redearslider.com

We are raising some eastern American toad tadpoles and we are going to have too many to keep if they all survive which it looks like most of them will. We are curious if we can feed them to our RES when they turn into little froglets?

I know that American toads contain small glands to repel predators but will this affect my RES at this stage of their tiny tadpole lives?

Thx.

I know some species of frogs/toads are toxic if eaten, but I'm not sure if that's the case when they're tadpoles. Don't do anything til someone who knows gives a definite answer.

Btw, welcome to the forum

thank you

yeah, we still have a couple weeks and I don't really trust the pet shops lol so hopefully someone here who has good knowledge can help

res_man wrote:thank you

yeah, we still have a couple weeks and I don't really trust the pet shops lol so hopefully someone here who has good knowledge can help

Well ok so I fed him like 14 of them over a week and he loved them so It is safe

Ok, so you fed them and he isn't dead yet....doesn't really count as 'safe' to me.

It's best to stick to food's that you KNOW are safe to eat. Instead of tadpole's try:

Cricket's
Snail's
Worm's
Feeder fish

Whether to offer these animal's dead or alive is up to you. If you decide to feed them live, then make sure that wherever you get them from house's them in a nice clean enclosure. Watch out for dead feeder's as well as sick looking one's. You dont want him to get parasite's.

I agree with jenaero.

jenaero wrote:Ok, so you fed them and he isn't dead yet....doesn't really count as 'safe' to me.

Wild turtles eat all types of things including tadpoles, small fish, crayfish, snails and other things. All the pet shops and websites I looked at agreed that they would not harm it.

I believe crayfish have claw's that could hurt your turtle. That is why some people stay clear from them.

But yeah some people do feed crayfish but I wouldnt risk hurting my turtle, you know? It's your choice on what to feed, no one can stop you, we're just here to give you some advice, that's all. And not all site's agree on the same thing's.

It all depends on you, in the wild, they eat almost anything that moves in their environment but I'd still be careful. Maybe as tadpoles its safer than froglets. Its usually during the "froglet" stage that they start developing toxins against predators, especially with toads. Might not go well with your turtle in time. Your turtle might be ok for now but toxin buildup might occur and your turtles system might not be able to handle it.

"The secretions serve as a defense mechanism for the toad; the potential irritation reduces the likelihood of the toad being handled by people and produces a bitter taste to the animals that might prey on the toad."
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/Res ... amtoad.htm

On the other hand, there are feeder frogs, the little black ones for fish, which I believe can be fed to turtles safely.

I think most North American frogs are safe (nontoxic). Toads on the otherhand aren't. But like was mentioned, the tadpoles are probably safer than the grown toads are. And toxins are dangerous because they accumulate in the consumers body. The danger increases each time they ingest the toxin.

res_man wrote:

jenaero wrote:Ok, so you fed them and he isn't dead yet....doesn't really count as 'safe' to me.

Wild turtles eat all types of things including tadpoles, small fish, crayfish, snails and other things. All the pet shops and websites I looked at agreed that they would not harm it.

When there are so many other safe alternatives, I don't understand why people risk it.

Well, i think it's because he said he breeds them. So from a practical sense i can see why he would like to know if it's okay. It would be a natural way of culling out the "unwanted" babies that would otherwise not survive to maturity or would have been eaten anyways in the wild. I know it may sound cruel, but it is a natural process and we are trying to keep these animals in an unnatural setting.

As long as there are no toxins in the tadpoles or froglets, it would be a healthy and free supply of live food from a safe and controlled (pesticide and disease free) environment. If I were you I would do some more indepth research to make sure there are no natural toxins though. I'm sure there are plenty of scientific papers available on university web sites about it. Like Jen said, it's not worth risking your turtle's health unless you know for sure that they are safe to eat.

DavidY wrote:Well, i think it's because he said he breeds them. So from a practical sense i can see why he would like to know if it's okay. It would be a natural way of culling out the "unwanted" babies that would otherwise not survive to maturity or would have been eaten anyways in the wild. I know it may sound cruel, but it is a natural process and we are trying to keep these animals in an unnatural setting.

As long as there are no toxins in the tadpoles or froglets, it would be a healthy and free supply of live food from a safe and controlled (pesticide and disease free) environment. If I were you I would do some more indepth research to make sure there are no natural toxins though. I'm sure there are plenty of scientific papers available on university web sites about it. Like Jen said, it's not worth risking your turtle's health unless you know for sure that they are safe to eat.

Thx - I definitely decided to feed them to him while still in the tad stage and not actual froglets that came out of the water and you are right on all counts.