lindsayshocking

When I placed my order for The Impostor's ladies, I also requested a couple male spadefoots as well. I thought it would be important for his colony to have a good male-female ratio. I ordered both Plains Spadefoots and New Mexico Spadefoots. When my shipment arrived, it was like Christmas morning. I am sure all of you can relate to that feeling, when the FedEx box shows up filled with amphibians. It just might have been the happiest day of the year for me! As I opened the box, I made sure to examine every single spadefoot. I've always had good experiences with this pet dealer, but it's always good to check everyone out. That's when I first saw Gorbachev, one of my male Plains Spadefoots.



Gorbachev scared me, honestly. The first thought I had when I saw this spadefoot was "OMG what an ugly bump he has on his head! How could I ever love a toad like that!" I felt instantly shamed; it's wrong to be so judgmental of such a little creature but it's honestly what happened and I shouldn't lie. The next thought I had was "oh no...could he be sick?"

I instantly quarantined Gorbachev from the other spadefoots. Even though they had traveled with him, I needed to separate him until I found out what his bump was. Eventually, after discussing it both with the dealer and my local pet store owner, I learned it was just a weird scar. All his stool samples were normal, and he acted just fine. No red belly, no open sores, nothing. Just a weird scar on the top of his head.

I didn't move Gorbachev back with his travel mates, and I honestly didn't think about it. I kept him in a keeper on the frog rack and tended to him. He was such an active spadefoot. He would hop around all day, and constantly get all of his substrate wet. It was frustrating because I had to change it like once a week. None of my other spadefoots acted like that. Then, one day, I witnessed him banging the little door on the top of the keeper with his head. Next thing I knew, the door popped open. I have kept spadefoots for many years and I have NEVER seen a spadefoot do that! I instantly moved him into a different cage with doors on the front that had a lock. Hopefully that would keep him from breaking out. The idea of losing Gorbachev to something like that was unbearable.

Well, Gorbachev didn't stop there. I came into the frog room about two weeks later and noticed one of the doors ajar. Somehow, Gorbachev managed to bash against the door so hard he broke it and escaped. Panicked, I dropped everything I was doing to find him. I was so angry at myself for being so careless. What if I found him dead and dried up somewhere?

Thankfully, I found him under a bag of substrate by the frog room door. I put him in a soak bath to help him re-hydrate. When I put him back, I took packing tape and closed the door that way, but this was only a temporary solution. What could I do for Gorbachev?

I went to my local pet store the next day. They're always so knowledgeable and kind. They've even boarded my frogs when I've been out of town, and it's always a great experience. I told them what was going on with Gorbachev to see what advice they could give me.

"You keep the spadefoot colonies in your living room, right?" the owner offered, remembering what I had previously told him about our set ups.

"Yes, I do."

He shook his head, and then laughed. "He can smell the female toads in the living room. He knows they're there, and he's trying to get to him. I bet if you just put him with them, he'd calm down instantly."

I hadn't even thought of putting him with a colony. It sounds so stupid, but I forgot about it. When I got home, I put him with Colony 1 because it contains both Kaeru and Hat, who are both large female Plains Spadefoots. And I couldn't believe it, I saw a huge change the second he joined in.



Gorbachev went right over to Kaeru, and sat with her. He formed an instant bond. Not only was he not desperate to escape his cage anymore, it seemed he made a friend. He liked Kaeru.



I mean, he *really* liked Kaeru. And still does, actually. He's been in there for a good couple weeks now, and he's a completely different toad. He's even sitting on my shoulder as I write this. It seems like he's finally where he needs to be.