American toad breeding?

Question

i was spot cleaning my american toad tank. i place the two in a critter keeper, and then continue cleaning the tank. they have a pool and everything they occasionally take a dip. my two are diffrent sizes. my large one is about the length of a pop can. maybe a little less. the other one is aobut 2/3 her size. i was under the impression that they were both females. they both look the same and every thing and i have no idea what the nuptial pad looks like. the smaller on has a darker coloration on the throat and sings every time i pick it up. any way. i put them in the critter keeper together like usual, and clean their tank i go to put them back. and the smaller on had a death grip on the back of the large one. it has been on its back for 3 days straight now, and i cant pull the small one off. i put in a larger water dish in case that they are trying to breed, and she is very very bloated. am i doing every thing alright? any suggestions. i dont want any of them hurt or anything.

Answer 1

That's mating behavior all right. The "grip" is called amplexus and your smaller one is the male. The nuptual pads look like callusus at the base of the males "thumbs". The noise the male makes when you pick him up is called a "release call". If a males grabs onto another by mistake, the one on the bottom makes this noise which basically means "Hey buddy, I'm another guy - get lost!".

If you get eggs, they are in long strings, not a clump like frog eggs. If she lays eggs, he'll release her, but since they're in a tank, he'll eventually grab on again - he doesn't realize she's already released the eggs, and will be expecting more. I had a pair like this for over a week before he finally gave up! Just let them alone, and nature will take its course.

Answer 2

Sounds like you are going to have some eggs! All the signs are there. You'll want to make sure to keep the water clean once the eggs are laid and the fertilized. I'd pull the parents out once that happens.