New member Found Toad stealed my ♡ Need Advice

[GrahamLand6753]

Hi fellow toad parents,

I recently was at Mernard's (which is similar to a home depot ) and was outside in the lumber area. Here in Wyoming it is very hot and dry during this time. In the middle of this lumber area was this toad. He was dehydrated, skin peeling off, looked hungry etc. So he let me pick him up with no struggle. I took him home put him in my 10 gallon tank with some soil from petco a water dish etc. Bought some crickets he ate like no tomorrow and loved the water dish. It will be 2 weeks today that I have had him. He grabbed my heart and now I just love toads and frogs. However, I feel bad to keep him contained. He can see our backyard from his tank and he jumps at the glass a lot. So I put a blanket on that side so he cant see out and that relaxes him. I went to Petco and saw a tomatoe frog and Pac man frog. Fell in love with both. So my question is can I get him a companion of one of those types. Should I let him free since he is wild and get a frog from petco that has been in a habitat and knows nothing better? Or is my toad, Todd, already domesticated to where he cant survive outdoors? And if I do let him go, where, in my backyard? See why im here lol!! So many questions!!! Just dont want Todd to be unhappy if he knows freedom. Plus the two frogs at petco I would love to give one of them a new home. (Sigh.) any advice would be appreciated. Thanks friends!

[kueluck]

First off I just wanna say thank you for interceding and helping out the poor little bufo. Second, it's a big no-no of mixing species, species toxins and aggressive behavior can/will cause the death of animals involved. IMO, I would keep the toad over the hot season and release it when the weather breaks, and release it in a wildlife preserve. OR you can just give Todd time to settle in and enjoy your new found friend. As for returning back into the wild, as long as he can hunt and burrow no problem. Just keep in mind you that you are committing to several years of being a caregiver to this little one. Toads are my fav and I've keep several. Mainly just raise little ones and release them back into the wild. Except for my Morph, he IS the ruler over his kingdom, plus he doesn't hibernate for more than 45 days so he's not able to go back into the wild. Which is fine with me.

Before you consider getting another frog/toad please do your research first Frog Forum - Care Articles this might help.

[Mentat]

Hello and welcome to FF! Congrats on your new toad. How long is it from snout to vent? Depending on species a full grown one could eventually need a larger tank, like a 20L. Can you post pics of it? Including one from top and one from the side can help ID it. This article will help you take care of it: Frog Forum - Toad Basics - Keeping ground-dwelling Toads. A care sheet for Bufo, Anaxyrus, Spea, Scaphiopus, Ollotis, Alytes, Pelobates.

Mixing any frog/toad species with anything other than itself usually ends bad. For example; that cute tomato frog is very toxic and it's skin will contaminate the whole tank it's in contact with and eventually all other animals in tank will die. Even when you house together some that have same temperature/humidity requirements, it can still cause stress to some frogs and they will suffer from it.

You can get some aquarium background or any paper you like and cover the back and sides to help toad relax. Also, providing a large slab of cork it can hide under and a silk plant will be good to him too.

Recommend go to Walmart and get some not dyed night crawlers and feed those too. Depending on toad size, might need to cut them in smaller pieces. Also, frogs need food supplements, more info on that in here: http://www.frogforum.net/food-feeder...schedules.html. Good luck !

[JBtheExplorer]

Should I let him free since he is wild And if I do let him go, where, in my backyard?

I think you should let him go. For me, it would be highly rewarding to nurse a American Toad back to health to where it could resume a life in the wild. I would feel too guilty to keep it indoors when it could be free. If you choose to let him go, do so in an area where he can hide, such as by plants, logs, or downspouts. They like shade and moisture during the day. As long as they can find shade, they'll be fine, even in hot temperatures. They also have the ability to live in many environments, including backyards. They'll hide during the day and hunt for insects at night. He may even stick around and you may get to see him many nights. The toads that live around me tend to stick around. I see the same ones often. I find the same one burrowed under the same log every day.

[GrahamLand6753]

Thank you guys for your advice.
I took Todd out in my backyard patio and he jumped off and booked it pretty quickly. He couldnt get away fast enough lol it was kind of cute seeing him hop so fast.
Next day I missed him and that made me go out and buy Cain, he is a tomato frog. I love him. I want him to be handled so i am holding him for bit in the evenings. He seems to enjoy the comany. He was making this low purring like sound, so I think he is happy with his new home. I really hope so! I was going to get a PacMan but I dont know if I could feed it baby mice when he gets bigger