One more thing about pillbugs.

Oh, another thing about pillbugs. Pillbug food! 

I recommend carrots, they last forever! (Not really forever, but....) I've had 2 carrots in my pill bug tank since the 16th (I believe,) of April. It's the 30th now! (2 weeks!) and the carrots aren't even "mushy" yet. Other than the pillbugs eating them, they haven't even begun decomposition yet! (That I can tell, lol) 

The baby pillbugs are going strong. They are starting to get their color and are a lot bigger. The toads are still enjoying them, but the pillbugs currently residing in the tank are getting wise, they know where the hiding places are. I'll have to start putting veggies in the tank to lure the pillbugs out, haha. The next nice dry sunny day we have, (if I remember) I'm going moth hunting. They will hide in the grass, leaf litter, under bark and in a few other places. After I've checked that, I'll start turning on our back porch light to grab up some more moths. During the summer my toads will be fed a very varied diet. During the winter the feedings will be a bit less varied, mostly consistin of store bought crickets and captive bred Pillbugs. 

Tomorrow is Sunday, from now on Sunday will be picture day, so check back tomorrow for more pics!

Outdoor enclosure Ideas

The toads are still avidly trying to escape the tank. I've planned the outdoor tank. It'll be 5' by 5' and 1' high.  It'll be constructed out of window screen and wood. And it will have a roof to prevent eascapees. It will be movable, so I can move them in and out of shade as needed. I'm hoping that will make them a bit happier with their current housing. Of course they can only use it during the summer, but I think it will make them content. Mostly because they will be able to forage semi-naturally because they will have access to grass and wild bugs.

Will see what happens. If I start construction soon I'll post pics.

FOOD ( Pillbug care)

So, now that we've had our toad cuteness overload for the day. ;) Lets talk food. Not just any food. Toad food. Crickets and pillbugs are my main staples, but as always toads also need enrichment. The occasionally moth plucked from your window, or a wax worm (Which are actually caterpillars, if you let them grow they will cocoon and turn into a moth.)  will make your toads happy.

But, beings as I haven't started my wax worm/wax moth cultures yet, today we are talking about pillbugs.

If you have wild caught toads, (I do not agree with keeping wild caught animals as pets. Mine were carried across a border accidentally in someones luggage, I can't legally get them back across and anyway its too late, they already are used to being fed by me.) You can feed them bugs from your backyard. Now, if you have a captive bred toad, you might not want to do that. You can, and they maybe fine. But there is a risk of parasites. Wether they are wild caught or not. The only reason why I don't recommend it for captive bred toads is because wild caught toads have already been exposed to those parasites, captive bred toads have not. I would try to get captive bred bugs if you have a captive bred toad.


So Critter care. For crickets and pillbugs, You can use a Tupperware container, critter keeper or some sort of glass or plastic box. DO NOT USE CARDBOARD, they will probably eat right through it and escape. Pillbugs eat wood, they may eat the wooden parts of your house. (They ate our front door once!)...
If you are using a critter keeper, for pill bugs, cover the top with a paper towel before putting the lid on. Why you ask? Humidity.  Pillbugs like humidity. They need it. That is why you have to cover the top of a critter keeper with a paper towel for them. if you see humidity in the tank,  thats a good thing.
 

What I use for Pillbugs is a Tupperware container. I pop a few holes in the lid, but not to many. Just enough for them to breath and yet not let out to much humidity. They like places to hide, which is why there are pieces of bark and log inside of my container. This is what my set up looks like:

Notice the carrots? Pillbugs love veggies. Cucumber and carrots are a success with them. I tried broccoli and cauliflower with them once, one pillbug drank the moisture off of a tiny piece of cauliflower. Thats all. They do not like broccoli (I don't enjoy the taste either, so I can't blame the little guys. lol.) and cauliflower is definitely not a favorite. I said earlier that they eat wood. Well, they do, but that is not the only thing they eat and I wouldn't recommend only feeding them wood, you want to gut-load these guys with veggies and vitamins found in veggies. I do not gut load with products, personally I like natural gut-loading by feeding veggies to the bugs.
Pill-bugs do not need anything else that I know of. Substrate can pretty much be anything, but I use coco-fiber.

Another note about pillbugs. If you put a bunch of pillbugs into your toad tanks, they will clean for you. They will eat dead crickets. They may even eat toad feces. I recommend that you still spot clean the tank, because it takes them a while to eat a whole cricket :) So just because you have some pillbugs in there, doesn't mean you get out of work ;) haha.
They will breed in your toad tank. I have some that are in my toad tank and I have baby pillbugs all over the place in there. It seems like the baby pillbugs are the ones that eat the yucky stuff. I've yet to see a full grown pillbug eat anything other then vegetables and wood, but I'm not an expert.
Cool thing about pillbugs. They keep their babies in a pouch on their bellies for a while before giving live birth. They do not lay eggs.

Not much else to put here that I know of, But If I remember something I'll come back and edit this post. So If you are interested in Pillbug care, you might want to come back and check this post again every now and then. :) Good luck!




 

Just a few things... (Pictures)

So sorry I haven't been posting much lately! Lots of stuff going on. So, Nyekundu is out a lot! Naji is too. I still believe that Naji is a female. I'm not certain, but her arms are a lot skinnier than Nyekundu, and I have never seen her throat (calling) pouch out.

