What would you do?

[LilyPad]

Yesterday, my daughter brought me an american toad that was either injured or never formed correctly. He was missing part of a back leg and a foot off the other. Everything appeared healed, he was about 2 inches long and very fat. She wanted me to keep it because of the deformity, she was very worried about it. I told her that because it was already fat and healthy, we should leave it where she found it. Now I know with the deformity, it's more likely to become prey to something, but I feel like that's just kind of the circle of life. We get hundreds and hundreds of toads in our yard, so it's not as if we're lacking in them here.

What would you do in that situation?

If he had open wounds, I would have taken him in and kept him in our critter keeper until he was healed and then eventually rehome him (by the time he was healthy enough for release, it would be winter.) Being that he was healed and fat, I thought it best to let him be.

[jarteta97]

I agree, letting him be is best. If he's already healed, than the circle of life must progress. Survival of the fittest, eh?

[UncleChester]

I'd also let it go. It's a good size and has obviously figured out how to cope with it's injury/deformity. To be honest, I don't think American Toads often escape danger by being fast so being a little on the slow side might not end up a huge impediment. To ease her mind, you can let your daughter know about it's other defenses- crypsis (being hard to spot), it's foul tasting toxins out of the parotoid glands, and the puffing up to look large and unswallowable.

This summer I helped a painted turtle across the road that was missing one of it's front feet. It was also an old wound that had healed over. In my usual manner, I set the turtle down with my camera ready to snap a few shots. As soon as it touched the ground, it bolted faster than any turtle I've ever seen. It's little nub was just hammering down on the gravel propelling it into the swamp. Some deformities/injuries can be coped with quite well