Small Toads

Species: sp. (usually americanus)
Genus: Bufo
Family: Bufonidae
Order: Anura
Class: Amphibia
Phylum: Chordata
Kingdom: Animalia

Conditions for Customer Ownership

Primary Hazard Considerations

• Toads must be handled with care. Toads absorb chemicals through their skin, so anything on your hands could affect them. It is recommended you wear gloves when handling Bufo toads and that you wash your hands thoroughly afterward.

Availability

• Bufo sp. are available sporadically throughout the year. They are wild collected from various regions of the US, so shortages may occur. Contact us for availability.

How Will Animals Arrive and Immediate Requirements

• Toads will arrive in a waxed cardboard box containing moist Styrofoam packing. Open the container when it is received and place toads into a habitat. If you don’t have a habitat set up yet, you can store them in the shipping container for 2-3 days as long as you mist them daily with de-chlorinated water.

Captive Care

Habitat:

• Use a plastic terrarium, glass aquarium, or plastic bin to house your toads. Unless the container is deep enough to prevent the toads from escaping, it should have a secure, well-ventilated lid. Cover the floor of the container with damp soil or sphagnum moss. Mist daily using a spray bottle to keep the substrate moist. Sink a shallow pan of water into the substrate to create a pond for your toads. Put a rock or piece of wood into the water dish so the toads can get out of the water. Change the water daily using de-chlorinated water. Maintain the temperature between 60-70° F. The habitat should be cleaned out monthly by removing all the substrate and replacing it with fresh.

Care:

• Toads will eat a variety of foods including live insects, earthworms, and small vertebrates. Depending on the size of the toad, they can be fed live crickets (nymphs or adults), 2-4 per toad, every other day.

Information

• Method of reproduction: Bufo reproduce sexually. Mating occurs during rainy weather in early spring.
• Determining sex: Breeding males may be identified by the dark “nuptial pads” on their thumbs.

Life Cycle

• Egg: Eggs are laid in long strands in ponds, ditches, temporary pools of water, etc. Development is rapid-eggs hatch in 3-10 days.
• Tadpole: Metamorphose in 6-7 weeks.
• Adult: Adults can live 2-10 years in captivity.

Wild Habitat

• Bufo toads can be found throughout the US and Canada. Bufo americanus are generally found in the Eastern US (north of the Carolinas) and Canada. They can be found wherever there is a source of fresh water, commonly ponds and swamps. Toads hibernate during the winter and reemerge in spring for mating.

Disposition

• We do not recommend releasing any laboratory animal into the wild. As a laboratory animal, it has not encountered or learned wild survival skills and is therefore likely to come to an inhumane end.
• Adoption is the preferred disposition for a vertebrate.
• If the animal cannot be adopted by a capable owner, it may be surrendered to your local humane society.
• If the animal must be euthanized, we recommend consulting the AVMA guidelines on euthanasia (American Veterinary Medical Association, http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/euthanasia.pdf). According to these guidelines, acceptable methods of euthanasia for an amphibian include exposure to CO2 at >60% or treatment with tricaine methane sulfonate (also known as TMS, MS-222 and Biocalm 947-2100). TMS is an anesthetizing agent that will cause fish and amphibian death due to central nervous system depression and hypoxia with overexposure. Wear personal protective equipment (gloves, safety glasses, lab coat) when handling this substance. The fish or amphibian is placed in a solution of 5 g per 5 gallons of water for 30 minutes or until all motion has ceased. To make sure the animal is dead, check for reflexive movement when the eye is touched. If movement occurs, replace the animal in the TMS solution for another 30 minutes.
• A deceased specimen should be disposed of as soon as possible. Consult your school’s recommended procedures for disposal. In general, a dead vertebrate should be handled with gloves, and wrapped in an absorbent material (e.g., newspaper), wrapped again in an opaque plastic bag, then placed inside a opaque plastic bag that is sealed (tied tightly) before being placed in a general garbage container away from students.