anybody keep a toad for pet?

I wanna find a common american toad outside in a few months (can't now, hibernating). I was just wondering if it's legal to get small animals from your yard and keep. How do you set up a toads tank? How much room do they need? Do they burrow or just hide under stuff? Do they swim often? Are they social (group of 4 or 6) or will they just want a partner or do they want total isolation from others? Is this a bad idea? I know they sure make loud croaks in summer!!!!

Best bet is in spring catch a few toadpoles or young toadlets in early summer and raise those. Check the laws of your state...you may need a fishing license to do so legally. Toads don't care about other toads so one is ok. They are very active in captivity and should be out and about most of the day begging for food.

Their is a great article on the That Reptile Blog at www.thatfishplace.com

I think Robc might still have his toad, Floyd. :?

HA HA HA ..James and I caught Jame's Nephew a toad from a lake a few years back and it is huge now, the kid has had it for like 2 years now....He loves this frickin toad..its funny....I didnt think it would live that long but he built it a very cool little habitat with his dad and it is probably the fattest happyist toad I have ever seen in my life...

Thats funny zerg my toads name was roger waters lol. I just released him/her into a natural area near the city here. I would agree on the tadpole thing because I did the same and in my mind it makes sense. Catching an adult means your removing one of the fittest animals (as in lived from tadpole to adult without dieing or being eaten). Catching two or three tadpoles or taking a few eggs means your only removing a few organisms from natures equation and possibly even helping out a few that might have died in nature. Therefore in my (head at least) its better to start with a few youngins.

i remember when i was in like elementary school and i found a common toad outside. I brought him to science class for a week or 2 and fed him, then kept him in my house for a bit...

i released him back into the wild only to find him at my doorstep at 8-9pm after football practice every week

i decided to put a bread tie around his foot to make sure it was the same one
sure enough.. it was

a year later, after winter, sure enough, same toad at my door step..
this continued till the next winter.. and then he was gone for good, but i wonder what he was thinking other than.. get this dang bread tie off my leg=)


anywho.. i believe all animals have some intelligence even if we don't consider it that way. i feel like remembering where you got food is pretty smart.. even if it came down to that.. if only the homeless people around my city could learn the same thing.

I wouldn't mind keeping one, sadly my mom's fear of toads pass onto me. You would never find me touching a toad but I'm totally fine handling 8" + male pyxies and other frogs.