In nature, toads eat insects, spiders, worms, and other small prey animals. Human food is basically unknown to them except by accident. As tadpoles, they are herbivores who eat algae and decayed plants, but as adults, they are carnivorous insectivores who help suppress the population of bugs.
Having toads in your garden is like natural pest control. What do toads eat of human food? I’ll explain their dietary needs, so your toad stays healthy.
Toads will eat anything they can put in their mouth including occasional fruit and vegetables, however human food that is processed and full of salt and sugar is not a healthy diet for them compared to insects. Toads need insect protein to stay healthy. Options like strawberries, bananas, green grapes, and apples are okay for a rare treat.
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Can Toads Eat Human Food
Toads can technically eat human food. Unfortunately, most of our foods are not suitable for them. While it won’t harm a toad to eat a small piece of fruit or a vegetable, it also won’t do them any good.
All the vitamins and nutrients a toad needs come from its diet of insects.
Humans are opportunistic omnivores who can eat a huge variety of nuts, seeds, grains, fruits, vegetables, sugars, and meats from larger sources like cows and pigs.
Toads have a much more specialized diet. They don’t need the same nutrients as we do to thrive.
Since toads eat bugs as a meat source, it might seem reasonable that any meat will do. However, this is not the case.
Insects have a different diet from the larger animals that make up human prey items, which means they’re substantially different biologically. Toads need insect protein to stay healthy.
What Kind Of Human Food Do Toads Eat
Toads eat live insects. Some toads may occasionally eat a dead bug, but they generally avoid them because toads don’t eat carrion.
It doesn’t take very long after something dies to begin rotting, especially in warm and wet areas such as those where most toads prefer to live.
Feeding a pet toad is like having a snake or other carnivore for a pet. Unlike snakes, most toads will not eat frozen and thawed creatures.
However, big toads may eat animals other than insects such as small fish, mice, lizards, snakes, and frogs so long as they are small enough to fit in the toad’s mouth.
Toads need consistent care and feeding times. You should feed them at the same time every day to help them establish a constant feeding routine.
In captivity, they eat less frequently than in the wild. They prefer live food and will eat everything within 10 – 15 minutes.
Can Toads Eat Fruit
A toad is capable of eating fruit, but it shouldn’t do so. What seems like a nice treat to us is useless inside a toad’s body.
They cannot process and use fruit sugars the way humans and other animals can in order to make quick energy.
You don’t need to worry if, for example, your toad snatches a raisin out of your hand. They likely mistook it for a fly or cockroach.
However, you should not put fruit inside the toad’s habitat or offer it to them.
Can Toads Eat Bananas
Toads should not eat bananas. The only time in a toad’s life cycle when it eats plant matter is when it is very young, and bananas are not on the menu.
I found one reference to toads eating bananas in Appear World, which says, ” Toads can eat anything they want, and that can fit in their mouth. They love to feed on fruits and vegetables, and it has been noticed they have a special craving of bananas.”
However, as this is the only source that recommends fruit, and many expert sources agree it’s a bad dietary choice, I would advise against feeding toads bananas.
What Human Food Shouldn’t Be Fed To A Toad
No human food should be fed to a toad. Menu items like leftovers have too many different foods mixed in and wouldn’t be normal for a toad’s stomach even if they shared our diet.
Toads don’t need plants, sugars, larger animal byproducts, cooked meats, or anything that is a standard part of a human meal.
Never feed a toad food with preservatives, spices, salt, MSG, sugar, flavoring agents, or food dyes.
Feeder insects are incredibly inexpensive and readily available in every pet shop, so don’t risk your pet toad’s health on questionable ‘people-food.’
What Do Baby Toads Eat Of Human Food
Tadpoles or baby toads are either vegetarian or omnivorous in their diet. However, they usually eat algae and rotting plant matter.
As a result of this particular diet, they can have some small bits of human food so long as it’s fruit or vegetable-based, and not very much.
According to Pond Informer, tadpoles may enjoy a small amount of fruit, but too much fruit sugar is bad for them. Options like strawberries, bananas, green grapes, and apples are okay for a rare treat.
Helpful Tips To Know About What Human Food Toads Will Eat
Toads should eat insects because it’s what their bodies are adapted to derive nutrition from in nature. Your pet toad can have crickets, mealworms, and other feeder insects and will be entirely happy without ever tasting human food.
Here are more helpful tips to know about what human food toads will eat.
- It’s a bad idea to feed your toads wild-caught insects as these can have diseases or contaminants that make your pet sick.
- Toads are not very bright, and they will eat anything they think is a bug if it fits in their mouth. Please do not trick your toad into eating things that are not part of its natural diet. It can make them very ill. Plus, even when it doesn’t hurt the animal, human foods like vegetables provide no nutritional value.
- Juvenile toads need to eat every day, but adults typically only have larger meals two to three times per week so long as they’re getting proper nutrition.
- Most toads can survive up to 14 days without a meal. Some species of toads dig down into the soil before the weather freezes to hibernate. They can go months in this state without food or water. Desert toads have a similar trick to survive the arid climate, but the temperature doesn’t matter.
Final Thoughts
Feeding your outdoor toads is a low to no maintenance chore. Outdoor toads are perfectly capable of self-feeding from the available insects in the area.
However, if you plan to keep one as a pet, it’s essential to understand that they don’t eat much or any of human food.
As tadpoles, you may be able to feed your pet toads some rotting leafy greens, but indoor adult toads need a regular supply of live insects.
Since they don’t naturally eat vegetables, sugars, or fruit, most human food is more a danger to your toad than a treat, so stick to feeding them the bugs they love.
