Bufo americanus

Alternative names

 * Eastern Toad

Sexing

 * How to sex.

Tank compatibility

 * Generally sits still.

Diet

 * Prefers small insects.

Feed Regime

 * Feed daily.

Environment Specifics

 * Needs cool moist area and hiding place.

Behaviour

 * Nocturnal

Identification

 * Light grey or tan skin with bumps, or warts all over. One large wart behind each eye, which is often brown. Puncturing and ingesting the liquid from these large warts will not kill a human or animal, but it will make them quite sick. Unlike the marine toad in Australia, whose warts have killed many domestic dogs and cats.

Special note

 * Tadpole care: tadpoles newly hatched, are 1/2 inch long including tails. They may bet to 1 inch long including tails. They are a solid black. Toads can lay eggs almost anywhere there are no fish or predators present, such as muddy, water-filled ruts on a dirt road, ponds, or seasonal collections of water.


 * Tadpoles can be raised in a 10g tank. You can have 5-10 toadpoles per gallon of water. They are ravenous eaters so feed them every 4 hours. They prefer algae tablets or veggies (green beans, zucchini, shelled peas).


 * The water level should not exceed 6 inches, because when they become air breathing toadlets, there is a limit to how far they can swim to the surface. Toadlets all sink, and if they cannot reach the surface they will die. Toadlets will need a floating platform on which to climb out.


 * The rear legs will grow in first. As soon as you see front legs, put in a floating platform.


 * Toadpoles can survive very high amounts of ammonia for long lengths of time. I recommend getting a filter for them but they will likely survive without it.


 * Different tadpole species have different needs so you must be sure to positively ID your tadpole before having it as a pet. For example, bullfrog tadpoles do not eat solid food, they are filter feeders. If they are not in green water they will die of starvation.


 * Never release into the wild!

Links

 * Bufo americanus from Animal Diversity
 * American toad from Wikipedia