Black American Toad??

[Poly]

Wow Poly you're bating a 1000 today. Those are great looking toads and a wide spread in contrast of color. Good for you. BTW i love the way you collect them. Genius.

Thanks!! Haha, about the way I collect them, I once dug a 5 sq-ft trench across a sandy beach, baited it with 150 crickets, waited two nights and came back... I caught a male that measured 5" accross the back, and a female that measured almost 7", a bunch of smaller ones, about 15 salamanders, and two skinks, but no black toads!

[IrishRonin]

I have to agree your "toad trap" is a great idea, im gonna have to try that. Though I dout i'll ever find a black one, agian great find. I have to agree its probubly abundistic, from what I have read typically adaptive melanism is heritable- you should try and breed them and see if you can produce more blacks. If so I would want one!!!

[Poly]

Hmm, well I'm sure their both males, I'd have to find a female, and if I breed a black and a brown one, won't the toadlets be a mixture, not just black?

Gotta hear it form the experts...: How do you breed toads?

[IrishRonin]

well basic breeding(of anything) shows that you breed a normal to an abnormal you are still likely to produce a a few of the desired coloration. I have "wild" peacocks on my property, at one point 5-6 years ago we had one albino male. At this point we have no adult abinos period but every other year or so they still pop up because its in there blood and thats out of 2 normal parents. So if you keep him and breed him to 2 or 3 females you should be able to produce at least a few. I've never breed toads, but they cant be that different from other anphibians.

[Poly]

Hmmm... I might have to try this...

If I do, your interested in a toadlet?

[IrishRonin]

If you can produce a black then yes, yes i am!

[Glafo89]

If you can produce a black then yes, yes i am!

Finally!! I have been trying to figure out how to post as I just recently became a parent of 4 lol toadlets. I was checking to see if the black coloration is anything to worry about since I have two toads that are black or darker black always while my other two are brown and blonde. I'm glad to hear its likely not caused by some health issue because I've been having a hard time figuring out bugs that are small enough for them to eat that they actually enjoy eating. These are my first toad pets and this site has been my go to for all my questions and worries so thanks to all of you from myself and I'm sure my baby toads thank you all too lol. I'm going to try to add a picture of my black baby toad but I may fail since I don't really know how to use the site besides reading posts so far.