Hello all. Last night I was out at my storage unit, unloading some boxes from my truck, when I noticed something circling near my front tire. I thought it was a beetle until I got closer and saw it was a tiny toad! On even closer inspection, it became apparent that he was missing an entire backleg . Now, I am not much of an exotics person - I love fish but that's about it - but I couldn't stand the thought of the little guy out there just waiting to be someone's lunch. He can pretty much only move in a circular fashion and he flips himself over every few hops; his balance is awful. I captured him into an empty water bottle. He's now hanging out in a tupperware with holes in the lid, a bed of wet grass, and a couple of teeny moths I caught.

Initially I was just going to transport him to the swampy woods by my house, a significantly easier life than a gravel parking lot and my standard treatment for everyday reptile and amphibian encounters. But the more I thought about it, the more I wasn't sure that he would survive even that! I stay away from keeping wild-caught animals in captivity because I don't feel like I can do any better than Mother Nature does, and with non-traditional animals it is so easy to "accidentally" neglect them, ie not provide the right housing, lighting, nutrients, etc. I'm in the veterinary industry, and I've seen so many cases of people meaning well with non-domestic animals, but unintentionally doing serious harm. I read the "Toad Basics" article, and having had fish I have a tank to allocate to the little guy and I'm totally ready to do my best for him, but I'm absolutely terrified of doing more harm than good in this situation and want to be sure I'm doing the right thing here.

So, with no rear leg, release back into the wild is a no-go for this guy, correct? Do they even do OK in captivity with this kind of malformation, or am I dooming him to a pathetic life of chasing crickets in circles while slowly starving to death? I intend to contact some people I know that keep reptiles to see if they have an interest in amphibians or handicapped wildlife to try and find him someone better equipped than I for his best possible shot at life. Otherwise... I suppose I may become a staple here