Brother found a frog, need help

[shmifty5]

So my younger brother caught a frog and put it in my sal tank, needless to say the sal noticed him before I did and I ended up wrestling the poor froggie out of Mellos hungry jaws, there was some slight leg damage but nothing serious.

I can't return the frog because I have no idea where it was picked up from or what it could transfer since it was in my tank for half the day.

It's either a Great Plains Toad (Bufo cognatus) or a Plains Spadefoot Toad (Spea bombifrons) or maybe even a Canadian Toad (Bufo hemiophrys), for details I can provide, he is wide (like a pac-man) and his back has orangish/reddish spots, his underbelly is egg-white white, and he has a bump between his eyes (which have a vertical bar like a cats eye).

I have him in a sterile set-up for now, damp paper-towels with a water saucer and I added a smal cricket for him to eat if he chooses to, I plan to have him in a moist set-up like mellos when he heals up, damp cocnut fibre covered in "frog moss" (sphagnum, tested for acidity and it's at 7.7), he will also have a big water dish for soaking and what not.

I need as much help here as possible, this was my younger brother not my step-brother (step brought home Mello), so I guess I can forgive him but I have given him a stern talking to, he usually does this with bugs and stuff when he wants to care for the critter but isn't sure how, I need help not any lectures about catching wild-caught animals (especially because frogs are on the decline world-wide).

[Jay]

Well the first thing you can do that will help out lots is post up some pics.

I personally think that returning him shouldn't be a concern just find out where your brother found him. If your brother cant tell you then just find a decent patch of woods and place him under some cover till he recovers from being stressed out and can manage on his own.

[shmifty5]

I would post pics but I don't have a camera and my family is a bunch of jerks so I can't borrow one their cameras (which I just found out existed), the main reason 'am worried about releasing him is that my step-brother gave me my current anole tank which belonged to a clawed frog that was tested positive for chytrid, this was 1 month ago so there could still be trace amounts of the fungus around or other infectious agent that wouldn't be exposed to the frogs around here (a wounded leg is just a little worse for the whole infectious/detrimental agents to take hold). Plus the little guy is cute and I have kind of "fallen" for him.

[shmifty5]

MSN Paint depitcion of the little guy if it helps.

[Jay]

Well, thats rather interesting.

I think regardless you will find the care is the same but I would look into getting a field guide for the area you live in and do a comparison. Libraries usually have some god reference books. That way you can at least know what you have.

Toads are pretty simple. A moist substrate, temps like you would find in your region and a varying diet of insects with ample places to hide.

I still dont see why you cant let it go. Even with that sick clawed frog. Like,.. those are aquatic so the tank I would assume would have had to be broken down and cleaned out at some point to set up a terrestrial habitat.

[shmifty5]

Yes, the tank has been dry for some time, it is still a worry, if a more knowledgeable member was tell me that it would fine to release him I would do so, I just worry, introducing chytrid fungus isn't something I could handle.

[shmifty5]

He is a confirmed Spea bombifrons, so he is a toad, any special tips for toads? do they need lots of jumping room or a UV bulb?

[Jay]

Good luck. Hopefully a more knowledgeable member can help you

[shmifty5]

I didn't mean that in a bad way Jay, honest, it's just I doubt you've dealt with chytrid fungus before, it's a tough and nasty thing and some creatures who are infected won't show any signs until it is often too late, you have been a big help!

[Kyle G.]

This is why you shouldn't let younger siblings do anything with your pets unless you are supervising them. Toads need some jumping room, but the size of the tank depends on how long the toad is. For one 3-4 inch toad I usually use a ten gallon tank. The tank should have a layer of dirt mixed with some moss or grass. You should also have a water dish. If you're still concerned that the toad may have the fungus you can keep him for a few weeks, monitoring his status daily. It's important to not handle the toad frequently if you're planning to release it back into the wild.

[shmifty5]

Well my brother took charge and let the toad go free when I was at work today, if there is an outbreak of Chytrid in Saskatchewan, I'm sorry.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

[jaster]

A general care sheet for ground-dwellers.

Google search is a powerful tool.

[Jay]

Originally Posted by shmifty5

Well my brother took charge and let the toad go free when I was at work today, if there is an outbreak of Chytrid in Saskatchewan, I'm sorry.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

Well, thats cool.

I have kept Toads from outside before way in the past myself and its not hard work. They grow pretty fast and can eat like pigs if given the chance. All in all as long as you keep them fed and moist they are kinda indestructible.

