Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just managed to get my hands on a Great plains toad,Bufo cognatus, I've moved it into my shed in a tank alongside my Bufo bufo and Bufo viridis with a heat pad to give bottom heat. What I'd like to know is; How hardy are these toads? I know the great plains must get very cold but are all the toads as tough. It gets below freezing here (Ireland)in the winter but the shed stays just above it with all the heat from the nearby turtle tanks and, if necessary, extra heat lamps. The other toads just go torpid for the really cold spells but don't go into a full hibernation and I'm hoping the GPT will do the same. I don't want to lose it at the first cold spell, It's eating like a mad thing at the monent. Boy does it change colour too. One day it looks like the brother of the B. viridis, all light with green blotches the next day it's identical to the B.bufo, one single mud colour, no sign of blotches.

The problem with B.cognatus is, they have such an extreme range, from mexico, all the way through the U.S. to Canada. Depending on where your toad came from, They may hibernate for several months, or, like you said, just go turpid for short periods of time. If your toad came from the northern part of the range, I would say go ahead and hibernate them. If they came from the south, I would just mimic their normal temp ranges. This is really more important if you plan on breeding them. If not, I would just cool them a little in the winter and not worry too much about it. Like I said, In the extreme southern part of their range, I doubt very much the temerature ever drops anywhere near freezing. There are no subspecies listed for cognatus, so knowing exactly where they came from (without knowing where they were collected) is next to impossible.
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How to get your wife to like toads; 1.Get a male toad. 2.Get him to hug your wifes wrist (amplexus). 3. Tickle him so he chirps in protest. 4.Say "Awww, he likes you". Note; Make sure he pees first or you may receive bodily harm during this procedure.