# Frogs & Toads > Toads >  Gender Confused/confusing toad?

## Kimee

So... I have this toad named Ginger. Had her for almost two years now; she's a nice, plump Marine/Cane toad. Very smart, very hungry. She has actually even learned to stomp in her food dish with her front feet to indicate "WHY IS THIS EMPTY, HUMAN?".

The problem arose about a month ago or so. I was talking to a roommate at my kitchen table, and Ginger was sitting on the tablecloth in front of me. I went to pick her up to put her in her tank with her cagemates and.... she squeaked. Not very loudly, but she made an actual stress call. It was relatively high pitched and quiet,but definitely there.

To the best of my knowledge, only male marine toads make ANY noise, and no other female I've ever owned has ever made any sound, no matter how slight. I though for sure I'd made some kind of mistake in gendering her, but I doublechecked, there is NO TRACE of nuptial pads, not now (winter) nor ever before (summer). She is not a humongous toad, but she's about 5 inches across and I'm pretty sure she's not juvenile. Her skin is relatively smooth and velvety feeling with not trace of the gritty sandpaper texture the males develop. She also has a nice pattern to her, and 90% of the male cane toads I've ever seen have washed out to a uniform color by full adulthood. I have a male cane toad currently that is HALF HER SIZE with gritty skin and obvious nuptial pads. He still has a pattern, but in the past few month it has faded significantly and is now barely noticeable. Further, Males that I've seen have usually been a little differently proportioned that the females, with bulkier arms and proportionally thinner bodies, while the females tend to be round like a plate. She's round. Very round.

Anybody have any ideas on this?

In the photo of the three toads, she is the lowest one. (I left the tank lid open while I went into another room to clean a log and came back to find them in the corner of the tank like this, as if trying to teamwork their way to escape)

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## Xubby

Admittedly, she was really stressed at the time, but my female Woodhouse toad has squeaked before. I think the idea that females never squeak should be taken as a fast and loose rule of thumb for guessing gender, but not an absolute rule. The physical characteristics you described are far more telling. The only thing you left out (which I'd bet money you already checked) is her throat. Females should have a pretty normal (relative to their stomach), pale throat, while the throat of mature males will be noticeably darker. I'd be pretty surprised if you guessed wrong.

Also? That photo of the toadem pole is adorable.

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## Carlos

Although not male like full blown calls, some female frogs or toads make squeaky like noises Kimee.  She either got spooked  :EEK!:  or wanted out longer  :Big Grin:  .

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