Scaphiopus couchii

[Niels D]

Are there more members who keep S. couchii? I'm keeping them for more than a year now. Last winter they've spent underground. They emerged this spring and ate a lot. I constructed a "rainroom" to get them to breed. Allas it didn't work, probably because I had 3 females at that time. I recently got myself a new young specimen after a long search. Hopefully it's a male and we will hear is call next year or the year after. Are there members who succesfully bred them and can give me advice?

[John]

I've never bred them but I've spent a lot of time chasing spadefoots in the American Southwest. You really need to cycle them well for breeding success. That means a pretty cold winter, periods of moderate humidity and distinctly dry periods, and near the hottest part of the year they need a very heavy rain (like you wouldn't believe), and high humidity together with warmth to trigger breeding.

[Niels D]

I've kept them cold and dry last winter. When it got hotter I made the tank more moist. I prepared a rainchamber and when a storm came I put them in it hoping I could trick them into amplexus. I didn't hear any calls though and they were all about the same size. I'm affraid they were all females. With my new youngster I hope to have a male. I'm going to try the same thing next year. I'm also trying to get more animals.

Isn't there anyone who has bred them?

[John]

Not many people keep them because they are a rare find (they only come out in tropical storms) and they have a (deserved) reputation as being poor pets.

[Niels D]

I know. Most of the time they're burrowed in the soil. Only in spring and summer do they appear.... at night. It's pretty amazing to watch them eat though and I find them really beautifull. Look at these foxy ladies!

[Niels D]

Last autumn there was a fellow keeper who didn't want his animals anymore so we bought them from him. We fed them well and they stayed in the newt and salamander room this winter, where they experienced temperatures of 10C. This week we put all of them in a tank with a terrestrial area and a aquatic area. It's standing outside and rain can fall into the pool area. It's pretty hot right now and we've had some rain. After they spent a couple of hours in the tank I could here the males call (what a sound!). This is what the tank looks like:


Yesterday we witnessed the following:

It's no guarantee, but it's a better sighn that I've seen so far!