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Bufo Alvarius Care

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CatFractals

CatFractals

The White Haired Cat
I hope this is a good place to post this!

I'm taking care of these beautiful toads!



The one on the left is Gaia and the other little one on the right is Ravioli.

They are 4-5 inches.

Ravioli is a bit bigger than Gaia

I have them in a 20 gallon tank with great bowl for water, not big enough for them to drown. little hideout, and monsoon misting system for humidity. There's a heat pad under the tank if it ever gets cold.

I've fed them crickets when they first arrived, and the day after meal worms dusted in calcium powder.

Can anyone recommend a few things for me.

They are young so should I feed them everday? Every other day? I don't want to overfeed them.

Secondly what should the humidity be in the tank? Their gauge for it says its just above 70 which feels really high for them. Should it be around 50?

Besides how often to feed them what do I feed them? What should I make their diet consist of?

I would love input because I want the best care for these little friends. Any other information on them is welcome.

Edit: I also plan on getting them a 50 gallon tank soon so I can build them a better environment.
 

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Cool project, congrats! 8) They look quite young and healthy.

I have a California kingsnake from Northwestern Mexico with similar terrarium conditions. Essentially, any herp from this area of the world likes it dry and warm, so definitely keep an eye on the gauge daily to get a good idea of their requirements, as many external factors play a role in regulating humidity and temperature. As long as they receive enough moisture from the air a few times per week to counteract any over-heating or overly-humid conditions should be fine. I'd definitely leave one side of the tank cool and the other side warm so the toadies can regulate their needs.

I'd steer clear of heat pads because they can overheat quite easily and potentially harm your herps. Its a better idea to maintain and adjust the temperature and humidity through misting, regularly changing the water in the bowl, and obtaining yourself a diurnal heat lamp. For these fellas, a temperature reading of somewhere between 76°F-84°F and humidity reading of 30%-40% should be good. The bulb needs to be high infrared, narrow and luminous for basking and stimulating reptile vision, thermal conditions, and enhanced skin coloration.

In my opinion, toads should be fed daily. Especially when they are young, mostly consisting of worms, insects and supplements. Don't worry so much about over-feeding, its better they eat too much than not enough at this time when they are so young, but keep it regulated and routine-based. And if you do happen to miss a meal, don't worry about it. Increasing stress is not a bad thing as long as you return to homeostasis/cycles regularly. Also, keep in mind that bigger tanks doesn't necessarily mean happier herps. Other than that, just keep the tank clean and you should have some happy campers for the long-term.

Hope this helps, good luck! :)
 
Absolutely beautiful little buddies.

I really want a couple but heard they can be good escape artists? Supposedly extremely lethal to dogs and my dogs will def try to play with them. So figure not worth the risk :(
 
Cognitive Heart said:
Hope this helps, good luck! :)
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Thank you for the input! I do have a heat pad set on one side of the tank for a warm and cooler area. I think the substrate I use keeps the humidity just a tad bit too high so I think I'll change it to something dryer. Also I keep the substrate kinda deep in the tank so if they burrow they don't get too close to the heat pad. It's getting colder out and they will definitely need that for winter :)

I'll make sure and get a heat lamp as well.

For substrate I like it fine and nothing too big for them to accidently eat.

Ravioli likes to try and tongue my hand sometimes when I got to grab their water bowl for a water change and it's so cute :love:

Both seem to recognize their names. During feeding when calling for their names they seem to notice, make little gestures, moving their little toad heads. Eat faster too which is odd. Outside of feeding they will also do gestures. They seem to adjust their positions a little to take a better look at me.

I don't handle them often because I heard it's bad for them but I have pet Ravioli a few times and she doesn't jump off.

After feeding them I notice their back feet twitching. That means they are trying to lure in more food so should I feed them more? Or do they not know any better?

Here's a update of how they look now :) These toads are such a great joy in my life to take care of.
 

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AiL762 said:
Absolutely beautiful little buddies.

I really want a couple but heard they can be good escape artists? Supposedly extremely lethal to dogs and my dogs will def try to play with them. So figure not worth the risk :(
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So far neither has tried to escape. When feeding and taking the lid off they definitely could jump out if they wanted but they just wait there. I've definitely heard of them being great escape artist. When they are older and stronger I might have a problem but so far they are good little toads. They are definitely lethal to dogs and cats but I own a few cats and take heavy precaution when washing my hands and being conscious of where my cats are when interacting with them.
 
WanderingCat said:
I think the substrate I use keeps the humidity just a tad bit too high so I think I'll change it to something dryer. For substrate I like it fine and nothing too big for them to accidently eat.

I don't handle them often because I heard it's bad for them but I have pet Ravioli a few times and she doesn't jump off.

After feeding them I notice their back feet twitching. That means they are trying to lure in more food so should I feed them more? Or do they not know any better?

Here's a update of how they look now :) These toads are such a great joy in my life to take care of.
Click to expand...

For substrate, I use an oven dried blend of dry Douglas fir bedding. Usually about 24qt bag and occasional toppings. Great for digging, burrowing and ground cover, and also keeps the humidity evenly distributed across the entire tank. Good for rainforest habitats, too.

I think handling is fine as long as they haven't eaten recently, as they could regurgitate their own food.

Thanks for sharing! Looking great in their new home. :)
 
Cognitive Heart said:
Thanks for sharing! Looking great in their new home. :)
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I'll do updates on them every now an then showing pictures, also show improvements on their tank. Write down interactions as well. Thank you for your help. The substrate you recommended will solve my humidity problem.
 
bismillah said:
So not only are your pets adorable, but if you lick them you get stoned? Awesome!
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I believe that would kill me :sick:

Gotta milk them, let it dry and afterwards vaporize it. however I'm not sure if I plan on doing so. I respect them and have no idea how they would feel about that. Read up about how it hurts them and other stories where it doesn't. Don't want to test that on them. I worship these Toadaros and don't want to hurt them.

