Bonjour! Okay down to business! What I'm about to talk to you poeples about is GENERAL Fowler's and American Toad care. So our topics will be....
1. Scientific names of fowler's and american toads
2. How to catch one
3. How to care for your new buddy
And other topics with a humorous twist to it. So let's get started!!
Okay. Scientific names... to be plain and simple, American Toads scientific name is Bufo Americanus. Fowler's toads have a bit more history in their name and how they got it. Let's begin! Okay. You'll soon find out that I say "Okay" alot. You'll have to get used to it... Anywhoo.... Fowler's toads were once considered the same species of American Toads. WRONG! Then they were considered a subspecies of woodhouse's toads. WRONG AGAIN! Then they were their own species, called bufo fowleri. Almost done, just hang in there a minute. Then finally and last ( THANK YA JESUS ) They were officially named anaxyrus fowleri. Yes people they left the Bufo family. They are still VERY MUCH true toads in the Bufonidae family. Now we're finished with the names. Aren't you happy?
Moving on to a minor category. How to ID your toads, American or Fowler's toad. This can many times be simple and in other times you might just skip it. Okay. Fowler's toads usually have a stripe down their middorsal. It's usually veryy obvious. There are alot of fancy ways people like to tell the difference but that and the one I'm about to tell you are the easiest and fastest, not to mention quite obvious. The last thing to identify Fowler's and American toads apart are their bellies. Fowler's toads bellies are spotless almost usually with one dark patch around the breast area ( most common place ). American toads are just dotted all over the place. On to the next subject in this very pretty shade of blue.....
Okay the next thing you might be wondering is it it a BOY OR A GIRL!!! It won't be as simple as humans, looking down to see what "area" they have near their "area"... It won't be as hard to tell as frogs, frogs are VERY hard to tell and half the time you have to wait until they are grown in order to tell. Toads are easier to tell or at least get a feel for- what kind of gender/sex they are. Here are some skematics from a really good website called www.toadilytoads.com which now seems to be abandoned... VERY good information though. THESE PICTURES ARE NOT MINE!!! Anywhoo.... here they are.
She has really pretty specimens. This is a female American Toad. Let me explain. Male toads make the noises or trills to call for mates to breed and lay eggs. So the females are silent. This also leads into the nuptual pads . Nuptual pads only males have to grab onto the female during amplexus. Females don't have nuptual pads. So, if you hear your toad making noise, it's a male, which are sort of "rare". Happy for you! Those are basics. Let's move onto the male.
This is a male American Toad. It makes noise, like I said. Males tend to be smaller by the females by about 1- 1 1/2 inches. They have strong, thick arms and a dark throat, that is stretchy. This skin inflates when it calls for a female to get on its "froggy love". Well it is a toad but oh well. And that's about it for males. Moving on to an article by... wikihow. Again, this is copyrighted and does NOT belong to me.
Fowler's toads are greenish, reddish, tan, gray, or brown toads found in open woodlands, sand prairies, meadows, and beaches. The toads are quite easy to find if you live near these locations: New Hampshire to eastern Texas, eastern Arkansas, Missouri, and southeastern Iowa, eastward into Michigan through Ohio, and West Virginia to the Atlantic coast. Extensions include up the Hudson, Delaware, Susquehanna, Ohio, and other rivers and into southern Ontario, along Lake Erie. They are rarely found in captivation but are great pets.
I'm from Michigan :). But anyways, yeah there's your article. It then tells you how to make a terrarium, but those are those big glass terrariums for people who are too lazy to make their own box terrarium. Glass terrariums give no point when box terrariums are see through ( in my method ) but see through doesn't matter because what is a freaking human house to a toad. Box terrariums also recycle and are a heck of a lot cheaper.
Okay, I'm going to show you how to make a home and care for your new buddy in a second on another page called housing and caring for your pet toad. Go check it out!
