American Toad - Not Sure What To Do

[jalona]

Hi I'm new to this forum, so please forgive if this is here somewhere....so far, haven't been able to find a similar situation.

I am in Maryland, US, and found a toad in the yard the other day. It's been a bit warm here the past couple weeks (50's F during the day), but we've had lots of freezes overnight. I don't know if the toad is capable of digging a hole, since he seems pretty lethargic. We've tried to set him loose in the yard the past two days during the warmest part of day, but he won't leave the bucket he's in. Should I dump him in the yard and hope he has the energy to dig a hole, or should I keep him in over the winter?

Thank you!