Help/suggestions/identification of metamorph!

[aksdgff]

Hello!

I recently went over to a family member's house where I found that they had stumbled upon some tadpoles and collected six of them for their kid to "raise." Being a mildly experienced frog owner, I attempted to steer them in the right direction with the tadpoles, but unfortunately they just weren't having it. I did notice one tadpole had sprouted both his back and front legs, so I managed to convince them to keep their little tank tipped so that the metamorphs could leave the water when they were ready. Immediately after tipping their tank, the one little metamorph made his way out of the water and refused to go back in, and when my family went inside, I decided I would take him home and give him a fighting chance.

I've got the little guy in a small plastic tank at the moment lined with paper towels. I placed a small pool with steps in it and nestled it in even with the paper towel, although he hasnt gone near it. I have a big piece of leaf litter in there so that he can hide. I also have a background on the tank to keep him more comfortable. (it must be a scary world for this little guy!) He has no light source at the moment!

He's been with me since friday evening, and his tail is almost gone at this point! I got him some flight-less fruit flies and dusted them in multivitamin and calcium with d3 just in case he was ready to eat. I put about 5 tiny flies in his cage, and he seemed interested, but never actually tried to eat them. He seemed more scared of them than anything.

During the transformation from tadpole to metamorph, he was able to climb up the tank wall from the water, which leads me to believe that he is a tree frog. I am in maryland. The tadpoles were very dark in color with no spots (That I saw! I honestly didnt get a very good look due to murky water.) He is now about the size of a dime, if not smaller. He's still dark but he now has what appears to be 6 spots along his back.

I know that it is still very hard to identify him at this point in his life, but I wanted to throw it out there and see what you guys thought!
Also - any advice that you can give me to help this little guy along would be greatly appreciated!

[Frogman1031]

He may be a toad since he
Is still wet all the time he can scale the walls. The six spots dont point toward tree frog
It is quite frustrating to know that that people become stubborn and don't think of the animals at all

The Frog chooses its owner. Treat your life-long friend with respect and care and it will never disappoint!

[flybyferns]

If possible try to get another photo up?
We will definitely be able to id it.
Lots of great id'ers here

I'm sure you know the id is needed so you are able to provide a proper enclosure for it.

[aksdgff]

Thank you both!

I'll try to get a better picture! He's tiny, so it's hard!

[UncleChester]

If you're having a hard time taking a clear photo, you can try looking for photos of froglets or toadlets and see if they match yours. For example, you can find some wee American Toads here https://www.google.ca/search?q=ameri...w=1680&bih=934 They can vary quite a bit, but you should be able to narrow it down some.

Here's a list of Maryland amphibians to help limit your search:

Discover Maryland's Herps - Wildlife and Heritage Service - Maryland Department of Natural Resources

You can also look into the various species tadpoles, time of breeding, as well as size at metamorphosis to help with an ID (from the info you've given, I'd hazard a wild guess at one of your areas Toads).

[aksdgff]

I ended up getting a great picture of the little guy!



I also put some more fruit flies in the tank with him. He still isn't trying to eat them. Sometimes, they seem to catch his interest, but they have walked right past him and even got stuck to his mouth, and he wants nothing to do with them! He also hasn't gone near his water pool.

[LilyPad]

Looks like a fowlers or some other kind of toad, will be sure as he/she grows. Adorable little guy. Might be a day or two before he starts eating. He won't go to the water unless he needs a soaking. You could keep a really shallow dish in there.