My Cane Toad

[leanne]

Got this guy a couple weeks ago at a flea market; he was very thin and undernourished (the lady there only fed him crickets---undusted and not gut-loaded). He is a great pet, and loves nightcrawlers (although he sometimes literally has to try over 20 times before he finally gets one to stick onto his tongue, heh). Does anyone else here have a cane/marine toad? I know they are considered to be a "pest" toad and are very poisonous, but my Marvin the Marine toad has quite the personality in spite of his species reputation!

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/24791/25740.jpg

[ajfr0ggy]

I have 5 of the similar Roccoco toads (bufo paracnemis).

Theyre great, they live in a huge viv (200cm x 50cm x 60cm) covered in a deep layer of logs and leaf mould, and sometimes you cant see any. then, when my hand goes in, they just emerge from nowhere, swarming round me (Wanting food)

And yes, they do have drouble picking up worms too!

Your toad is looking very nice now.

AJfr0ggy

[edward]

Do your paracnemis have the venom glands on the hind legs? I'm asking because all of the ones that were supposed to be paracnemis that I have seen in person have not had the glands indicating that they were in fact marine toads. If your do can you post a picture of the glands on the hind legs?

Ed

[leanne]

AJfroggy, I am glad my toad isn't the only one who has trouble picking up worms, heh!

So Ed, my toad is not a marine? Can you tell on the hind legs in this photo? I am confused what the difference is between marine/cane and rococos.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/24791/25754.jpg

[edward]

From what I understand your toad is a Marine Toad. One of the differences between B. paracnemis and B. marinus is that there are large venom glands on the hind legs of paracnemis. Its just that when I see animals at reptile shows/swaps that are being sold as paracnemis they haven't had the venom glands on the legs. If the paracnemis have the glands, I would appreciate a couple of good pics as the ones I have seen are old b+W pics from a couple of reference books at work.

Ed

[ajfr0ggy]

Yep, they have got the tibial glands, I originally thought they were marinus, they were sold as marinus, but Clearly theyre paracnemis (Quite please with that, considering the price i got them for!!)
I havent got a pic showing the tibial glands very well, but heres a few of them in their viv...
The female is the one lurking under the logs
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/24791/25769.jpg
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/24791/25770.jpg

AJfr0ggy

[leanne]

Wow, I would like to see a shot of the tibial glands---am I a pervert?http://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/uhoh.gif

That's amazing how much the paracnemis looks like the marinus.

[leanne]

Also, AJfroggy---is your female going to get as large as the female cane toad (here's a photo I got off of Kingsnake---HUGE

[ajfr0ggy]

I cant see how big that one is, looks a bit of camera trickery to exaggerate the size.
My biggest female is slightly bigger than 6" SVL, weighing well over 300g.

I got soo close to breeding them last year, I got as far as amplexus (for about a week!), but no eggs. Whether I get anywhere in my next attempt, (in a few weeks), i am not sure.

Ill get some more photos tomorrow

[ajfr0ggy]

Make that today...

My big female, not looking very big in this pic
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/24791/25786.jpg

The best i could get, showing a males tibial gland..
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/24791/25787.jpg

An another male, looking too see whether the camera is a possible meal...
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/24791/25788.jpg

As you can see, there is great sexual dimorphism in this species, clearly showing all the typical toad differences

AJfr0ggy

(Message edited by ajfr0ggy on November 06, 2004)

[edward]

Leanne,
I deleted your posting of the pic from kingsnake as you did not have permission to post it here. Please post a link to the picture instead.

AJfr0ggy
That is probably the best picture of the tibia gland that I have seen to date. Thanks

Ed

[leanne]

Ed, sorry about that---forgot about the link thing.http://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/blush.gif

AJfroggy, those are awesome photos, and your female looks pretty darn big to me!! Thanks for sharing, that is some nice photography.http://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/happy.gif

[leanne]

Ed, other than the size, can you tell male from female by the eardrum size, like you can with the bullfrog?

[ajfr0ggy]

Sexing is very easy, Yours is a female.
Males have duller colouration, thicker arms, nuptial pads, bigger heads(in proportion to their body), and much more spiky.

Ajfr0ggy

[leanne]

Wow, so I have a girl---she's gonna get biiigg, eh? Your female has interesting coloration, with such a stark difference between the dark with the light markings. How old do you think mine is, and how long will it take for her to reach her full growth?

[edward]

There really isn't "full growth" in amphibians as they continue to grow throughout their lives. Growth typically slows down after sexual maturity.

Ed

[ajfr0ggy]

Some cane toads can get huge, im not sure whether this is genetic or related to food availability (Probably both).
I remember reading somewhere., that in Aus, The newly populated areas have much bigger toads (because more food is avaliable) than areas which have all ready been populated.
My paracnemis dont seem to have grown much since i got them (about a year ago), and many people consider paracnemis to be bigger than marinus. (Im not sure what the biggest was, definately over 10" though. So maybe the ultimate size is destined by food availability while there growing. Any ideas anyone?

AJfr0ggy

[edward]

In species where age is a factor in sexual maturity its how fast they grow until first reproduction that determines adult size. I would suspect that this is the case for these two species of toad.

Ed

[tisha]

I'm trying to find a Cane Toad. I had one about 10 years ago and would really like to have another. I've checked the local pet stores, with no luck. Does anyone have any ideas of where I may be able to find me another one? Thanks