Help identifiy this frog or toad Please!!!

[drewlowe]

My boyfriends mom caught this little one while she was out last night. She brought it home for me to see if i would like him/her. Well i fell bad for the little one and don't want to let it go in the back yard plus i have no clue on where anytype of ponds are in this area. So i have decided to try to give him/her the best home i possible could.

I have only kept lizzards and snakes, so i don't know how to house this very tiny little one so any help someone can give i would appriciate it.

I don't know if it's a frog or a toad. The only thing i know about it is it's a missouri native. He / she is maybe right around 1/2 inch. I have some pics i will post. I need to know how to feed and house this little one. Right now i have it in a little kritter keeper with soil for the subtrate and some moss for him/her to hide under and climb on, and a small dish with water in it. i have a couple of crix. in there (cause i don't know what else to feed it. any suggestions please share with me. I want to give this little one a good home.

http://ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1695hopper_1_web_format.jpg

http://ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1695hopper_in_water_dish_web__format.jpg

[Herpkingdom]

Let's see now....it looks to me to be a frog, although the picture is hard to distinguish.

If it has a "X" on the back it is a spring peeper. I can't tell from the picture if it does or not. Some have been known to have this marking vaery faded.

http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpecies_LI.asp?imageID=32052&page=beautyl.asp

This is a picture of a spring peeper. Try doing a search through this site and see what you come up with.


Good Luck

[Emily-Fisher]

Jim, Drew's frog/toad is definately not a frog and is definately not a spring peeper. It's a toad. What species? I have no clue but he's definately a toad.

[Herpkingdom]

From looking at the picture, tell me how you were able to rule out a frog.

The pic is so far away from the animal it is hard to discern any kind of marking, skin texture, or webbed feet.

If you painted the little bugger blue and yellow, it would look like a dart frog. :)

But the more I look at the pic where it is standing up the more I lean toward your conclusion of it being a toad.

As far as what to feed it, I would just release it. Just take it back to the spot it was caught in. It will find the water all by its little self.

[Aqua_Elf]

I think it looks more like a frog but if it wast near a water source it probly was a toad. I really cant tell could you get a closer pik?

[drewlowe]

thanks you all for trying to help but i have found out what it is. It's an eastern american toad. I found out they are very common in missouri but i live in the city now and there really isn't alot of reptiles and amphibians around here. I'm thinking of trying to find a pond to take him to. If i cant then the 4 of july i'm going to grants farm ( a friend lives there) and we're going to release him/her.

[Herpkingdom]

not a good idea to release it anywhere but where it was found.

Taking it somewhere were there is not a population of them could be bad for the enviroment and the natural ecosytem of that area.

They may be common where you caught it, but not were you want to release it.

[drewlowe]

my friend told me that they are all around his house would it be ok to release him there with the same species of toads. If not i will ask his mom where she caught him and release him back there.

Thanks jamie

If not do you think he/she will do well in captivity.

[Phil Beaudoin]

Herpkingdom, the reason a frog could have been ruled out so easily was because of the large paratoid glands, in relation to the body, that are visible.

[Dozer]

That appears to be a red phased american Toad baby. They are out at this time of season, in great numbers too :) I have captured one red phase before and regret not keeping it. They are great pets and eaily maintianed. They eat lots so be prepared :)

[drewlowe]

Dozer are you sure that he/she is a red phased american toad. I looked through a book on missouri native species and it closely resembles a eastern american toad. (but he/she is much darker than the book showed.) Dozer i have been trying to find some care sheets about him/her but can not find any that are very good. Could you possible help point me in the right direction. I need to find out what Toads temps should be kept at. Right now i have Toad at room temp (73-75) is that ok or should it be higher. Right now i'm also feeding Toad 1/4 inch crickets dusted in calcium and vitamins is that correct. What other items will he/she eat i know mealworms freshly molted. Will he/she eat pinkies when older??? I know this is a bunch of questions but i really want to try to give him the best. LOL

I really don't belive in keeping WC specimens but Toad is so adorible and when he hears my voice he comes out of wherever he's hiding to see me. LOL I even handle him without any problems he will usually just sit there, or climb onto my shirt and sit for at least 20-30 min.

[Dozer]

Oh, these guys are a blast! Well, as for species, it is kinda hard to specify with the picture, but it was along the lines ;)

Now, this is what i have done with me toads for the last year.

Temperature --> Keep it a room temperature. I supply a heat light over top the 35 gallon my 0.0.3 toads are in, but they never seem to be around it. The heat light is at 50 watts. So it is not necessary.

Humidity --> Keep the top of the cage screen topped and mist the cage once every two days.

Substrate --> You can work to make a nice "woodland" theme with moss and other plants. But I have found that once they grow they can become real "Dozers" and trash everything. As for substrate, go for Bed - A - Beast.

Water --> These guys absolutely LOVE water. Offer a dish, not deep though to prevent drowning. Clean water offered daily because it will get VERY dirty.

Basically, I have tried to imitate what the typical forest looks like. Its appealing to me and the toad apparently likes it. Ummmm... however, these are very hardy animals. Some people may object to a certain thing or two I have stated but I'm just stating what has worked perfectly for me in the last year since the morphed from tadpole to toadlet :)

Enjoy.

[Dozer]

Oh, as for food, keep it mainly on crickets, small pinheads and keep the flow of food fluent. Offer tiny worms from outside a few times weekly. They offer other nutrional values. As for when these guys get bigger, they eat everything. The toads that I have are about 2 inches long STV ( snout to vent ). They easily eat 4 inch worms. They take down everything. Once they get bigger, I will end up feeding pinkies once in a while but the amount must be monitored for the reason that the pinkies and worms are extremely fatty. So just watch out on the amount.

[drewlowe]

could i buy worms from a bait store or something like that cause i really don't want to feed items from outside (worried about parasites and such)

This guy is so adorible, I'm already attached to him/her.

[Dozer]

Well, from the looks of it, its REALLY tiny... I'm not exactly sure where you could find such tiny worms at any bait shop, but then again, where do bait shop worms come from :p If you yard doesn't have pesticides on it, just dig up a hole and look for tiny tiny worms. Dont BASE its diet on worms either. For now, offer a worm or two a few feedings a week. Keep us posted with picks.

[drewlowe]

For now i think i will use crickets until Toad's bigger. i haven't got to see him/her eat yet but i'm sure that he/she has considering by the next day all crickets are gone.

Oh yeah i made Toad a bigger home i will try to post a pic of it tonignt. He has all kinds of sticks to jump on and bark and moss to hide under, he has a little swimming pool with rocks in it. lol

Hey i know this is probly a stuiped question but remember this is my first amphibian. But do they shed??? LOL

And dozer thanks for being so helpful and thank you eveyone else that has helped. I'm sure Toad appreciates it.

[Dozer]

Indeed they shed. I have found with my new little guy that he/she tends to chill and wait for food in moist moss. Keep the moss moist but not wet. Just make sure its got somethin' dry to chill on as well :)

And I appreciate helping out. If you got more questions I'll gladly help from the personal experience that I've gained. I'm sure others will jump on board and help out.

We, as amphibian keepers, are most likely the smallest group of the entire scene. Maybe the smallest, but sure as hell by far the best :D