Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What is a good starter toad? I am not new to herps, just to amphibians. I like the looks of the spadefoot toads and would like something smallish. Is there anything I can easily keep in a 10 gallon aquarium?

You might consider a Firebelly Toad. They are small, colorful, and very easy to maintain.

Or any of the Green Toads. They're small, move about a lot and eat loads

I think that Western Toads are excellent starter toads. They are very easy to care for, and will eat more or less anything you try to feed them. My smaller Western toads love crickets and mealworms, but I can feed some of the larger ones goldfish and pinkies. Plus I think they're very adorable

Thanks everyone. Can you direct me to a good care sheet for the green toads? I saw a European green toad in my local petshop that sparked my interest. I am curious how big they get, lifespan, etc. I am not really interested in aquatic toads like firebellies because I do not want to have to maintain the water part of the enclosure.

I had about 3 or 4 European Green Toads and I think they were all pretty much adults when I got them. They were about 2.5 - 3" long. They were incredibly easy to care for. I kept all of them together in a 24" tank. No heat or lighting was needed and I live in the UK where it's near enough cold all the time. They were extremely active even during they day. They were in and out their water bowl loads. I kept in them in a moist sandy type of setup because I read somewhere that's what their natural habitiats like but you might want to check that out on the net. Put plenty of little hides in for them. What I liked about them was they didn't seem to be timid toads and didn't scare easily. They seem to hunt for prey too which is fun to watch. Just spot clean regularly cuz they poop loads. Good luck.

Petsmart is a chain in the US that sells European Green Toads (bufo veridis). I've rescued several from various stores. In each Petsmart, the toads are kept in totally incorrect conditions. Its a disgrace. In all cases, they were underfed and highly stressed and I knew when I took them that I was only going to be providing them with a quiet and decent place to die.

They are crammed into small tanks and often with many tank mates. I saw one in Frisco, Texas where a pacman was housed with a tomato frog and a b. veridis! I told the manager what the problem was and he said, "Well, that's the frog tank" and basically said there was nothing he could do. I felt so sorry for them all. Female tomatoes are larger and the b. veridis wasn't small. They were all crammed into a 10 gallon. Plus, the pacman will try to eat whatever goes near it. Furthermore, most stores call these toads "common toad", which could be anything, and do not provide the latin name.

Unlike most toads, b. veridis seems to be more diurnal than nocturnal. They also hunt more actively and tend to be slimmer bodied than most toads. They are hearty eaters when healthy. They like a standard toad tank set up (organic soil or eco-earth, pure water to soak in and lots of hide spots).

If you take a stool sample from a toad purchased at such a chain, you will have a good chance of finding parasites. Just know that if you decide to buy.

Petsmart and Petco and others should stick to cats and dogs and fish.
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Hello, In my opinion, which I base on 27 years of keeping toads, most true bufos are good starter amphibians. Unlike many reptiles, they need less in the way of heating and lighting. Spadefoots are not true toads. They are frogs. Depending on where you live, bufo americanus is a wonderful starter toad. They are hearty and laid back (usually). They will eat from your hand almost immediately (unless they are tiny babies).
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Visit us at http://www.toadilytoads.com The place on the web where toads come first. Fun and education await toad lovers of all ages.