I do plan on doing a mushroom trip and meditation next to them. :)
 
Hello, the thing is amphibians aren't reptiles and handling amphibians isn't really good for them. when you do either do it quick if its dried hands, or it is recommended you wash your hands with fresh and clean water, or wear rubber gloves when handling for longer. SOme advices that could be good for snakes or lizards aren't working as well with them due to their different skin. They have no scales but a particularly sensible skin. It is very sensible to pollution like do'nt touch if you have oil on your hands ( like after putting skin cream or veggie oil like jojba and all the other oil we may use for skin care ), so keep the handling to a minimum they do'nt like to be taken like sankes would like, I know some reptiles like and search our contact for hot skin but you'll see all amphibians group will stress you that it may actually be the opposite for salamanders, toads and frogs..

The water of the bath also has to not be tap water, and clean of pollution. I would use a good quality stream water that is suitable for baby alimentation.
For food superworms are great too, especially as they grow up. Also when they get adult you can give them dubia roaches or even a pinky from time to time. The important thing to do beside crickets and mealworms that are good base is to feed and hydrate well your live insects so they aren't depleted when you feed your toads with them.
There are mixes and water gel that are good and easy, with fresh veggies and salads / herbs.
There is also a few Bufo alvarius caresheet floating around the web. You should try search that if you didn't, but you probably read one as you seem to have got the good base. In my expereince the heatbulb makes more heat than the heatpad. But I monitor the tempprature with a termometer at different zone ( you can move the head ) so it is quite easy to find out how hot it goes at any places in the terrarium.
For soil also one of the best for them is coconut fiber. It is important to keep the soil dried mostly but they will wet it as they bath often and it has absolutely has to not getmold. And coconut fiber doesn't get moldy. One thing to take in consideration is the way they eat, they will tend to eat soil with their big sticky tongue when aiming at live insects and thats why also mostsoils aren't that good cause they would be hard to digest. Thats why I heard it is better to avoid sand for exemple.
SO yeh a termometer that is easy to move the sensor is a good addition and a humidity controller.
Think about taking care of your live insects, with organic food as it will ultimately be the food chain that will feed your toads, and they can be sick easily with chemicals like chlore, oil, or insecticides from crops could also poison your insects and toad in return.
Good luck and yeh this disinformation created by journalist during hippies time that one lick the toad to get high is a very stupid myth cause it is dangerous to the user ( cardiotoxic bufotoxins that do'nt stand the heat when we dry and vape the secretion usually in an oil bruner with torch lighter ) and to the toad whose skin is very sensitive.

here you go if anyone is interested :

Bufo alvarius - Colorado River Toad Sonoran Desert Toad Care Sheet

Extensive information about Bufo alvarius, the Colorado River toad, Sonoran Desert toad, including history, data sheet, range distribution map, care and breeding information, photos, audio, stories, links, and more.
erowid.org
 
As far as handling them, yeah I haven't done it very often and have washed my hands when doing so. Read up on how its bad for them. I'm using coconut fiber right now for substrate but seems to hold a lot of the humidity and the toads always get it wet fast :d

I use well water which is fresh and not mix with chemicals.

I've read up on all the care sheets I could find including the one rOm linked.

I'm really grateful and happy about the feedback from everyone. Despite all my research on them I've done I'm happy to hear back from other people.
 
They are both now in a 40 gallon tank :lol:

Added another hideout

Extra humidity gauges in different parts of the tank

Sadly their humidity is still high, currently still use the loose coconut fiber for substrate.

Headlamp added as well.

I got to see Ravioli molt! So weird they eat that stuff.
 

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Cool ! yeh true that sometimes they wet everything and the cocnut fiber holdes humidity. what I did in a big tank was set stones around. I had water so they can be in water. like full body.
 
BEAUTIFUL TOADS!

I have no idea how to care for them but I suggest researching their natural environment and eating habits and replicating it as closely as you can.
 
Looking great! Congrats on the tank, seems quite suitable for them. The substrate looks good, too, especially under the heat lamp, that should help bring the humidity down but watch your increased temperatures in the terrarium, as well. And yeah, having an additional hideout isn't bad idea, either. :)
 
Any updates on the Toads? I saw an episode of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia which peaked my interest in these toads and 5-MEO-DMT...not that I'm going to get one but its very interesting. Have you ever tried to do any breeding? I guess that would have more benefit if you could release them into the wild (near their natural habitat but dont give too much personal info).
 
I'm into weird pets. I have a dozen rats and a tarantula. I have wanted a bat and a couple of these toads for a while. If I had Bufos I would never ever scare them to force a secretion, they would live long happy fright free lives with me. Those little toads are so extremely cool. I also love the little dart frogs and wouldn't mind having those either.

As for your humidity, not sure about toads but my spider needs between 75 and 90% humidity, she's a pinktoe though, they're native to the rainforest.
 
MachienDome said:
Any updates on the Toads? I saw an episode of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia which peaked my interest in these toads and 5-MEO-DMT...not that I'm going to get one but its very interesting. Have you ever tried to do any breeding? I guess that would have more benefit if you could release them into the wild (near their natural habitat but dont give too much personal info).
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Ive been trying to breed with a two male to three female ratio so far no luck. I built a frog rain chamber but I am thinking I am going to have to simulate a seasons change get them to hibernate and wake em Into a monsoon setting. Im told the sound of the rain pounding the desert floor triggers them to wake feed and breed. If I am successful im told to expect a few thousand eggs....
 
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