What To Choose; Woodhouse"s Toad or Couch's Spadefoot

[Bufoman]

Which one would make a better captive?

Bufoman

[Greg M]

I have five Woodhouse's toads, including one albino, and they make great pets! They are vigorous feeders, enjoying Dubia, crickets, hornworms and even the occasional mouse. They are happy at room temperature, although mine seem to like basking under a bit of heat. They have unique "personalities", including food preferences, so they are not "cookie" cutter pets. They get fairly large - I have a large female about 4.5 inches and close to 200 grams/half a pound. I haven't had spadefoot toads but I definitely like the Woodhouse's toads!

Greg

[Bufoman]

Thanks for the information on Woodhouse's Toads! Does anyone keep spadefoots?

Bufoman

[John]

Definitely the Woodhouse's Toad. Spadefoots spend the majority of their time buried in the substrate, and in my experience they exhibit no personality when compared to species of Bufo. Spadefoots also tend to be very shy when they are out and about.

[Bufoman]

Thanks! I was also wondering about the Bumblebee Toad? I've heard they make good beginning toads. Any advice on them?

Bufoman

[John]

They're not interactive like the toads in the genus Bufo, but they can be quite active, particularly when the humidity is high, and they aren't very shy. They're pretty small though, and therefore trickier to feed unless you culture large fruit flies or have a reliable source of very small crickets.

[Bufoman]

Thanks for the information! So Bufo sp. make good captives?

Bufoman

[John]

Definitely. I love true toads.

[Bufoman]

Woodhouse's Toad beats Spadefoot!
Sorry Spadefoot

Bufoman

[Greg M]

I think you'll like them a lot! Mine get so excited at feeding time - they almost dance around, waiting for you to get to them. I do recommend that you watch how much they eat - you really can't overfeed the juvi's, but the adults tend to obesity, and they are more interactive and interesting if they are not stuffed "to the gills" every day...

Greg

[Bufoman]

Woodhouse's Toads sound like a great pet! I was wondering if they inhabit plains or deserts?

[Greg M]

Sorry about slow response! Woodhouse's toads are usually found in moderately moist temperate regions and are not desert dwellers.

As stated on AmphibiaWeb "Adults are found in a variety of habitats (Stebbins, 1951). In the western states, Woodhouse's toads are often associated with larger riparian corridors at lower elevations, and moist meadows, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs at higher elevations. They can be common in disturbed habitats such as canals and irrigated fields, golf courses, and urban parks with ponds".

They are happy living at room temperature, perhaps with a basking light, on moist (not wet) EcoEarth or similar, with a water dish. Cage decoration (fake plants, clay pots, strips of bark) at your discretion...