Fattened Up for the Long Nap

Just by looking at our little toad, you know that he knows that its time for hibernating like all the others of his kind. As the days grow ever shorter he's become lethargic, sleeping almost days on end, burying himself in the leaves of his pen, coming out only occasionally to soak. We brought his pen indoors now, keeping him in a cool spot in the bedroom lit mainly by the daylight. There's some crickets along too, just in case he should get hungry, but mostly they're just around to sing to him as he sleeps.

The Great Plains Toad

Look at the colors on this guy! The Great Plains variety is very similar to the Woodhouse's toad except he has brightly colored "warts" inside his black-edged spots. This little fellow actually found us rather than the other way around, trying to climb his way into our tent one morning near Grand Island, Nebraska.

Woodhouse's Toad

This little guy is from the the Nebraska Sandhills where he blends in well into the light-colored landscape. Woodhouses Toads like him come out around dusk in droves, and especially attracted to any brightly lit spots where insects may congregate, such as under porchlights. During daytime, they'll burrow deep into the sand to escape the heat of the harsh summer sun.

Our little toad is barely the size of a thumbnail, but on average they grow up to around 4" in size. Judging from the voracious appetite he's got, I wonder what's holding him back!

I say he's got a face like Jabba the Hutt ;D