I cant say I have dealt with Chytrid but making sure its prevented is a good part of acknowledging its existence. I was just trying to back you up and make you feel more comfortable that release was still a option.

[A. Macxicanum]

Your brother needs to be eliminated.
Then, as JWERNER suggested, "just find a decent patch of woods and place him under some cover".

[shmifty5]

Thank you jaster, I had previously seen that general caresheet but as most members will tell you spadefoots are tricky to keep healthy and happy, much more so than any cane or marin toad.

JWERNER, I agree, I used to keep frogs and toads asa kid all the time (back in edmonton, so there wasn't that many to find), but will all of the new contagions and fungus' we can never be too careful.

And finally, to Mac, I agree, my little bro has been a huge hassle to me, whether it be him bringing home some very illegal stick-bugs (now deceased, about 10 years or so ago) or putting a dragon-fly larvae in with my prize winning guppy (who was killed and eaten by the larvae...), it would be much cheaper to just pop him and hide him out in my shed...just kidding, but no, seriously, he is a hassle.

[Ken Worthington]

Amphibians have been about for 350 Million years......the greatest threat to many species survival (beside loss of habitat) is disease, such as Chytrid, which has become a problem in the last few decades.

Whilst I doubt that your brother is responsible for the loss of rain-forests, he really should be told (in no uncertain terms) about the DANGER and STUPIDITY of his actions.
A potential "outbreak of Chytrid in the Sakatchewan area" is no joke.....

I suggest that your brother is more than a "hassle"......

With respect, Ken

[Neo]

Originally Posted by Ken Worthington

Amphibians have been about for 350 Million years......the greatest threat to many species survival (beside loss of habitat) is disease, such as Chytrid, which has become a problem in the last few decades.

Whilst I doubt that your brother is responsible for the loss of rain-forests, he really should be told (in no uncertain terms) about the DANGER and STUPIDITY of his actions.
A potential "outbreak of Chytrid in the Sakatchewan area" is no joke.....

I suggest that your brother is more than a "hassle"......

With respect, Ken

Greatly put. This shouldn't be a joke and you should certainly ensure your brother doesn't get his hand on anything like this again.

[shmifty5]

I agree with both Ken and Neo, I wasn't joking and I was entirely serious about the potential outbreak of chytrid, I know it is both hardy and versatile and this was why I was so concerned with releasing the toad/frog.

My brother has been "schooled" on both the reckless and idiotic behaviour he has displayed, and I can assure you he will not be touching or 'saving' any animals in the next few years.

also the tank is now being bleached and salted for the next week or so (the Anole that was living in it has escaped and I fear it has also perished (the cat is always waiting to kill him and so are all the birds outside and the coming frost)), I hope to have the tank tested for Chytrid after that weeks time (never can be too safe).

[Jay]

Clawed frogs are Chytrid resistant. That means they dont die from it nor does it show any effects at all on the animal.


Im wondering how you found out it was Chytrid to begin with.

Read this article.

*Snipet from following link*

How does Bd spread?
Infection with Bd is transmitted by a form of the fungus called a “zoospore”. The zoospore has a very distinctive appearance with a single flagellum that helps the spore swim through water or moist environments. Zoospores require moisture and cool temperatures and can persist in moist environments for several months (Johnson and Speare, 2003), but do not tolerate conditions that are warm or dry for more than a few hours (Johnson and Speare, 2005). Therefore, the most common and successful ways that Bd zoospores spread from place to place are in water, moist or wet materials (including soil or equipment) or on the skin of infected amphibians. In fact, the most common way that Bd infection spreads between amphibians is from direct contact of an infected animal with an uninfected animal (e.g. during territorial or breeding encounters). In captivity, it is possible to house amphibians infected with Bd in enclosures next to enclosures with amphibians that are not infected with Bd and not transmit the infection as long as animals, water and wet materials and tools are not shared between the enclosures. Guidelines to reduce the transmission of Bd in captive environments are available (Pessier and Mendelson, 2010).]

Chytrid Fungus « Amphibian Ark

[shmifty5]

my uncle is actually a vet who specialized in amphibians and when we first got the Clawed Frog we had to find out more about them and we came upon the chytrid fungus thing, so we had our uncle test the guy and sure enough he was a carrier, we informed the wal-mart where we got him and nothing else came about from it, the rest is history so to speak.