Rescued a toad... wat do now?

[nightanole]

So evidently this genius decided to come out during the two warm days here. And some other genius picked him up and brought him to me "because the rear legs dont work"(they work fine once you bring him in the house for a few hours vs 40 degee day). I cant really put him back since there ant no way hes going to be able to find a 2-3ft deep toad hole to brumate in before winter kicks in again.

I have him in a 10 gallon tank full of yard dirt and leaf litter. But he ant digging a toad hole and burrowing down, hes just exploring.


So i have two options. Pour more leaf litter over him and shove him in the garage where it will stay 40-50f. Or keep him in the house and try to convince him that dubia are yummy.

So i guess im taking votes? Im leaning towards just brumating him in the garage since hes already fattened up for the winter anyway. Hes butt is going back outside in april.

 

[kinyonga]

Maybe it will be too cold in the garage?
In the wild, he would be able to dig deeper into the soil if he was too cold at the level he had first dug his hole at…but in your garage he’s stuck in temperature range for the depth/width you’ve given him. He can’t move deeper to adjust the temp he needs to survive in.

 

[elizaann2]

Give him dubia

 

[MissSkittles]

Dubia gets my vote. He’s cute.

 

[BleuSaphir]

I have toads out in the desert. In my backyard they dig really deep. Like 10” into the ground. They’re inactive with the cold winter.

 

[kinyonga]

I have toads out in the desert. In my backyard they dig really deep. Like 10” into the ground. They’re inactive with the cold winter.

I’m sure this toad should be inactive buried in the ground in the winter too…the question is how deep is deep enough for it to survive?
Some can freeze and then thaw out in the spring…but I don’t know if all species can.

 

[kinyonga]

This might help…
”it is, seen that toads go down into the ground to hibernate and that all of those not below the frostline in unshelteredplaces, perish”…
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/279106

 

[elizaann2]

Any update on the cute little guy?

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

Keep him in the house. Give him dubia. What happens if he does not brumate? He's what i call ugly-cute. Soooo ugly he's actually cute. FYI - don't listen to me. I absolutely know nothing about this animal/insect stuff. Miss Peter's- my 7th grade science teacher- would be ashamed to call me her student!. Now I know why adults try to enroll in high school.

 

[nightanole]

RUN, BE FREE

 

[Steve A]

The only thing to do is to look up what type of light, and how much heat Toads need, and start building the indoor half pond enclosure. He's home now