Detailed Explanation of Key Technical Points for Toads to Overwinter Safely

Toads are ugly in appearance, but their meat is more delicate and delicious than that of frogs, and they are extremely popular in coastal cities. In addition, after it was discovered in recent years that their shed skin and venom have good therapeutic effects on cancer and cardiovascular diseases, market demand has risen sharply. Therefore, toads are artificially farmed in many regions, but toads hibernate in winter, and in severe cases this can even cause toad deaths and relatively large losses, so enabling toads to overwinter safely is extremely important. Below, Qinnong Web brings you the techniques for toads to overwinter safely. Let's take a look together.

1、StrengthenAutumn Feeding

Toads are poikilothermic animals, and whenever the weather turns cold they enter the hibernation period, so we must strengthen nutrition before they enter hibernation; otherwise, by the time hibernation ends, their nutrition will not keep up and they will die. Toads, like frogs, can only see moving creatures and cannot see stationary things, so attention must be paid when feeding. Bean curd residue mixed with pig blood can be put into a container and placed in the site to ferment on its own, attracting flies and insects to lay eggs, which will then hatch into maggots for the toads to feed on by themselves. In addition, at dusk or at night, turn on lighting equipment to attract mosquitoes and insects for the toads to prey on, or you can buy yellow mealworms and snails to feed them.

2. Preparation Before the Onset of Winter

Toad farming is divided into outdoor and indoor farming, but regardless of whether it is indoor or outdoor, preparations must be made before overwintering. First, inspect the farming site to see whether there is any place leaking water. If a leak is found, it must be blocked in time and water replenished. If there is no leak, then check the water quality. If the water quality is relatively poor, change the water in time. If the water quality is relatively good, then do not change the water. When the toads enter the water to overwinter, diluted bleaching powder should be sprayed for disinfection to prevent the toads from being invaded by pathogens during hibernation.

3. Outdoor Overwintering

During outdoor overwintering, dig ditches around the farming site and excavate several water ditches. Make the water ditches as large as possible, and store about 0.3-1 m of water in the ditches. The water storage depends on the temperature: in slightly warmer areas, less water can be stored, while in colder areas, deeper water storage is needed. Then place 10-30 toads per sq m to overwinter. Pay attention to the temperature and the water surface conditions. If the temperature is relatively low and the water surface freezes, smash the ice layer in time. This allows oxygen to dissolve into the water and prevents toads from dying due to lack of oxygen.

4. Indoor Overwintering

Indoor overwintering is more convenient than outdoor overwintering. Increase the water level of the farming pond by about 20 cm, then put the toads in to overwinter. Because the indoor temperature is higher than outdoors, the water surface generally will not freeze. However, attention must also be paid to the temperature. If the temperature is relatively high, the toads will not hibernate sufficiently, which is not conducive to later rearing. Keep the water temperature above zero degrees and below 10 degrees.

The above are the techniques brought by Qinnong Web for toads to overwinter safely. When toads overwinter, attention must be paid to the harm from enemy organisms such as rats, snakes, and birds, especially in outdoor farming, to prevent them from eating the overwintering toads.