They are so crazy about trying to escape! I decided to try and give them more enrichment, so I am now breeding Pillbugs that I find in my back yard. So far it's going good! I have captive bred babies! They aren't really a very good source of anything because they are small and very armory. But the toads love hunting them, and so far there has been no problems getting compacted.

Oh, the mites came back! But luckily I have IDed then (although I'm not certain) as a species of harmless mites called grain mites. Pretty much the worse they can do is make the toads itchy, which is just kinda like mosquitos to us.. Without all the crazy diseases. 

Ok, what else...... Oh.. Pictures! :) 

Here you go: 

Happy Easter from Naji! 

Naji looking cute

Nyekundu looking adorable! 

Naji hanging onto a tiny little ledge on the roof of the tank, trying to escape. She can actually pull herself out of the tank if I open the lid. Talk about upper body strength! 

Nyekundu lookin' big and mucley, haha

And, together pictures. Best friend's <3

Left-Naji.                      Right-Nyekundu. 

Left-Nyekundu                Right-Naji

Left-Naji.                      Right-Nyekundu

Toad Tower! 

Nyekundu is on top, Naji is in the bottom. I saw them in this position and had to take a picture! 

Oh. P.S. I got the toads a bigger water bowl. Now they can fully emerge if they wish to do so. I'm thinking about making an outdoor enclosure for summer time. (Of course they will be in it under supervision.) It would include a large area for foraging naturally, shade and hiding places, and hopefully a large pool. I don't want to encourage breeding, so they won't get to hang out in the pool together, but if they want to swim and feel natural for a while, they can feel free to do so. :) But we will see, It depends on what this summer will be like. 

Still Trying. (And Update)

Still trying to get a really good shedding video. The one about Nyekundu is ok, but you mostly just see him eating his skin rather then seeing a full shed.   I've heard that they shed by literally splitting their skin along the ridge that goes down their back. But even I've never gotten to see a full shed, from the very beginning to the end(and I've had them for what? 2-3 years now.).

Oh, By the way... Naji has taken to the tank really well. He climbed to the very top of the log one night, and then proceeded to shed there. (I didn't get to see the whole thing though.) Then climbed back down and is hiding inside of a half leaf, half log hut. (I propped leaves up against the big log.)
And he's gotten really good at hunting. Apparently, enrichment can also sharpen their skills. They seem pretty happy! Yay! Nyekundu has just been hanging out inside of the coconut hut. He usually just hangs out there, But I think (not positive, but beings as they are nocturnal, it would make sense.) that he is coming out during the night.

Well, Thats just about all.
I hope you all have a great sunday!

Redecorating and Exploring! (WITH PICTURES!!!!!)

Today I redecorated the tank! I think it looks good, and it seems like Nyekundu loves it! I'm not sure about Naji though. While Naji sits near the water bowl, Nyekundu is walking around, checking out new hiding places and even climbing! Yes climbing! I did some more research, and apparently African red toads have been found 6 feet in the trees. Who knew? So I decided to get them some climbing material, a large log and a smaller stick. And I found Nyekundu climbing (or jumping onto?) the smaller twig. Success! :) another thing, by giving them places to climb, I'm able to give them more space! :) so, enough of me prattling on, here's the new set up and the promised pictures: 

The new set up. 

Naji in the water bowl.

Cuteness!!!! Nyekundu. 

Nyekundu.

Nyekundu climbing. 

The cuteness stare by Nyekundu. He's at the top of the smaller stick. 

Nyekundu taking a "bath."

Naji, sitting behind the water bowl

Naji, I put her on the big log trying to encourage her to climb, and she did climb a little bit higher! (Yay!...?)

One more view of the tank: 

Ps, 2 updates. 

1. I am 85% sure that both toads are males, but I'm not all that positive. Ugh, it's hard to tell about the  nuptial pads. I think though, that African reds nuptial pads are white, rather then dark. 

2. I have only seen one mite since cleaning everything off.

Oh, by the way, heres a little about enrichment, Enrichment is really important, especially to a wild caught animal. (I do not agree with keeping wild caught animals, it was an unfortunate accident that these toads came to America, and there is no way to fix it. I understand that sometimes an animal is injured and cannot  be released, but that is a different situation. Wild animals  (unless injured) should never be taken from the wild just for the pet trade. This is unethical. We have plenty of domestic and captive bred animals. 

Enrichment is extremely important to help keep your animals healthy and happy. Remember that nothing in the wild is consistent. 

For some animals food related enrichment, such as puzzles, hidden food, or toys with food inside is good enrichment. But always make the food available as to not frustrate the animal. Try switching up the environment. For some, hunting is great, and you can also try different types of foods. You can even just switch the placements of lights for some critters. 

Some animals even like TV. Enrichment makes animals happier, healthier and smarter.

Ugh... Mites.

Looks like the toads have gotten mites, Since moving into a bigger tank I have had terrible problems with humidity. I tried leaving the top of the tank open every day, and I forgot to close it every blue moon, Well, One night Naji decided to take advantage of my forgetfulness. Yeah, She escaped. Went all the way down stairs, and was hiding in the basement.
So, back to the mites, they are very small, though they vary in size. They are walking around on Naji, I'm wondering if they have anything to do with the humidity. l Don't see any on Nyekundu though, So I'm hoping that I caught it early. Had to move them into a different tank, (My "Hospital" tank.)
I'll decide what to do there, Hopefully it will be a easy-ish fix.


Hoping for the best!