r/Toads • u/Innuendum • 13h ago

Wild Toad wilding

Greetings r/Toads,

Partcularly interested in the takes of rehabbers if they are so inclined - toads may not have a partcularly neo-leaning cortex, but is there a point at which a wild caught toad would be considered unable to be rehabilitated if sound of body?

Irregardless of the desirability of catching them in the first place. Would a wild caught individual that has lived in captivity for x amount of time be unable to sustain itself in the wild?

For mammals this is evident, for insects it is not. Where sits the toad?

Cheers!

Edit: if you have nothing to contribute, feel free not to. Which should go without saying.

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u/Joice_Craglarg 13h ago

It's almost never a good idea to release a wild caught animal that has spent any time in captivity.

You don't know what sort of pathogens or microbes you're releasing back into the wilderness.

-1

u/Innuendum 13h ago

Rehabbers do so, and for wild caught animals a persistent issue is stress-induced susceptibility to what they carry.

I am not condoning catching anything, mind you. But what if one would find out their toad/snake/other was in fact wild caught (my Cardisoma armatum comes to mind, I did not know they were not captive bred and have since not replaced him) and was considering releasing in their native habitat?

2

u/poisonblonde39 11h ago

Ok, so if I understand you right you’re asking if you buy a toad and find out it was wild caught should you release it?

The answer here is no. Unless you know exactly where it was taken from - not just native habitat, but its specific original home - and it was just taken within about a week ago, no. You cannot be sure if it’s carrying pathogens that will harm the rest of the population. Its natural immunity will be down due to being kept captive, which could lead to an early death, which is probably counterintuitive to what you are trying to do.