now for the little ones I have.

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## YogaFrog

Great, thanks!  :Frog Smile:

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## Gail

Here's the pics of the toadlet set up. These guys are tiny, but eating the ff. The arm on the first toadlet is fine, it was just tucked under the body in the shot.  The tank is a 2.5 gallon with a pair of panty hose to keep the ff inside. If you use moss from outside just make sure that all bugs are removed. One ant bit would put a hurtin' on these little ones.

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## YogaFrog

Hey! My little Wadabi is already a toadlet! His tail is just a little nub. I wrote another post freaking out about substrate, but then I remembered your pictures. So i went to whole foods and got the brown unbleached paper towels. He keeps sitting up on a perch though and i am worried about him getting too dry. I have some moss for humidity and the paper towels are damp. And do your little guys go for the fruit flies right away or do you leave them alone for a while? Thanks!

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## Gail

You will need to mist the paper towel and have a tiny water dish for them to soak in. I use a pill bottle top cut down small enough so they can jump in and out. I have 2 containers and swap them out every other day since I have 10 toadlets and it just makes it easier. As for FF I dust with calcium one day, then multivitamin the next, then the third day no dusting. Then start over again. Some times they go for them right away, other times they ignore them. But I love watching them do their kung foo kicks on the FF when they crawl on them. Also don't spray the sides since they can then climb the water and it can be a big fall for a tiny toadlet. Yes I baby them. Also remember these are toads, they prefer their climate dryer than frogs do.


Post some pictures, I would love to see your little one.

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## YogaFrog

Thanks for all your help!! I definitely feel better about his habitat, but am concerned about his not eating. I have put  couple fruit flies in and he hasn't touched them. And he has had them crawling around right in front of his face. I have seen him stick his tongue out randomly a couple of times since he morphed, but it doesn't go out very far (or it is just too fast for me to really see). I am only concerned because of how small and skinny he looks. I wonder if maybe the fruit flies are too big. Here are some pics...if you enlarge them, you can see the dates. In the first pic, Wasabi is the one on the bottom. The other one didn't really develop and started looking sickly so I released it (would rather it die in its natural habitat). Wasabi thrived as a tadpole and he was always eating. But in the last picture he looks so skinny!! I am worried!

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## Gail

Don't worry, the toadlet looks GREAT!!  Put about 10 dusted FF in at night and see what is left in the am.  Also if you see poop you know something is going in, and the paper towel is great for this.

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## YogaFrog

Okay, good! Actually, when I changed the paper towel I noticed something the looked like a single uncooked rice only dark brown...I assume that is poop. And I just read (on another site) that they contract their eyes to assist in swallowing, and I noticed him doing that when I put the flies in...so maybe he slurped in a fly while I blinked haha. Perhaps he has eaten, and I just need to do a better job of counting the flies so I know for sure. Thank yo so much! I have grown so attached to him, I jus want to make sure he is ok! I too baby anything that is my responsibility  :Smile:

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## nicodimus22

Copied directly from the toad care sheet on this site:

_"Paper towel contains bleaching agents, unless explicitly stated to not contain them - these can be harmful to toads and frogs._"

Also, toads like to dig, and they can't do that with paper towel.

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## Gail

That’s why unbleached paper towels are being used.  And for newly morphed toad tads this works best.  When feeding  FF to toadlets that are the size of a cooked grain of rice, substrate is not good, they will ingest the substrate along with the FF.   I’ve been through this stage before.



> Copied directly from the toad care sheet on this site:
> 
> _"Paper towel contains bleaching agents, unless explicitly stated to not contain them - these can be harmful to toads and frogs._"
> 
> Also, toads like to dig, and they can't do that with paper towel.

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## YogaFrog

@Pete I realize they like to dig, I have done plenty of research and have read the care sheets. I have coconut fiber substrate waiting in his permanent 10 gallon home. But you should see this tiny guy trying to walk through that stuff! It sticks all over him, and it makes it hard for him to get around. And I bought the brown, unbleached paper towels from Whole Foods. I change them every day, and keep them moist with fresh spring water. He has a super shallow dish to soak and I have provided plenty of hides. And he is doing great! I do appreciate your concern for my little guy. Thanks.

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## YogaFrog

@Gail He is doing great! He is growing and eating! He is smart too. When I open the top, he hops up onto his highest perch and stares at me expectantly hahaha I have seen him eat, and it is amazing! His little tongue is so cute. I can see he is eating plenty, he has the toady plumpness in his little belly. Thank yo for all the great advice! And the paper towels are working of great. Makes finding his poop and keeping it clean easy. He seems very happy  :Smile:

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## Gail

Happy for ya.  I have 10 of these little critters and they are little eatin' & poopin' machines.  Gotta love the toad!!

