Colorado River Toad (Bufo Alvarius) Story

[Negative]

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.

Last week my wife came home from work with a container under her arm. She held it up and I saw it was a toad. She said she was walking back to work from lunch when she saw him sitting on the sidewalk. It was pretty cold and it looked like it was dead. She loves animals (especially reptiles, amphibians, and birds) so she picked him up. She said he was really cold, but she thought he might still be alive, so she put him between her arm and her side and took him into work. After awhile he started moving around a bit and then he opened his eyes. She was pretty thrilled that she was able to save him, so she put him in a container and brought him home. I glanced at him and thought he must be a Woodhouse or Bufo Boreas (I'm no expert). Boy was I wrong!

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. That's how I stumbled upon this website. From everything I've read I guess I can safely assume that it's legal for me to have him (probably a shades of gray kind of legal) since I didn't take him from another state and I have zero idea of his origin. That also has lead us to decide that we're probably keeping Sprocket (we named him) indefinitely since he probably wouldn't survive in Northern Utah on his own. I just can't figure out how he got here. There is a small meadow area behind where my wife works, so I suspect someone must have got tired of keeping him and released him there. He must have not liked the way the temperatures were turning and decided to look for a warmer climate in the city.

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

[COOCOpUcHoo]

You got any pictures? this seems really interesting.

[Janice]

I really think they are from the mid west to the west coast.

[COOCOpUcHoo]

So how is the toad currently doing?

[Mentat]

Hello and welcome to FF ! Looking forward to pics of your toad!

[Negative]

So how is the toad currently doing?

He's still doing well. Seems pretty happy AND HUNGRY! This guy eats like nothing else. I'm already able to hand feed him, which is pretty cool.

I'll try to get some pictures up soon. I just haven't had much free time lately.

I have a couple questions:

1. He's living in a room that tends to have a high of 80 F during the day and a low of 70 F at night. The average temp is probably around 76-77. Does he need any supplemental heating? I've read that Bufo Alvarius prefer temps higher than 80.

2. He eats really fast. I know the rule of thumb is however many crickets they'll eat in 15 minutes but this guy eats really fast. I once put in 12 large crickets and he ate all of them in around 10 minutes. Does he really need that many crickets a day? I was thinking about just giving him 5 a day for now. He's about 5" long (nose to vent) right now.

Thanks in advance for any replies!

[tgampper]

He's still doing well. Seems pretty happy AND HUNGRY! This guy eats like nothing else. I'm already able to hand feed him, which is pretty cool.

I have a couple questions:

1. He's living in a room that tends to have a high of 80 F during the day and a low of 70 F at night. The average temp is probably around 76-77. Does he need any supplemental heating? I've read that Bufo Alvarius prefer temps higher than 80.

It is best to keep your toad between 75(F) and 80(F). Excessive temperatures can harm the toad. Nighttime temperatures can be a bit lower. Don't feed your toad at night since the cooler temperatures will cause the toad to regurgitate (very messy and smelly situation). A small basking area with low-wattage heat lamp will be welcomed.

2. He eats really fast. I know the rule of thumb is however many crickets they'll eat in 15 minutes but this guy eats really fast. I once put in 12 large crickets and he ate all of them in around 10 minutes. Does he really need that many crickets a day? I was thinking about just giving him 5 a day for now. He's about 5" long (nose to vent) right now.

These toads are known to eat anything that will fit into their mouth. A variety of food is necessary to keep the toad healthy. An occasional pinky mouse is a good supplement to the crickets.

[Negative]

Here is a picture of Sprocket hanging out in his home.

[maxQ]

Wow, Sprocket is one handsome guy.

[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

[Negative]

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.

I read that somewhere but it seemed like everyone was still using Bufo Alvarius so that's what I decided to use. :/