# Frogs & Toads > Toads >  I found this toad (Bufo bufo) with some extrange skin disease, please help identify

## Papah

Hello, I'm Pablo. Live in the North of Spain. Yesterday I went to the woods in my bike, and found this fela in the grass and stoped by. When I looked closely noticed that the poor toad had something wrong: some kind of illness in the skin, maybe a virus, some larvae, fungus or other. I know those things are killing a lot of anfibians so I took it to be sure it's not contagious. 

The animal is a Bufo bufo juvenile of 4 cm from Cantabria, Spain. It has superficial adhesion of some little tubular white particles on its skin,at the back and side of it's head and some on the lower back. The tiny white things can be taken out with a forceps but the animal seem to suffer so I'll wait until I know more. 

Please help me identify and treat this thing on the animal skin.

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## Jace

*I'm not sure what these things are...but it looks like something an insect would lay.  I hope someone can help you and that the toad is not in too much pain.  Best of luck. *

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## SethD

It looks like eggs from flies. I know there is a special kind of fly that lays eggs on bufo species over in Europe. The larva get into the nostrils and cause large gaping wounds. That is probably what this is. I would wash the eggs off before they hatch.

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## Papah

Whoa! Now that I checked how fly eggs are, they are exactly that. Hopefully it's not a fungus, they could have been worse. I'm going to have that thing out of the little toad right now carefully. Thanks a lot, I'll show how it ends up without the white stuff. :Big Applause:

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## Herpvet

Hi,

Just to add here that flies don't usually effectively attack healthy toads; it would be worth getting the toad assessed, by a vet or experienced herpetologist, or at least keep it under observation if possible for a few days, before release. It may have an underlying problem which could make releasing it simply a death sentence.

Hope this helps,

Bruce.




> Whoa! Now that I checked how fly eggs are, they are exactly that. Hopefully it's not a fungus, they could have been worse. I'm going to have that thing out of the little toad right now carefully. Thanks a lot, I'll show how it ends up without the white stuff.

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## Papah

Hello and thanks for collaborating.

Here the direct contact with a vet expecialist in exotic animals is not a possibility, but I got the data about this case sent to an asociation specialized in Spanish anfibians diseases (www.sosanfibios.org), and I'll wait their sentence on it. Until then, my bro Rojillo will stay in quarentine well fed and treated, separated from any other toads that live in my garden.

The info I have is that there is a fly (Lucilia bufonivora) that deposits its eggs on some European toads' skin (Bufo bufo and Bufo calamita). The egg period is usually very sort for flyes, so this maybe lasts around 1 or 2 weeks from laid to hatch. When the eggs hatch the worm-like larvae are 1,5mm to 2mm long, and they search for the host toad's nostrils to get into it's body. Once inside they begin to eat the toad alive, afecting critical areas around the poor animal's nose, until they finally kill it.

I hope this experience can help anybody who come across something similar, and if the person is interested, maybe can save an anfibian live.

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## JimO

Good job!  He looks much better.  Frankly, I was really grossed out by the fly eggs.  I just can't stand parasitic flies.

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## Jace

*What a cutie!  He certainly looks healthy enough.  I hope he gets a clean bill of health and lives a long happy life.  Great job!*

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## Papah

I was surprised when I saw this toad over the green grass, in the arcillous ground and fallen eucalyptus leaves it's mimetism is the one from a chamaleon. I think that's why I had never seen a juvenile 4cm like this one, when having seen 1cm babytoads and adults 5-7cm. Babytoads are dark brownish and adults combine diferent dark and clear olive tones like the best militar camouflage pattern would  :Frog Surprise:

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## John Clare

Toadfly is a lot more common than most people think.  I've had animals die from this - in a heavy infestation, mature fly larvae can emerge from the still living amphibian.  It's really unpleasant.  It can also effect salamanders - I've seen it and it's not a nice experience for the keeper, let alone the animal.

