DUE TO STATE LAW, THIS SPECIES CANNOT BE SHIPPED TO OREGON.

Defining Characteristics:

• Novice to Intermediate Care Level
• One Of The Largest Toad Species
• Bold
• Whiny, Honking Call
• Does Well In Groups
• Challenging To Breed

Name: Smooth Sided toads go by the scientific Rhaebo gutattus. It is typically called the Smooth Sided Toad, sometimes shortened to Smooth Toad, gets its name from its distinct lack of "warts." Up until recently these were known as Bufo gutatta.This toad is in the family Bufonidae, and is considered a true toad. 

Recommended Vivarium Size: Housing Rhaebo gutattus can be tricky due to their size as adults. These anurans require a lot of space, but they do not need a very complex habitat. Something the size of an 24x18x18 Exo Terra Glass Terrarium can house 1-2 adults, while a 20 gallon long could house about the same amount of toads. Ventilation is a must, as these toads will not tolerate stagnant moist air for very long. A screen top will help provide this. Substrate recommendations vary considerably, but ground coconut fiber works well for Josh’s Frogs and the bioactive option is BioBedding. Provide plenty of decor that your Rheabo gutattus can climb and hide in, such as  cork bark tubes and flats. Our toads really seem to like the Exo Terra Smart Plants. A shallow water bowl should be provided, as well. Smooth Sided toads do benefit from UVB lighting such as a 5.0 or UVB100 UVB bulb.

Temperature: They can tolerate temperatures from 65F to over 85F, but ideally are kept at about room temperature, from the mid to high 70s. A low wattage basking spot can help to elevate temeratures into a safe range.

Humidity: In the wild, precipitation and humidity fluctuates based on season, with a heavy rainy season in the early part of the year. Smooth Sided toads can handle a wide range of humidity levels, but prefer humidity levels around 50-70% with plenty of ventilation/air movement. Moist, stagnant air is a big no-no when keeping older Rhaebo guttatus, while very young animals dry out easily and prefer an elevated humidity. Routine spraying and a full screen top will aid in providing proper humidity levels. Smooth Sided Toads handle short periods of low humidity much better than most tree frogs.

Size: Adult Smooth Sided toads are quite large, and there is sometimes a size different between males and females. An adult male may reach about 6-7 inches, but most will be closer to the 6" mark. A large female will be larger and bulkier than a male, and may measure up to 7-8” with some individuals being measured closer to 10". All of the Smooth Sided Toads Josh's Frogs sells are well started juveniles, and measure about 1 3/4" long. When they come out of the water they are typically just under 1/4" long but can be larger.

Age: There is not any good data surrounding the average lifespan of Smooth Sided Toads, but wild caught animals have lived in captivity for 5 or more years. Due to the size and maturation rate likely being at least 2 years Smooth Sided Toads can likely live in captivity for over 10 years. All Smooth Sided Toads for sale at Josh's Frogs are well started juveniles, and are 5-6 months old.

Feeding: Smooth Sided Toads really like to hide, and often times huddle together, during the day under hides or cork flats/tube and tend to be more active at night. You should plan your feeding times accordingly. Smooth Sided Toads can eat rather large food, and easily consume adult crickets and roaches as adults. At Josh’s Frogs, we feed our adult Smooth Sided toads primarily adult crickets, as well as Blaptica dubia roaches, and the occasional superworm, waxworm, or hornworm. Young Smooth sided toads start life feeding on Springtails. At the size Josh’s Frogs sells captive bred Smooth Sided toads, they are eating 1/8" to 1/4" crickets. All prey items should be dusted with a quality vitamin/mineral supplement.

Sexing: Sexing adult Smooth Sided Toads is quite easy when you know how to do it. Once the toads are about 10-12 months old, they display subtle sexual dimorphism. Females are a bit larger then males, and more rotund. Males are a bit smaller, more slender, and emit a release call when grabbed around the belly. Males will also have a dark nuptial pad and robust forearms to facilitate in amplexus. Color variations exist between individuals but does not seem to be tied to sexual dimorphism. A Smooth Sided toad's call is very loud and hard to miss!

Color/Pattern: Smooth Sided Toads can be a very variable species. Offspring start off light brown with bronze speckling on their backs. As they mature the bronze speckling goes away and can be replaced by dark red spots of varying quantity. They also develop this dark red coloration on their flanks and white polka dotting on their ventral side.

Social Behavior: These toads are not outwardly aggressive towards each other, and do great housed in groups. At Josh's Frogs we have not seen any aggression between males or females in our adult group of over 10 animals. During breeding males can and will amplex without discretion and sometimes even end up with multiple males amplexing a single female. As long as the individuals are able to keep their heads above water this behavior is not harmful but for this reason a male to female ration of 2-3:1 is recommended for breeding.

Breeding: Captive breeding of Smooth Sided toadshas happened before but with the number of resulting forglets it's not necessary to make this a frequently bred species. Smooth sided toads in the wild will breed during the wet seaon with rain being a pretty big trigger. In captivity the Toads seem to need a rain simulation for several hours overnight as well as moving water as they breed in rivers. Smooth Sided Toad egg clutches can exceed over 10,000 so if you pursue this endeavor make sure you can care for this many tadpoles or make arrangements to prevent them from breeding. 

Natural Range: This species' geographic range extends from Amazonian Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia to the Guianas and central Amazonian Brazil. This species is found at elevations from 50-860m asl. (IUCN red list)

History in the Hobby: Smooth Sided Toads are typically imported from their native habitat and thus a majority of the animals available in the hobby are wild caught adults. At Josh's Frogs we are dedicated to providing healthy captive bred animals that will be able to thrive for our customers. People enjoy the smooth sided toads because of their impressive size which is even more impressive when you see how small they start out.

Toxin Note: As with most toads Smooth Sided Toads have toxin glands behind their eyes called paratoid glands. Captive toads are more hesitant to secrete a toxin than their wild caught couterparts but caution should still be made to prevent this toxin from being ingested or come into contact with mucous membranes or cuts. You'll want to make sure these toads are kept away from other pets for both of their safety.

Links of Interest:

• IUCN Red List
• Amphibia Web (Spanish)

Still not sure if Rhaebo guttatus from Josh's Frogs are the right pet frog for you? Read the reviews below and see what other customers are saying!