Don the Couch's Spadefoot
Scaphiopus couchii**
May 2007 - October 22, 2021
Don is one of 5 spadefoots I've cared for. First, there was Frank, purchased at a local pet store in 2001, who lived for almost 6 years. Then I ordered Don, Terry, Napoleon and Ike on the internet in May 2007. Terry only lived about a year. Napoleon lived a year and a half. Ike lived 2 1/4 years. While Don lived to be at least 16 1/2 years old (I estimate he was at least two years old when I got him), and brought me great happiness, since 2007, I have gained a greater understanding of the pet trade and my attitudes toward exotic pets have changed. I would never recommend this species to anyone to keep as a pet. It is very difficult to provide the right conditions, especially in certain climates. They also need a lot of exercise to stay healthy. It is unsafe to exercise one outside in many areas, as I discovered the hard way that lawn chemicals don't actually stay where they're sprayed and can make one's own property toxic when they volatize and drift over from a neighboring lawn and land on unintended vegetation. When I purchased the 2007 spadefoots, I only ordered two, but received four. It wasn't until they first defecated that I made the connection that they were wild-caught because there were a bunch of tiny beetles in their feces, not something someone would be feeding them. Back then, I hadn't really thought about where they were coming from, but now, I would never want to be responsible for the removal of these creatures from a habitat in which they were thriving.
I have cared for many amphibians over 40 years, but I don’t think I will ever experience such a special bond again as the one I had with my little Donald. Throughout his life, I dug him out 2-3 times a week for feeding, soaking and exercise, and he became very familiar with me and the routine. I always loved getting him out because he immediately start doing a digging motion with his hind feet, scraping with his little spades, nestling into my hand. Often, he would even start opening his mouth if my finger brushed his lips. In his half-asleep state, he thought I was going to hand-feed him something, because this was something I often had to do throughout the years in order to keep him alive. Sometimes, he either didn't want to eat or was having trouble catching the crickets (in his old age, I don't think he could see or gauge distance as well), but I could coax him to open his mouth and he would gladly take crickets from my fingers.
After several years of caring for him, it was clear he recognized my face. When another person peered in at him while he was soaking in his dish, he ducked down under the water, but when I looked in, he did not react. I could also talk to him when he was soaking without a reaction, even though my voice resonated loudly in his soaking cage. After I’d had Don for 11 years, Lyle, my border collie, joined the household. Don was only afraid of Lyle for a few months and then became totally accustomed to Lyle trotting by, peering in, or even sniffing him (sometimes Don’s soaking cage was on the floor to catch rays coming in through the doorwall).
Don ate crickets that were “gut-loaded” with organic spinach and carrots. He enjoyed his soaks in distilled water in the sunshine coming in through the windows, often just puffing himself up with air and floating while the sun warmed his back. His favorite activity was exercise time. During nice weather (70 degrees and above), I took Don outside to hop and climb around while I weeded the yard. I could see that he was learning his way around some of the areas he exercised, particularly the moss garden, and would keep returning to favorite spots day after day. He especially liked a certain rock---one day, he dug a hole underneath it and stayed in there the whole time I was working. He continued to find the rock and go back under it into the hole he made, sometimes heading straight for it as soon as I put him on the ground. I didn’t realize toads had such good navigational abilities, but it certainly makes sense that they would. All this came to an end in the summer of 2020, when there were too many volatile herbicides that had drifted over my suburban yard from the 90% or more homeowners having their grass contractually sprayed 7-8 times a year. I then had to exercise Don indoors on a cotton rug, which I'm sure didn't bring him much joy because he could only travel a few hops and I'd have to catch him and put him back at the starting point.
10 days after Don's indoor photo shoot on August 16, 2021, somehow I hadn't positioned his soaking cage properly on the counter strip in front of the sink. Don jumped out of his water dish forcefully which caused the cage to fall 3 feet down onto the kitchen floor. I thought he was going to be all right, but then in October, he was suffering from a gastrointestinal obstruction (I could feel the mass in his side), so he may have had internal injuries after all. He died in my hand at about 9:30 a.m. on October 22, 2021.
August 16, 2021 - Don's Last Photo Shoot
I miss photographing Don in natural settings outside, but hopping in the moss garden almost killed him last year and there is no way for me to tell just how covered with pesticides my yard's vegetation is, not to mention most of my favorite plants and mosses have been killed by my neighbors. Unfortunately, most people believe the herbicides sprayed by lawn companies stay on their own lawn and are safe when dry. They don't realize that the chemicals continue to volatize (evaporate into the air) for days, especially in the heat, and are blown by the wind and carried by the rain to neighboring properties. They also don't realize that these drifting pesticides kill trees. My entire yard is full of dead and dying plants and trees (at least 70 species). It's worse in 2021 than it's ever been, presumably because it was especially hot and new chemicals are being used since the old ones are not as effective once superweeds develop.
Here is Don on a pretty, wavy rock with two types of lichens sitting on top.
Don's New Year's photo shoot. Here are my favorites.
Here are the rest of the good ones.
June 12, 2020
In the succulent garden with freshly shed skin. Sadly, this was his last outdoor photo shoot because the lawn service companies are out of control in my neighborhood. People are having their lawn sprayed with pesticides that volatize and drift into everyone's yards, landing on my grass and landscaping. Don nearly died this July because he was out in the moss garden on the same day pesticides were sprayed on a neighbor's lawn (this person told me they cancelled the service for 2020 after I already showed them the damage to my yard in 2019 and how they damaged and killed most of my garden plants).
