Colorado River Toad (Bufo Alvarius) Story

[tgampper]

Hello everyone! I'm glad to have found this forum. I have an interesting story for how I acquired a Bufo Alvarius, in Utah, and thought everyone might enjoy it.

Welcome to Frog Forum Enjoyed your story of the Colorado River toad! Like most amphibians, the scientific name for this species has changed to Incilius alvarius.

We were pretty busy for a few days so I had to put off officially identifying him. During that time we managed to lose him in the house. After searching for a few hours, and giving up, I stumbled across him in the basement sitting on top of a box like he was just waiting for me to save him. We ran out and picked up everything we needed to keep him (we were just planning on housing him for the winter since he seemed to be having trouble). Once we got him setup in his new digs I started researching his type online. After a few minutes I figured out he was a Bufo Alvarius. Then I read up on what they are. Needless to say I was pretty shocked. I have no use for the things this toad is most famous for and decided I needed to figure out if it was even legal for me to have him.

I am not aware of any law in Utah that prohibits the keeping of this frog as a pet. In fact they are not native to Utah at all. Their range only covers southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico. It is likely the toad you found was someone's pet. Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling the toad. Otherwise, you have a great pet!

Anyway, thanks for reading. I plan to ask a few questions and update a bit when I have more time.

Would love to see photos of Sprocket