Description: Also known as the Asian, Yellow-spotted, Common or Brown tree toad. Pedostibes of the family Bufonidae are the only true arboreal toads that are known. They are fairly common in Sumatra, Borneo and on the Malaysian peninsula but are not very common in south Thailand. They are found in lowland tropical rain forests and in other heavily vegetated areas. They spend a lot of time on the ground but can be found up to 20’ high in the trees. This is a robust toad that has small paratoid glands behind the eyes. The feet are large and slightly webbed with widened toe tips adapted for climbing. There are a few scattered warts on the back but the rest of the skin is mostly smooth and not very toad-like. All of the males and some of the females are light to dark brown with no spots. Around ½ of the females are dark purple or blackish with a variable number of yellowish spots. Males only reach 2 to 3" in size, females reach 3½ to 4".

Temperature: Daytime 75° to 80°F with about a 5° to 10°F drop at night. A temperature gradient throughout the enclosure should be provided.

Humidity: High, best at 70 to 80%.

Lighting: Plant grow lights are necessary for live plants. Use a timer with an average of 12 hours of light per day. Seasonal day length fluctuations may help to stimulate breeding activity. A dim night light is required for viewing nocturnal activities.

Feeding: In the wild, the prey consists mostly of ants. Small crickets are fine as a staple diet in captivity but a variety of other insects should be offered as well. A good vitamin/mineral supplement should be given twice a week for adults and more often for young, growing toads. A good size dish of clean water should be available at all times.

Habitat: A tank size of at least 20-gallons with a ventilated top will suffice for one or two toads, a larger tank may be needed for breeding. Set it up as an arboreal rain-forest habitat with sturdy plants and branches. A good size water area, that has shallow areas and is 3" to 5" in the deep area, is preferred over a water dish, especially if trying to breed them.

Sexing: Males are smaller than females and are not spotted. About ½ of the females will have spots. The males call is a slow squawking sound that gradually goes up in pitch.

Breeding: In the wild, breeding is year round, occurring periodically for1 to 2 nights whenever conditions are right. Large numbers of toads may accumulate around forest stream breeding sites at these times to amplex and spawn, producing long strings of eggs.
The dark brown tadpoles are found in stream side-pools and among the debris on the streambed. They grow to about ¾" before metamorphosing into froglets that are a little over ¼" long. These disperse into the vegetation and stay close to the ground until they grow larger and start to climb.

ENJOY YOUR PET LIFE FORMS, Dave & Donna