May 13, 2020
This was Don's second time outside this year. He's a little sluggish and needs to get back in shape again, but he's weighing in at 60.2 grams, which is great, considering he usually loses weight over the winter.
It was nearly 60 degrees and sunny, so I got Don out for some exercise. Since July, he has been weighing in over the 60 gram mark. He was 62.0 grams today.
Here he is in the freshly fallen elm leaves in the backyard (he put himself in there).
In the succulent garden and on the border where it meets the grass.
October 8, 2019
Don in the succulent garden.
August 22, 2019
Don in the moss and succulent gardens.
Don shed his skin today and weighed in at a whopping 62.6 grams! Here he is in the succulent and moss gardens.
Don's first photo shoot of the year. He weighed in at 56.7 grams, has a healthy appetite and looks great. He is no less than 14 years of age (I've had him for 12 years and he was at least 2 years old when I got him). He's definitely ready for summer and is enjoying hopping around outside again!
Don's Holiday shoot.
August 5, 2018
Don's twelfth summer with me has been a good one so far. He reached a record weight of 58.8 grams on July 2, 2018. Here he is in a few areas of the moss garden.
May 31, 2018
Dirty Don. I decided not to clean him up this time.
May 4, 2018
Enjoying a warm day in the succulent garden and at Coon Skull Hill.
Don's Valentine's Day shoot.
Don's Holiday shoot.
October 26, 2017
Don's Halloween shoot.
I decided to photograph Don again today on Coon Skull Hill, about an hour before sunset. It was partly cloudy, with the sunshine fading in and out. Some of the sunlit shots really turned out nice.
September 20, 2017
Don was getting some exercise near Coon Skull Hill, when suddenly, a medium-sized male toad that I haven't seen since spring, jumped over to him to say hello. I captured their brief encounter. The last photo is for identification purposes. I hope to see this guy again someday.
Don has been fattening up---he looks great! Here he is in the succulent garden.
Here he is in on "Coon Skull Hill."
Don soaked in the sun, shed his skin, and ate 11 crickets!!! He even let me assist him with six crickets which he's never done before (I led the crickets near him with my hand, which was unusual because he usually pays attention only to my hand and not the crickets). He had a total of 26 crickets this past week, which has to be a record. He's definitely feeling great now that summer's almost here. He weighs in at 51.5g. I've had him over 10 years now, and he is at least 12 years old, four years past the average lifespan of a spadefoot.
Don shed his skin yesterday and is looking his best. He is photographed in the moss garden, many photos from the sandy area with raccoon skulls and bones, "Coon Skull Hill."
March 8, 2017
Don has done well this winter, eating most of the times I've taken him out (which is once or twice a week, preferably on sunny days). He is still weighing in around 50 grams. Here he is soaking in his dish, enjoying some sun. He did get to hop around outside on an unusually warm February day. He is anxious to get outside again.
October 2, 2016
It was a beautiful 70-degree day, one of the last we'll see this year, so Don enjoyed some time in the succulent garden. He shed his skin today and was looking great.
Dirty Don! I usually photograph him all cleaned up, but here he is right fresh out of the soil, in the snakeskin liverwort area of the garden. He set a record today for his heaviest weight---55.1 grams! He is at least 11 years old and doing great.
July 20, 2016
Don with his girlfriend, Goldfish Toad. Click here to see more photos of her.
July 7, 2016
Don enjoying the succulent garden. It is interesting to note that when he is wandering around in this garden, he is not in any hurry, and often just settles down. This is contrary to his behavior in the moss garden, where he is constantly on the move.
June 19, 2015
Here is Don with his new wild buddy, a very reddish toad. Click here for more photos of the red toad.
June 15, 2016
Here is Don enjoying the succulent garden.
April 18, 2016
It was finally warm enough for Don to hop around the moss garden outside.
December 27, 2015
Don's New Year photo shoot.
November 6, 2015
This is just a typical sunny afternoon showing Don soaking indoors in his favorite dish after eating.
November 3, 2015
One of the last days warm enough to hop around outside. Photographed on my ice plant.
September 30, 2015 on fungus
September 9, 2015 in the Moss Garden
August 6, 2015 digging in Moss Garden by favorite rock
July 17, 2015 with his wild female friend, "Goldfish Toad"
June 26, 2015 with his wild female friend, "Goldfish Toad"
June 18, 2015 with his wild female friend, "Goldfish Toad"
May 15, 2015 in Moss Garden
May 4, 2015 on fungus
April 13, 2015
April 12, 2015
March 30, 2015
August 21, 2014
September 3, 2013
October 4, 2011
Here is Don, photographed outside. Thankfully, he is still doing great---I've had him for nearly 4 1/2 years now.
I thought it was neat that the reflection in Don's eye in the first photo shows me taking the picture along with the background behind me.
Here is Don with Right Hand Man.
September 3, 2010
Behind him is Triangle Toad and an unnamed toad on top of her head.
August 8, 2010
I recorded a couple videos of Don burying himself...
May 21, 2010
I found Don resting with Triangle Toad, a toad I kept from my toad studies at my old house. Also pictured is Right Hand Man, from my new toad studies.
December 22, 2009
Here is Don after I dug him up. He had been buried for about 4 months and I was getting worried about him.
May 29, 2009
Here are a few videos of Don croaking.
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November 24, 2007
Prior Spadefoots
I purchased my first Couch's spadefoot at a local pet store in the summer of 2001. His name was Frank. He has since passed on, but he will never be forgotten.
Click here to read about Frank the Spadefoot and see photographs of him or click on his photo above.
I got four more in May 2007. Don was one of them---he's on the bottom right. Sadly, the other ones have passed on.
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