Rohan
American Toad
Acquired: Other
Gender: N/A
Hands on education
My parents instilled in me a love for nature by letting me interact with it as often as I liked. When I was little I was fascinated with amphibians. The way frogs and toads changed and grew from eggs to their final form seemed magical. In the spring I would carry buckets of water to the local pond to keep it wet and I watched the tadpoles hatch and grow up. One year I got curious about what toads are like as adults. I found one in a pond, took it home, and kept it in a large aquarium for months. My parents helped me set up its home and explained what it ate, and then it was my responsibility to care for it. I spent the summer wandering around the forest, round up bugs and earthworms for it to eat.
The toad had a good life in our house and grew quite big. I released it in the fall so it could find a safe place to hibernate.
