Couchs Spadefoot Toad

[Erwynn]

I have had frogs before, but nothing like this little guy.

We've had him since June, his name is Mr. Peepers, cause he peeps. The kids named him lol. He's a good eater, I had him in a home with ecoearth and a soaking pool.

In september he stopped eating and started looking all "bloaty". Had his eyes closed all the time, I was worried he was dying.

Then I found out they go into torpor, or hibernation, whichever. So I moved him into a little deli cup with ecoearth and let him burrow down and put him in a cabinet so it would be quiet and dark for him.

I check on him once a week. Now he's not looking bloated anymore, he's looking very thin and his hip bones are sticking out. I'm worried he's going to die.

Do spadefoot toads have to go into hibernation? Can I pull him out of it so he can eat and not die? If yes, then how do I do that?

Thanks

[SludgeMunkey]

Spadefoots are notoriously difficult captives. They spend most of their life underground and inactive in the wild. While they do enter topor in the cold months, it takes a significant temperature drop for them to do so. They are completely nocturnal only coming to the surface at night during rainy weather to feed and breed.

A few questions to better asess the situation:

What temperature is he at?

How damp is his substrate?

What are you feeding him?

When did he last eat?

[Kurt]

In september he stopped eating and started looking all "bloaty". Had his eyes closed all the time, I was worried he was dying.

Bloating and eyes close all the time can indicate an infection

I check on him once a week. Now he's not looking bloated anymore, he's looking very thin and his hip bones are sticking out. I'm worried he's going to die.

Thinning can occur if the frog is in hibernation mode and being maintained at normal tempertures. Of course an infection can do this as well. My advice is to see a vet.

[John]

I think Kurt's second point is the case here - he went into aestivation mode but conditions are such that he's burning calories far too fast. At this point I think the only thing you could do is keep him very moist and pretty warm in the hopes that he'll start eating again for you, then cram as much food into him as possible and then set him up in a proper aestivation setup at the proper temperature and plenty of very deep soil.

[Erwynn]

What is the proper estivation temp?

We had a bad cold snap in september and we couldn't afford propane at the time, so it got pretty darn cold in here, that's pretty much when he stopped eating and went into estivation.

Right now he's in ecoearth, but it's dried out now. Our house temp is about 69 degrees.

He last ate in late august. We had been feeding him dusted crickets and mealworms every couple of days.

When we first got him he peeped a lot, but then stopped peeping a month after he'd been with us.

Could I just pull him out of hibernation and keep him active? Or does he have to go into estivation or he won't survive? I have a res that I never hibernate because I don't plan on breeding him, so he has "optional" torpor. Is it the same with these toads?

Thanks.

[John]

He doesn't hibernate, he aestivates. Aestivation temperature should be in the 50s F (10 - 15 C). No lower and no higher. If you "pull him out" you need to keep him warm and moist like I said (warm would be 70s to early 80s, about 20-30 C).

[Bufoman]

[QUOTE=John;12444]He doesn't hibernate, he aestivates.QUOTE]
Good point

Bufoman