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## Gail

So how's the baby doing?

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## YogaFrog

He is great, thanks! He is getting so big, and his appetite is increasing. I am having to put more and more FF in, but I don't think he is quite big enough for pinhead crickets yet. He is so much fun to watch! How are your little ones? I see you have had a recent loss... My condolences! What happened?

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## Gail

Good to hear your little is doing well.  I would pass on the pinhead crickets and go for the extra small red roaches from Turkistan Roaches (Blatta Lateralis).  More meat, no smell and most of all, they won’t bite your toad!!  Rosie, my female was egg bound which means she couldn’t pass the eggs or resorb them back into her system.  This happens to 10% of amphibians.  It was a very sad week, but with time comes healing.  These are some of my tiny toads now, there is a total of 10.  The tiny tiny ones are on springtails, even the ff are to big for them.

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## Heather

Awe  :Smile:

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## YogaFrog

Sorry to hear about Rosie! Your little ones are very cute! Question: how do I know if I am feeding too much or too little? He looks good and is growing, and he always finishes all the flies I put in (aside from maybe one or two), but do they eat until the are full or do they eat out of opportunity?

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## Gail

Thanks, Rufus just hasn't been the same since she's been gone.  I know that amphibians don't feel emotion like we do, but he is definitely feeling something.  He spends a lot more time underground and doesn't eat as much.  My hope is these little ones will grow fast so they can become tank roomies with Rufus.  About the little ones, I feed them in the morning and after work and I let them eat how much they want, except I've got one little piggy that will over do it and I block it from some of the food so the others can get their share.  As long as what is going in is coming out your little one should be fine.  Just make sure that you seen some poop in between feedings.

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## YogaFrog

:Frown:  poor Rufus! That is so sad.

So, I looked at the website that sells those roaches you told me about, and it said they are out of stock of all three options...does that happen often? Any other place to buy them? Wasabi is pretty big now and he is eating the fruit flies faster than they are hatching!

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## Gail

Yes they sell out quite often.  I've started to raise my own but it takes some time to get them started, but once they mature and start laying it's almost every day I'm pulling eggs out.  You can always go with pinhead crickets until you are able to get some roaches.

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## YogaFrog

Thanks  :Smile:  I am going to post some pics of my little one later. Can't believe how big he is now!

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## YogaFrog

Here is my little Wasabi!! He is doing great! So, what do you think- American or Fowler's? I am leaning toward Fowler's based on my research and pictures I have seen online.

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## Gail

Looks good!! I really can't tell at this point. If Wasabi has 3 or more warts in one black spot good chance it's Fowlers. Guess we'll have to wait until to see if a cranial crest develops or not. Either way Wasabi will be an awesome addition to the family.  I've been out of town the past several days, Mother passed away and had to head to WI.  Hubby took great care of my ten tiny toads!

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## YogaFrog

Sorry to hear about your mom...my condolences. 

Wasabi definitely has several "rusty" warts per black spot. I have also noticed that he changes color. I love him! Wondering how long I should wait to move him to the 10 gallon with substrate...?

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## Gail

Thanks.

  No need to move into the 10 gallon yet. I would wait until you'll be able to tong feed or use a dish to feed from because of ingesting the substrate. I figure I'll move mine in about 2 months into their permanent viv. What is your choice of substrate? I use a mix of eco-earth and organic potting soil in the toad tank.

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## YogaFrog

I have some Eco earth. I looked at organic potting soil, but I wasn't sure about which to get. Want to make sure there is nothing harmful.

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## Gail

Just make sure there's no vermiculite or perlite in it.  Some organics will still have those.  I'll see if I can find the brand I use from Wholefoods.  One of theirs IS harmful to critters so I'll see if I still have the bag.

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## Gail

Didn't have the bag from the soil, sorry about that. But like I said before, watch for chemicals, perlite and vermiculite. Well here's some pics of my 9 tiny toads. The big one is from a tad I raised, my husband named him Morph, at least for now that is the name. The others are any where from ½ to ¾ the size of Morph. The little ones use Morph as a perch. They crack me up.

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## YogaFrog

So cute!!! I will post a new pic of Wasabi later.

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## Gail

Pool Party!!



Even the tiny toads know how to keep cool.

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## YogaFrog

Aww they are so cute! What kind of substrate is that green stuff?

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## Gail

It's live moss.  I gather this from the woods close by.  No chemicals used in the area, plus I also soak this for a few days to drowned out any unwanted bugs.  And where is Wasabi pictures, it's been weeks and I'm sure he/she has grown.

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## YogaFrog

Yeah, I can't post pics on here from my iPad for some reason...which is what I am on most of the time. But I can boost up the old laptop today haha

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