Marine Toad Temperment

[LazyEyedFroggie]

It was probably very scared and stressed as Poly said, also, Marine toads are not very easy to tame. If you really want one, I'd suggest to get one early in life, as either a tadpole or "toadlet". It will slowly adjust to infrequent handling, but it is not recommended to make any contact with it, anyways. If you must hold it for veterinary or feeding purposes etc, then wash your hands with mild soap and rinse them thoroughly before you touch it, as our skin oils can harm them, though unlikely. They aren't a pet for cuddling though

[n321]

Yeah, I know. But I had to take it out of it's cage for cleaning, etc. It wasn't just upset when I was handling it either. It would constantly ram into the walls of the tank and bruise its nose. And the cage was definitely large enough.

I think it was definitely stressed out. It was just a very wild toad. That probably led to its somewhat untimely demise (I had it for about 3 years). I want to know if this is common with Bufo marinus.

[LazyEyedFroggie]

I'd think it would be worse in wild caught adults, how old was it when you first got it? and yes it is fairly common in marine toads

[n321]

It was about 6 inches long, so it was fairly old.

[LazyEyedFroggie]

That could've been the main source of the problem. It had several months to even years roaming around freely. If you want one to be of a better temperament, it's best to start 'em out captive as very young toads, so they can get used to the closed in space as well as not miss anything major from wild living.

[Poly]

It was definatly old, a 6" toad would be pushing about 5-8 years old I'd imagine.

[n321]

Are any of them ever captive bred?

[Wormwood]

I don't think so, because they are so easy to aquire in the wild. Cane toads or Marine toads are generally more twitchy and flightly. I've never had a "tame" one before. Mine hardly can put up with me introducing bugs into their tank, they get freaked out and refuse to eat until I leave the room.

I've also never had them not pee on me once picked up. It's just a natural reaction to being handled.