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## Deku

> Toadfly is a lot more common than most people think.  I've had animals die from this - in a heavy infestation, mature fly larvae can emerge from the still living amphibian.  It's really unpleasant.  It can also effect salamanders - I've seen it and it's not a nice experience for the keeper, let alone the animal.


Yeowch.... Id hate for my baby toads to get that. Id freak out. But in any case wouldnt a med for parasites work? I mean if its inside the toads body... it should? Shouldnt it? Now Iam curious. How do they end up getting it and how is it possible to prevent them?

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## Papah

I want to know more too. This is a terrible death for the animals as John can surely tell, that should be stopped. I'll share the info I get, please do so.

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## Jace

*Those are some great pictures, Papah-thank you for sharing.  Your top one, with the toadlet in your hand is about the size of my toadlet, Enoch.  I am finding him or her to be full of spunky personality-though I wish he or she would stop peeing on me whenever I have to pick it up!! *

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## David Brouwer

Are the fly-eggs easy to wash of?

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## Papah

Yes, but if done carefuly one by one with a forceps or similar, making sure to take each tiny larva off to then follow to the next. These flyes use an incredible super glue that when dryed I can tell the animal wouldn't be able to take off completely with their limbs. Even if the eggs where in more accessible areas than in this Rojillo :Frog Smile:  case, I think larvae would finally (with +or- success) take on the host.The eggs are silk like and the inside larvae, 2mm mini-worms. Note that Rojillo had some eggs near its cloaca, so I don't know if flyes do lay these sistematically or ramdomly  :Confused:

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## Deku

> *Those are some great pictures, Papah-thank you for sharing.  Your top one, with the toadlet in your hand is about the size of my toadlet, Enoch.  I am finding him or her to be full of spunky personality-though I wish he or she would stop peeing on me whenever I have to pick it up!! *


Ived noticed different amphibians and reptilians have different personalities. When I hear of one they always say they have the same attitude and so forth. Ived noticed a difference between animals of the same genus and even subspecies. My american toads are all alittle bit different. Kero being the larger one which I dont know if its a male or female. It may be a female since its more plump(ALL THE TIME), but at the same time sometimes its throat is darker. Normally its white though. Its butt is spotted with gray dots that are the size of a pencil point. He/she has lighter coloring than the other toads. He/she is more calm and mellow than the other ones. It doesnt jump around like an idiot when Iam trying to inspect it weekly for any kind of "Strange-ness"(my vet said to do this with all my animals.). He/she rarely pees on me. It only peed once. Which was when I was holding it by the sides, I wanted to get a better look at its body and limbs. See sometimes I find these weird things on toads like extra toes, or less toes, etc.  I once had this toad who had 2-3 extra toes on its back left foot. It was weird. The other two toads are more cautious. The smallest one who is called Dizzy is cautious yet helpless and secretive. Though when held he scrambles but he doesnt jump like the middle one. Dizzy has only 3 legs. It looks like it was born with it(Idk whats going on lately with all these frogs and toads) also has darker coloration and has black stripes all over its body like a little robber(no its not a wood frog, its an american toad because sometimes it changes color to the one as Kero has, same with the middle one which I have no name for yet). Kero also has another name which is clover, since he loves to constantly sit on a patch of clovers in the terrarium. The middle toad which has four limbs and has a dark colored body but not as dark as the smallest one but also not as bright as kero as stripes that are not as dark as the smaller one. One thing Ived noticed the smaller two change to keros coloration when I put them in water for a soak(I do a daily soak in a seperate container to make sure they get water daily and also so I can do spot cleans).  In any case the middle one is shy but more of a whoose. He scrambles on site, hes also the "escape artist" of the trio. I decided to instead calling the largest one ace, id call the largest one kero, and the middle one ace. I dont know yet if itll be its name but is mroe because you cant leave him unwatched.

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## Eel Noob

Nice save! That's a beautiful toad, love it's colors.

BTW great pix.

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