Dead Bumblebee Toad?

5016 Views 15 Replies 8 Participants Last post by joshsfrogs, Mar 11, 2013

Ckent42

Discussion Starter · Nov 30, 2011

So this happened awhile ago, but my Bumblebee Toad died. He was doing really well for a couple weeks after I got him, eating Fruit Flies and being very active in general. Then all of a sudden he stopped eating and became very inactive, and lost weight very quickly. Soon afterward, he died. Does anyone know why this could have happened? I would love to get another one, but I would like to know what I'm doing wrong first, so as to avoid losing another 30$ toad in less than a month. He was in a ten gallon tank with a land and a water section, filter in the water, and daily misting. I lived in an extremely arid place, so the misting helped maintain the tank at about 60-80% humidity. I had kept some Pacific treefrogs in their earlier, but they all disappeared while I was gone on a trip(I think there was a small hole somewhere), and there was a firebellied newt in the water, but they never came into contact with one another. Any suggestions will be helpful, thank you.

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eldalote2

· #2 · Nov 30, 2011

Even though they never came in contact with one another, there is still a chance of cross contamination with parasites, bacteria, etc.

If it were me, I would completely clean out that tank and sanitize everything. Throw away things that can't be sanitized. Start over fresh. Then, when you get your new toad, put him in a simple quarantine tank and have fecals done to make sure it is free of parasites.

Those are just suggestions for your next toad. What we will also need to know are,

What are your temps in the tank?
How big is the water section?
Are you dusting with a vitamin and calcium supplement that is less than 6 months old?

Those are my troubleshooting questions and suggestions. I am sure there is a care sheet for BB toads on the board somewhere as well.

moosenart

· #3 · Nov 30, 2011

to me, it truely sounds like contamination from the frogs or newt. My bumblebees dont like water a whole lot...

Ckent42

Discussion Starter · #4 · Nov 30, 2011

The temps in the tank ranged from low to mid 70's, the water section was fairly large, but he rarely went swimming in it, and no, I wasn't dusting, I wasn't aware that they needed that. However, would that cause death in less then a month? And, after that I got a Fire-Bellied Toad, and he's still alive and well, months afterward. Are Fire-Bellies just more resistant to disease than other frogs/toads? Or was I just lucky?

moosenart

· #5 · Nov 30, 2011

Ckent42 said:
The temps in the tank ranged from low to mid 70's, the water section was fairly large, but he rarely went swimming in it, and no, I wasn't dusting, I wasn't aware that they needed that. However, would that cause death in less then a month? And, after that I got a Fire-Bellied Toad, and he's still alive and well, months afterward. Are Fire-Bellies just more resistant to disease than other frogs/toads? Or was I just lucky?

I dont know man

epiphytes etc.

· #6 · Dec 1, 2011

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Eric Walker

· #7 · Dec 1, 2011

I may be wrong but i think this was a legitimate question. Not someone being trollish.

Ckent42

Discussion Starter · #8 · Dec 1, 2011

Not trolling, just wanted to hear if anyone could identify what happened to my toad, before I get a new one. That way, I could change whatever I was doing wrong so I don't kill a second one. This is really the only place that has much information on them, so this is where I went. Anyways, if I do it again I'll use a different tank anyways, that one is currently housing a juvenile crested gecko.
But then again, the toad was acting weird when I first got it, really inactive and not eating. I assumed it was stress from the new environment, but maybe it was sick then? And the illness regressed and came back later? Because that's exactly how it was acting when it died

. That's all I can think of, at this point.

james67

· #9 · Dec 1, 2011 (Edited)

well aside from putting your BBT in a tank that previously housed other animals which "disappeared" (allowing for the possibility of pathogen transfer) you kept it with a newt which, just like the toad, is toxic, and does not loose toxicity. i would also assume that the tank was improperly designed since i can see absolutely no way to accommodate the needs of the toad in a 10 gallon (or virtually any size enclosure) while allowing for the needs of the newt. the humidity was too high, airflow was likley too restricted, etc., etc.

no offense but its highly irresponsible to just buy an animal without knowing its needs first, which is obviously the case here. its not surprising that the animal perished.

keeping amphibians is not like keeping a tropical fish tank where it is possible (although still not advised by knowledgeable keepers) to put animals together because theyre similar (both are freshwater fish or both are amphibians) although what you did is even more dissimilar since you took two animals from very different habitats and shoved them together in one of the smallest tanks available.

take the $30 and buy a new tank or dont get another toad

james

i respect that you came here looking for information on how to keep the issue from happening again but you really should have come and looked for info before letting the animal die in your care in the first place

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Ckent42

Discussion Starter · #10 · Dec 1, 2011

I thought I provided the best care I could, given the care sheets I could find. True, I couldn't keep the water quite cold enough for the newt. But I think I met all of the toads requirements for space, temperature, humidity, and food. Are they not supposed to be housed with large amounts of water? Because I read someone's story somewhere that said theirs enjoyed swimming in the pool. Anyways, I thought it would be ok because the only problem people had with mixing fire bellied newts and toads was that the toads were too aggressive and would kill the newts. Anyways, 70-80% humidity is right for them, right? And yes, I do have another tank, and this one will either be for bumblebee toads or pacific treefrogs, depending on how it turns out. So if you have any other suggestions about how to keep them alive and happy, that would be great, thanks!

james67

· #11 · Dec 1, 2011

Frog Forum - Bumble Bee Walking Toad - Melanophryniscus stelzneri (Weyenbergh, 1875) - Care and Breeding

they should NOT be housed with other animals period.

james

Reactions: 1

Ckent42

Discussion Starter · #12 · Dec 1, 2011

Alright, thank you. Is there anything diurnal that I can house with Pacific Tree Frogs? Or should I just stay away from trying that all together....seeing the disaster that already has happened........

james67

· #13 · Dec 1, 2011

its a good idea to keep each animal in species (or locale) specific tanks. one type of animal per enclosure.
search "mixing" (although most of the info is in darts there is plenty of info which relates to putting any animals together.

james

Reactions: 1

tclipse

· #14 · Dec 1, 2011

if you have any other suggestions about how to keep them alive and happy, that would be great, thanks!

For best results- If something has lived in a tank before the new ones, clean the tank (empty, wash with diluted bleach solution) and start over.... and keep them seperate from other species.

Also, get some Repashy calcium plus, or some Repti-cal & herptivite and dust the insects regularly. They do need it.

Reactions: 1

Ckent42

Discussion Starter · #15 · Dec 1, 2011

Alright, thank you. I suppose I'll decide later, after I decide how I want the tank to look. I can't even imagine trying to mix darts though......

joshsfrogs

· #16 · Mar 11, 2013

It's always important to ensure that your toad was kept properly. I'd recommend reviewing our care guide:

Josh's Frogs How-To Guides » Blog Archive » Bumble Bee Toad Care and Breeding

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