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Surinam Toads (Pipa pipa) as Pets, Part III: Diet and Feeding Techniques

 

Surinam ToadSurinam toads are well known for their bizarre reproductive strategy (please see article below), unusual appearance, large size and unique habitats.  They make very interesting pets but, as most in the trade are wild-caught, present a few problems when first introduced into the aquarium.  Last time we took a look at establishing the new Surinam toad and helping it to make the adjustment to captive life (Surinam Toads (Pipa pipa) as Pets: Acclimating New Animals and Special Considerations).  Today I’ll take a look at their dietary needs.

A Live Food Specialist
Surinam toads will take live food (or food moved before them as if alive) only.  Their favorites are earthworms, blackworms and small fishes such as guppies, platys, swordtails, mollies, minnows and shiners.  Use goldfish no more than once each month, and vary the species fed as much as is possible.

Feeding Techniques and Cautions

You can leave fishes in with the frog, as it will likely feed only at night until it has acclimated.  Be sure to adjust the fishes to your aquarium’s water temperature (float bag for 20 minutes) so that the frogs do not contract Ick or other diseases that might be transmitted from stressed fishes (also, fishes are more likely to be consumed if they swim about normally).

When using earthworms, introduce them to the tank at night (foe newly acquired frogs).  Worms usually survive for 8 hours or so underwater, but add only 1 at first and make sure to remove it in the AM if uneaten.

As mentioned in Part I of this article, Surinam toads often swallow gravel while feeding and are best kept in bare-bottomed aquariums.  This is a special concern when using earthworms, which are taken right off the substrate, and blackworms, which burrow into it.  If you use substrate, avoid feeding blackworms and offer earthworms from a plastic feeding tong.

Introducing Canned Shrimp and Snails

Well-habituated Surinam toads will consume prawn and other non-living food items that are dropped so as to land directly in front of their mouths.  Start your frog off with live food, but after awhile try using canned shrimp and snails to provide dietary variety.

Composition of the Diet

I have kept and bred Surinam toads for a number of years using a diet comprised of approximately 75% fish (platys, guppies, mollies, minnows, shiners and occasional goldfish) and earthworms, with the balance of their food intake consisting of blackworms and shrimp.

Further Reading
Please see Breeding A Skin-Brooding Amphibian: the Surinam Toad (Pipa pipa)  to read about captive reproduction of this fascinating animal.

You can learn about the other aquatic species in the family to which this frog belongs (Pipidae) at

http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/names.php?taxon=&family=pipidae&subfamily=&genus=&commname=&authority=&year=&geo=0&dist=&comment=.

 

Substrates and Shelters for Animals Prone to Intestinal Blockages

Intestinal blockages and impactions (and related digestive ailments) most often occur when a pet reptile or amphibian ingests substrate along with food, although sometimes an inappropriate diet (i.e. one consisting largely of mealworms) is to blame.  My most unusual “blockage memory” involves a Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) under my care at the Bronx Zoo – the cause of her distress was found to be a large toy kangaroo that someone had thoughtlessly tossed into the exhibit!

Today I would like to present a few housing options for those species that seem particularly prone to consuming substrate (and anything else that gets in their way!).

“Does this happen in the wild”?

I am often questioned as to why animals do not suffer impactions in the wild, where they live on sand, moss and other materials that sometimes cause problems in captivity.  I believe the answer may lie in the slight differences that exist even between apparently similar substrates, the nature of the actual act of feeding, and differences in temperature, water, food intake and other factors that may affect the digestive system.

Overly-Enthusiastic Anacondas

Of course, animals may suffer impaction related injuries and death in the wild as well, but such goes largely unnoticed.  Although not impactions per se, I well recall finding a wild anaconda with a mouth injury suffered while trying to swallow a side-necked turtle (Podocnemis vogli), another that had a white-tailed deer, antlers and all, stuck in its throat, and a 5’10” yellow rat snake that tried to down a deer fawn on St. Catherine’s Island, off Georgia.

Substrates – Terrestrial Species

Among terrestrial species, we most commonly encounter impaction problems in African bullfrogs, horned frogs, tiger salamanders, lizards and tortoises.  Washable brown or green terrarium liners are an ideal choice for many such species.

Rabbit pellets have long been used by zoos as a substrate for tortoises and herbivorous lizards such as iguanas and chuckwallas.  Alfalfa based, they are fine if ingested along with food, and allow for the easy removal of feces.  Young tortoises that are kept on hard surfaces frequently become splay-legged, but such does not occur when pellets are used.

Further Reading

Please see our line of pet care books  for detailed information concerning substrates and diets for the animals that you keep.

A meal consisting of 17 young cobras would seem destined to cause an obstruction in any amphibian, even the massive African bullfrog…for the gut-busting details, please see my article An Appetite for Cobras.

 

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