Western Toad

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Found throughout western North America, from southern Alaska to Baja California. Inhabits mountain meadows, temperate forests, and riparian zones near breeding ponds.

Taxonomy and Genetics: Member of the Bufonidae family, genus Anaxyrus. Features a thick, warty skin and prominent parotoid glands behind the eyes.

Behavior and Habits: Primarily terrestrial and fossorial. Spends daylight hours hiding in burrows, under logs, or rocks. Emerges at dusk to hunt insects like ants, beetles, and spiders.

Morphology: Stout body covered in warts, length between 6.0 and 12.0 cm. Livery is green-brown with a distinct cream vertebral stripe. Females are larger than males.

Terrarium Setup: Horizontal enclosure of at least 80x40x40 cm. Provide a deep substrate of 10 to 15 cm composed of clean topsoil and coco-coir for burrowing behavior.

Lighting and Heating: Keep in cool temperate ranges: day temp 18-22°C (never exceed 25°C), night temp 12-15°C. Provide medium-intensity UVB lighting.

Humidity and Hydration: Moderate humidity of 50-70%. Lightly mist one side of the terrarium daily. Provide a shallow dish of fresh declorinated water.

Feeding and Supplementation: Feed live insects like crickets, earthworms, and roaches. Dust feeders with calcium and vitamins twice a week.

Compatibility: Peaceful species that can live in pairs or small groups in spacious enclosures. Do not house with smaller tankmates.

Health and Common Diseases: Requires a winter brumation at 4-8°C for two to three months to maintain health. Vulnerable to fungal infections if substrate remains soggy.