Sonoran Desert Toad / Colorado River Toad, Bufo alvarius aka Ollotis alvaria - Care Information and Breeding

[John]

I am not quite sure what a skimmer looks like and how it works, so I can't really answer your question I'm afraid. Can you describe hot it works/moving parts/sharp bits/crushing potential?

[newinAz]

Hi John, Thanks for replying! Basically it's the square cutout you see in any pool where debris floating on the surface of the water is sucked into a basket. Our pool guy says he finds them dead in there once in a while. Last night, I put a large clay bowl filled with water & a few rocks in his pathway to the pool & I didn't find him in the skimmer basket this morn. I moved here a week ago & haven't got a clue as to where to find a pond for him but I'm still inquiring. There's a hotsprings nearby but I don't guess that'd be a good choice. Any suggestions?

[John]

They are probably drowning in there rather than anything else. As for the hot springs, I wouldn't put the toad there.

[earthtiger]

John,

great care sheet you wrote up here! Very informative - many thanks for your effort!

I have some further questions regarding raising the small toadlets:
Which temperatures would you recommand for freshly metamorphosed troadlets? Same as for the tadpoles (29C)? How should a tank for small toadlets look like? Lot's of places for hiding, e.g. leaf litter? More humid than the one for the adults? Do the tend to drown in a water bowl? How many would you keep in one tank / rearing box? Do you have photos of a tank for the toadlets?

kind regards,
Martin