Common Problems When Raising Toads – Bloating and Paralysis
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. The tadpoles of American Toads (Bufo/Anaxyrus americanus) and Fowler’s Toads (B. woodhousei fowleri), and of related US natives, are frequently collected by herpers young and old and taken home to raise. They usually prove quite hardy, and, even on nutrient-poor diets (i.e. lettuce), transform into tiny toadlets within a few weeks.
Toad Maladies
Young toads often prove difficult to raise however, and each year I receive questions concerning the same 2 problems – bloating 
and paralysis (difficulty hopping, problems catching food, etc.). I’ve run across this myself when raising American toad tadpoles for a release program in NYC, where most of the tadpoles transformed, but died soon after.
Nutritional Deficiencies
I’ve come to believe that 2 distinct problems are at work. Difficulty in using the rear legs is probably linked to deficiency in calcium or another nutrient, but efforts to reverse it, at least in small toads, have proven unsuccessful.
Using supplements on the food given newly 
transformed toads helps, but we really do not know what most species, especially North American natives, actually require.
Tadpole nutrition is another area that needs investigation. Poorly nourished tadpoles may transform, but then die several weeks later…I’ve had this happen on a number of occasions over the years, with several species, even the relatively indestructible African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis).
Bacterial Infection
Bloating is usually a byproduct of a bacterial infection, and may be connected to nutrition. Toads already weakened by a nutritional deficiency may be more likely to become infected with bacteria that healthier clutch mates fight off – hence both symptoms in 1 toad. This is based mainly on anecdotal evidence, but does seem to happen time and time again, and with several species.
Natural Mortality
Another point to bear in mind is that, among species that lay huge clutches, a great many tadpoles will not survive even under the best of circumstances. Some turtles lay infertile eggs, apparently to satiate predators and take attention away from viable ones – I have no hard evidence, but I would not be surprised to learn that weaker tadpoles serve a similar function.
Feeding Tadpoles and Young Toads
Most native toad tadpoles are omnivorous. Try to provide them with as much variety as possible, and bear in mind that, in large groups, smaller, weaker individuals are easily out-competed at feeding time. I’ve had good luck raising tadpoles on a diet comprised of tropical fish food flakes, algae tablets and kale pre-soaked in hot water (this breaks down thick cell walls). Metamorphs (newly transformed toads) consume scores of species of leaf litter invertebrates in the wild, complicating our job in raising them. In addition to tiny frog standards such as fruit flies, springtails and pinhead crickets, you might try collecting tiny invertebrates as toad food (please see article below).
Further Reading
Please see my article Leaf Litter Invertebrates for information on collecting live food for tiny amphibian pets.
Please write in with your questions and comments.
Thanks, until next time,
Frank Indiviglio
Haswell’s Frog tadpole image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by LiquidGhoul
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about 3 months ago
I am wondering if another element in the paralysis you describe may be insufficient UVB. I have seen bullfrog tadpoles in an outdoor pond just below the surface in the sunny part of the pond. I also saw adult bullfrogs basking nearby on lily pads.
I myself have kept adult alligator lizards (Elgaria multicarinata) for years without access to sun or full spectrum lighting. However, I discovered that hatchling Elgaria multicarinata do need full spectrum light or sun to thrive.
Therefore it seems likely to me that tadpoles and/or metamorphs may need UVB.
Diane Lee
about 3 months ago
Hello Diane, Frank Indiviglio here.
Thanks for your interest in our blog.
You raise a very interesting point, thank you. American bull frogs do indeed bask. However, they prefer higher temperatures than most native frogs, and the behavior seems more related to that than to UVB needs. I say this because I have raised a number to adulthood without UVB, and know of a commercial farming operation which does the same. They do have quite high calcium/Vit. D requirements, and metabolic bone disease is common in individuals raised on calcium poor diets. I wonder if the frogs might have the ability to utilize UVB in the absence of adequate dietary UVB? (please see below)…I’ve not been able to find anything on point (have any free time and a pond on your hands?!). American toads rarely if ever bask, and I and others have raised many without UVB – but this is based on anecdotal evidence only, nothing published that I know of.
I’ve noticed the same as you report re the tadpoles…UVB does penetrate water to the depth of a few inches, and hence the tadpoles may be absorbing some, but again the behavior may be related to temperature and the heavier growths of algae in shallow waters. Bullfrog tadpoles raised without UVB normally transform into healthy frogs if provided a balanced diet.
My experience with alligator lizards (and alligators!) as well as certain turtles is as yours – adults of some species do fine without UVB, but youngsters require it.
What strikes me as very interesting is the fact that some species that are well known as requiring UVB in order to synthesize Vitamin D seem able to make do with dietary Vitamin D in some situations. I’ve run across this with day geckos and red eared sliders – both of which typically fare poorly without UVB when young and, re the geckos, as adults. I’m convinced it has to do with the nature of the diet, but so far nothing definitive seems to have been published. Please check out my article on Day Geckos at the Central Park Zoo for further information…your thoughts and observations would be most appreciated.
Good luck and please keep me posted.
Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.