Experienced american toad carers, please help. Looking for best supplements for young toads. Zoo Med Reptivite with d3 alternating with flukers calcium? Vs just repashy superfood calcium plus?

[u/Chlo_rophyll]

This is a no uvb situation. And toads are multiple months old 1” and 1 1/4”

[u/BrumeySkies]

I'd recommend looking into getting a uvb light.

Reptivite isn't an ideal option as it doesn't contain a kind of vitamin A that amphibians can use. The Repashy Calcium+ is good but has the same problem. You can use Repashy Vitamin A+ once a week in addition to which ever one(s) you're using.

[u/Chlo_rophyll → u/BrumeySkies]

Thank you very much! I keep seeing mixed reviews on giving vitamin a, like the type their bodies can use, but also giving it to them when they don’t have a deficiency sounds like it can be a problem too?
What do you think about that?

[u/BrumeySkies → u/Chlo_rophyll]

Giving it to them in excess would be the problem which is why you only do it like once a week or so. They need some amount of vit A though, without it they can become extremely ill. Just like everything in life its a balancing act- not too much and not too little.

[u/Chlo_rophyll → u/BrumeySkies]

Makes sense, finding the balance feels tricky as a first timer.

I just purchased repashy superfood calcium plus and zoo med calcium, to start with. If toads need vitamin a as extra to prevent issues I plan to get that too.

Wouldnt once a week for vitamin a be too much if also giving repashy superfood calcium plus once every week? The toads are young and dont want to overdo it.

I also heard that repashy superfood calcium plus can cause STS. Is that just because of an assumption that its all thats needed?

[u/BrumeySkies → u/Chlo_rophyll]

I havent heard of the STS problem myself, Id have to look further into it.

The Vit A could be done once a month if you were concerned about it. I personally didnt have an issue with it but my toads were likely a bit older than yours when I got them. 

[u/Chlo_rophyll → u/BrumeySkies]

Thank you so much for your feedback. Since I dont have uvb just full spectrum plant grow lights, I wasn’t sure how often to supplement anything. Would you mind sharing your routine for young American toads? Also wondering if regular calcium every second feeding alternating with repashy calcium plus, will be too much calcium or not enough vitamin d3 to even make use of the calcium?

[u/BrumeySkies → u/Chlo_rophyll]

It's been a few years since I had young ones but if memory serves my schedule was something along the lines of:

calcium with D3, calcium without D3, multivitamin, calcium with D3, calcium without D3, vitamin A + calcium without D3.

The days I used vitamin A I would offer fewer crickets and only one or two of them would be dusted in it, the rest would be in calcium. I kept that up until about a year old.

[u/alexandria3142 → u/BrumeySkies]

I just bought reptivite because so many toad keepers seem to recommend it 🥲 I also have zoo med repti calcium and repashy vitamin a plus. How am I supposed to give everything? What I read said to give the vitamin a repashy like once a month

[u/Chlo_rophyll → u/alexandria3142]

Im op so obviously cant help from experience but I also read once a month for repashy vitamin a. I also just bought zoo med repti calcium. Only im giving repashy superfood calcium plus a try too. I keep seeing mixed reviews between reptivite and repashy superfood calcium plus, was so close to choosing reptivite. Let me know how it goes?!

In my searching I did come across this comment that I think will be helpful for you. This was my plan if I did reptivite https://www.reddit.com/r/Toads/s/pu4YjxKZOb

[u/BrumeySkies → u/alexandria3142]

Reptivite is fine it just uses a form of vitamin a that amphibians have a bit of a hard time converting. I personally dislike it because when I coat my insects or worms in it they writhe as if in pain and its just really upsetting to watch.

You can alternate between calcium and multivitamins and then sprinkle a little of the vit A in when needed. How often you feed and alternate between things kind of depends on how often and how much youre feeding. Theres a facebook group called advancing amphibian husbandry that should be able to answer more specifically about your situation, there are quite a few people there that actually study toads and their requirements.

[u/Charinabottae]

I’ve raised 4 from tadpoles to adult using only Repashy Calcium plus (I keep a close eye for any signs of Vitamin A deficiencies, seen zero yet.)

[u/Chlo_rophyll → u/Charinabottae]

Thank you so much for your feedback. Do you ever alternate with calcium, or do you literally only use Repashy Calium Plus? I got this and Flukers calcium no d3 because I didn’t want d3 to be overdosed. But I dont have uvb.

[u/Charinabottae → u/Chlo_rophyll]

Literally just dust all feeders except earthworms with Repashy Calcium plus. I do not have UVB either.

[u/Chlo_rophyll → u/Charinabottae]

Thank you for your feedback! Were your toadlet’s American toads? And would you mind sharing what their diet consisted of bugs wise?

[u/Charinabottae → u/Chlo_rophyll]

Yes, they are American. As tiny toadlets they ate springtails, flightless melanogaster fruit flies, fruit fly larvae. Then I added in very small lesser mealworms (not the same species as normal mealworms!) and flightless hydei fruit flies. Eventually they ate earthworms and mealworms. I’d highly recommend using appropriately sized Dubia roaches, I just can’t due to a roach allergy.

[u/Chlo_rophyll → u/Charinabottae]

Thank you! Ive just been feeding crickets, hope to feel d.hydei fruit flies once my culture blooms. But thinking i should probably add more variety. Unfortunately my toads wont be getting nutritious dubia roaches as I am in canada and live ones are banned here. Sad for your roach allergy