I.Love.Toads

[Pete]

ESA Online Journals - The Role of Behavioral Thermoregulation in the Growth Energetics of the Toad, Bufo Boreas

"In the laboratory, toads thermoregulate by basking beneath incandescent lamps when placed within a photothermal gradient. Basking depends on feeding, and when food is withheld, individuals abandon the available heat source and assume lower body temperatures. The preferred temperature of feeding individuals is around 26—27 degrees C as determined from animals both in the laboratory and in nature"

Well, after reading this, I took my Bufo boreas halophilus toadlets out in the early morning sun and evening sun this past weekend and watched their behavior. I was surprised to see that sometimes they would flatten out on the surface of the ground and darken up, much like lizards do when they bask, and sit still for about 15 min. So, I don't know about growth rates, but I thinking that they do bask. Maybe it differs by species, but I'll have to consider this in their setups. Thanks for the post.

[tgampper]

Well, after reading this, I took my Bufo boreas halophilus toadlets out in the early morning sun and evening sun this past weekend and watched their behavior. I was surprised to see that sometimes they would flatten out on the surface of the ground and darken up, much like lizards do when they bask, and sit still for about 15 min. So, I don't know about growth rates, but I thinking that they do bask. Maybe it differs by species, but I'll have to consider this in their setups. Thanks for the post.

I was also surprised when I learned that toads love basking in the sun. I was an amphibian keeper at the zoo and took care of several endangered toad species, such as Anaxyrus baxteri (Wyoming Toad), Atelopus zeteki (Panamanian Golden Toad) and Peltophryne lemur (Puerto Rican Crested Toad),. We had basking lights for all these species. I have included basking lights for my Anaxyrus woodhousii (Woodhouse toads) and they just love it.

[LilyPad]

I have a 50 watt blue daylight bulb for my tree frogs because they like to bask. I didn't know the same was true for toads though, I think I will have to put a different lamp on them. Right now I have a 15 watt blue bulb on their tank.

[Greg M]

Amen Terry! Woodhouse's toads love to bask - I get "toad pyramids" (sometimes three or four toads high) near the light source!

Frogs and toads are poikilotherms, but that doesn't mean that they are passive with respect to temperature. Frogs and toads appear to actively regulate their body temperature (and hence metabolism) by moving to warmer or cooler areas. Giving them a thermogradient in captivity allows them to thermoregulate in a manner analogous to how they do "in nature". A most cases, a low-wattage bulb or ceramic heater at one end will allow the toad to choose an optimal temperature. Obviously, one has to be careful to not overheat or desiccate the animal...

[tgampper]

Amen Terry! Woodhouse's toads love to bask - I get "toad pyramids" (sometimes three or four toads high) near the light source!

The fact that toads like to bask was news to me At the zoo, we used a lot of pottery for hides and water bowls. You can use overturned, small flowerpots with a hollowed out opening as hides and shallow pottery bowls (about 1-2" deep) as water bowls. The basking light was placed over the flowerpot hide. It was a standard basking light with about a 100 watt bulb and metal reflector. Every morning, when I cleaned the cages, I found that most of the toads were crammed in the hide. There was at least one brave toad resting on top of the flowerpot directly under the lamp. I'll tell you that it was pretty hot under the lamp!

If you want to add a basking area for your toad, make sure you start off with a low-wattage bulb. Most toads are nocturnal and may have different temperature requirements.

[nicodimus22]

I have included basking lights for my Anaxyrus woodhousii (Woodhouse toads) and they just love it.

What wattage/type of bulb would you recommend? (I have what I think are Fowler's toads, practically the same species as Woodhouse.)

[LilyPad]

I put the under tank heater on one side of the tank. When I got home from work they were all hanging out on that side of the tank. It'll be interesting to see if they have a growth spurt from the warmer temps. My house has been cool with the a/c running nonstop (can you say HEAT WAVE)

[tgampper]

What wattage/type of bulb would you recommend? (I have what I think are Fowler's toads, practically the same species as Woodhouse.)

I use a small 50-watt bulb (regular incandescent) for basking and a moonlight for night viewing. I have a light bar with space for two bulbs. Since they are mostly nocturnal, the moonlight bulb helps me enjoy their activity.

[LilyPad]

I really need one of those double bar lamps. Right now I have 1 lamp on my tree frogs and I have to wait for it to cool so I can change the light bulb...not very efficient! So most nights I don't use my moonlight bulb at all.

[tgampper]

I really need one of those double bar lamps. Right now I have 1 lamp on my tree frogs and I have to wait for it to cool so I can change the light bulb...not very efficient! So most nights I don't use my moonlight bulb at all.

I had the same problem. The double light bar was one of my best investments I could make for my toads.

[nicodimus22]

I just got back from Petco with a 5.5" reflector lamp and a 50W incandescent spot bulb. I put it in the back corner of the tank, over the flat rock I have in there. The toads are all hiding at the moment, but time will tell if they come out and use it eventually. If they don't, oh well, I'm only out $23. If they do, and it makes them grow faster, great!