Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First I'd like to comment that I thought it pretty amazing to find som many other people who love toads as much as I do......lol. My friends and family say I'm a wierdo because I can't resist them. I have a 20 gallon aquarium with 3 American toads, 2 juvenille frogs which I raised from tadpoles this summer, and three newts. I was wondering, when my toads shed they seem to be more sensitive for a little while and don't appreciate being hopped on by the other toads or if I touch them, my normally calm toads will jump away quickly. Anyone else notice this? It makes sense that the newly exposed skin would be more sensitive, just wondering if my toads are wierd or normal. Oh and another odd thing is one of the male toads has days where he will hump anything he touches, including rocks of the right size.......lol. He's a young fellow, just got his squeak this fall so is this like the equivalent of a teenage boy......ready to hump whatever moves and is willing...lol.

Julie

Hi Julie,

I suppose it might seem a bit strange to some people that people like us enjoy having toads as pets. Personally, I have always found them to be interesting, curious pets, especially the American Toads. I have two Southern Toads at the moment. They are very similar in appearance and behavior to the American.
I haven't noticed any extra sensitivity to touch following their shedding process, but it could be that my toads don't have a lot of contact with one another in their 20-gallon tank.They tend to spend most of their time on opposite sides of the tank.
They will spend time together in the water bowl, but that's really about it. What I have noticed is that just before shedding, they usually seem uncomfortable and stressed.

I am curious about your setup. Are you really mixing toads, frogs and newts in the same tank? Can you post a photo of your setup? I would love to see it.

Oh, by the way, your toads seem to be pretty normal.

jayhawk