Life Stages of a Toad

Toads are actually a type of frog, so they share many similar characteristics,
including the stages of their life cycle. Understanding these different stages and
the toad's changing needs as it matures will help you raise and breed pet toads
successfully.

Stage 1: The Tadpole

After the eggs are fertilized, carefully remove them from the adult toads' living
environment and place them in a separate aquarium containing about an inch of water.
Even though toads live on land, the tadpoles that will hatch from these eggs in
approximately two weeks will live in water. When the tadpoles hatch, they resemble
small fish and will get oxygen through gills instead of lungs. Toad tadpoles eat
vegetation, so you should provide pieces of lettuce for snacking and sprinkle fish food
into the aquarium.

Stage 2: The Maturing Tadpole

The tadpoles will continue to grow and change over the next several weeks. Their
external gills will become internal as they move closer to being fully developed lungs.
The tadpole will also start to develop hind legs. When you begin seeing tadpoles with
back legs, you need to move the babies again. This time the young toads need an
aquarium divided into a land area and a water area.

Stage 3:  Toadlet

As the tadpole continues maturing, other changes occur. For example, lungs begin to
develop as do forearms. These developments allow the young toad to spend more time on
land. However, you need to keep water nearby because the young toad can dehydrate
quickly at this point. By 3 months of age, the tadpole has become a toadlet with lungs and
will also have lost its tail. The toadlet can breathe oxygen by now. At this point, the
toadlet looks like a smaller version of its mature parents and can eat by grabbing insects
with its tongue. You can begin feeding toadlets the same food you would give the adults,
such as live crickets. However, young toads should be kept in a separate aquarium until
they mature fully because toads have been known to eat younger or more vulnerable
individuals. The process of changing form from tadpole to baby toad is known as
metamorphosis.

Stage 4: Adult Toad

In 12 to 16 weeks, the new toad will become an adult. This toad will be ready
to mate approximately one year after the mating that produced it occurred. In the wild,
most toad species live 5 to 10 years. As pets, adult toads usually live approximately 10
years, so you will need to be prepared to spend many years caring for your adult toad.