The Great Plains Toads are easy to keep but seem to be rarely offered. They are active during the night in search for foods and hide during the day.
This Toad has been know to reach an adult size of 115mm (4.5 inches), but generally grows to 50 - 90mm (2 - 3.5 inches). They have a typical toad like appearance with little warts and bumps over the body and poison glands behind the ears, which secrets a white toxin if threatened. These are a colourful toad in my eyes. They have a cream base colour, with green markings and most of the warts are orange.
While feeding, most toads leap at the food and swallow it. These cute little toads use their tongue to catch the prey. Sometimes they are out of reach of the food, but keep trying until they catch it. They also make a funny gulping sound while doing this.
Found in open grasslands, prairies, and cultivated fields in parts of American and Mexico.
Not much information can be found on this species, but I have kept mine at room temperature, 21 - 24.5C (70 - 76F) and this seems to suit them. If you need to provide heat, use a small wattage bulb during the day and switch this off during the night, unless you want to use a night bulb so you can view your frog. A dish of treated water should be provided at one end of the tank and changed daily. Spray the tank twice each day to prevent the substrate from drying out and keep the humidity in the range of 60-70%.
Setting up a tank for these frogs is easy. Use a glass or plastic tank (later is cheaper) and cover the floor with 1.5 - 2 inches of soil. Place damp moss over the top and place some hides as they will either go under the hides or burrow in the substrate. A small dish of treated water should be provided at one end of the tank and replaced each night.
Feed a range of live insects; crickets, locusts, flies and earth worms to vary their diet. As a treat, feed wax worms and mealworms, but not too many. On average, they will eat 5 crickets every two days. To keep your Great Plains Toad healthy, coat the live food in a vitamin supplement used for reptiles every 2 - 4 feedings for adults. For younger frogs, this should be used more often.
Caution: When providing water for your amphibians, this MUST be treated with an Aquarium de-chlorinated solution. The Chlorine will harm and possible kill your amphibians after a period of time. Alternatively, you can use fresh, clean rainwater!
