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Description
Western Green Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus debilis
Common Name: Western Green Toad
Species Overview
Size: Adults typically reach 1.5 to 2.5 inches (4 to 6.5 cm), with females slightly larger and rounder than males.
Appearance: The Western Green Toad is a small, slender species known for its vivid colouration. The dorsum displays bright green, yellow-green, or olive patches outlined by dark borders over a tan, sandy, or grey base. This spotting is sharper and more defined than in many North American toads. The skin is finely granular with small warts. Parotoid glands are small and rounded. The underside is pale and usually unmarked. Overall, the species has a delicate, narrow body shape with long limbs relative to its size.
Distribution: Native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and adjacent regions southward.
Habitat: Wild populations occupy arid and semi-arid regions such as desert scrub, grasslands, sandy plains, and rocky outcrops. They rely heavily on temporary rain pools for breeding and spend long periods burrowed underground during dry seasons. In captivity, they require warm, semi-arid conditions with deep substrate for burrowing.
Behaviour: Primarily nocturnal and highly fossorial, Western Green Toads emerge after rainfall or during warm, humid nights to forage. They are quick, alert, and capable of rapid burrowing when disturbed. They rely on camouflage rather than toxins for defence and are solitary outside of breeding periods.
Captive Care
Enclosure: A single adult can be housed in an 18 × 18 × 18 inches (45 × 45 × 45 cm) enclosure. Provide a soil–sand mix or soft, sandy substrate deep enough for burrowing. Add small cork flats, rocks, sparse plants, and leaf litter to create microhabitats and shaded retreats. A shallow water dish must be available. For multiple individuals, an upgrade to 24 × 18 × 18 inches (60 × 45 × 45 cm) is recommended.
Temperature and Humidity:
Ambient temperature: 75 to 84°F (24 to 29°C)
Warm area: 86 to 90°F (30 to 32°C)
Night temperature: 65 to 72°F (18 to 22°C)
Humidity: 30 to 50%, with occasional light misting. Allow full drying between misting cycles to replicate natural arid conditions.
Lighting: Provide low-level UVB (2 to 5%) with diffused lighting. Maintain a natural day and night cycle. Ensure shaded areas are available at all times, as these toads may be stressed by intense light.
Diet: Offer small prey items such as crickets, roaches, mealworms, black soldier fly larvae, and other appropriately sized invertebrates. Supplement prey with calcium and multivitamins. Juveniles require frequent feeding, while adults do well on a moderated schedule.
Behaviour in Captivity: Western Green Toads are hardy when kept warm and dry with opportunities to burrow. They remain hidden much of the day and become active nocturnal feeders. Handling should be avoided due to their small size and delicate skin.
Genetics Note
There are no recognised morphs for the Western Green Toad. Natural variation occurs in the brightness and shape of the green spotting, overall base tone, and pattern density, but these traits reflect regional and individual variation rather than defined genetic morphs.