NEWS108
44
MäMalesof
Bufo
species (this is
B. j. japonicus
) havepowerful forearms.
Femaleof theWestern JapaneseCommonToad,
Bufo japonicus japonicus
Eastern JapaneseCommonToad,
Bufo japonicus formosus
atandrecommendanumberoftoadspecies
commonlyavailable in the trade.Asall toads
have one thing in common, regardless of
what theyarecalled: theyareexcellent and
verycharmingterrariumoccupants!
Toadsarecool
Whatmakestoadssocharming istheir indo-
lence.Toadspossess averypotent skinpoi-
sonwhichtheycanalsorelease inconcentra-
ted form from largeglands (theso-calledpa-
rotids), sited behind the eyes, in situations
where theyare really frightened.Thispoison
isamilkysecretion thatcausesastrongbur-
ningsensation inthemucusmembranes and
also tastes verybitter.Thanks to thispoison
toadshaveonlya fewpredators,andso their
flight reflex is only veryweakly developed.
Thismeans that toads veryquicklybecome
tame incaptivityonce theyhave learn to re-
cognizehumansasasourceof food.
ThepoisonoftheCommonToadassemblage
is relativelyharmless tohumans.Butessenti-
ally you should never handle amphibians
withbarehands ifyouhaveanopenwound,
andalwayswashyourhandsthoroughlyafter
handling,before touchingyoureyes,mouth,
orothersensitivepartof thebody.
SwallowingCommonToadpoison (bufoto-
xin) leadstovomitingandhallucinations.But
overall,normalquiet handlingof Common
Toadsposes nodanger of any kind for hu-
mans.
Slippery?
Common Toads are terrestrial amphibians
thatnormallyvisitwater only tobreed.They
prefer slightly damp, but not wet, habitats.
Hence
Bufo
species usually feel dry rather
than slippery.The substrate in the terrarium
shouldbeat least10cmdeepand the toads
allowed todig.Because large toadseat a lot
andexcreteacorrespondingamount,it is im-
portant touseabiologicallyactivesubstrate
thatwill rapidlybreakdown thepollutants.
Nothing isasdangerousfortoadsasstagnant
water andanammonia fug in the terrarium.
Loose garden soil or leaf mold covered in
dead leaves (Oak,Beech,Birch,fruittrees,etc)
is an ideal substrate for themaintenanceof
Bufo
species.
