So, I work at a pet store (please don't hate me!) and we have sick room where (sick) animals are treated. Most of these animals then have to be adopted out, as we cannot sell them, even after they are well. I ended up bringing home a toad today.
The company that sends us our reptiles shipped him to us about 2 months ago. On his paperwork, he is listed as a "large toad." I haven't been able to find any species with that common name. Anyway, when he arrived, he appeared to have a fungal infection. He has little white spots on him. First, I'd like to identify him.
I apologize for the quality of these pictures, but nonetheless, here he is:




In these pictures you can see the largest of the white spots.
As far as treatment goes, I'm going to be baking his substrate and bleaching the tank once a week. I'm also going to keep his soil and tank dry, but I will provide a large water dish. I'd also like to add that I am dechlorinating the water. I don't know what else I can do for him. Can anyone help me out? Any input will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

I want to say it is an american toad, but I am not the best at identifying species.

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DON'T bleach the tank. Sorry, I just had to get that out there. You'd be surprised how susceptible amphibians are to chemicals that harsh. Their skin absorbs substances directly into the body, so bleach is a no-no with amphibians. If you have to, you could bleach it once with a diluted solution, rinse thoroughly, and leave it at that, but even with a diluted solution I wouldn't make bleaching part of the regular maintenance.

That said, I'm afraid your photos will make an ID very difficult. It's a Bufo species, but many of them are very similar and without knowing where the toad came from an ID is nearly impossible unless we can get some really good photos. Rinsing him off will help too. If he's American, his pattern is similar to the great plains toad, Bufo cognatus. Where you're located, where he came from, and what other animals he came with may help narrow down the species. At the moment I can guarantee his genus, but what continent he's from is wide open.

Also, how large is he?

As far as treating him, using a severely diluted Betadine solution may help, but I must admit, treating amphibians can be rather difficult. You'll have better luck using fish products rather than ones made for reptiles. Just be sure to dilute anything you use. Keep him in as stress-free of an environment as you can.

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I definitely planned on diluting the bleach and rinsing very thoroughly. I understand this is dangerous, as even handling him could bring harm. Perhaps I should make that a part of the monthly routine, or even less. I guess hot water will suffice. I just want his habitat to be as sterile as possible to prevent the fungus from getting worse.

My camera is terrible but I will try to get some better photos. I'd just brought him home and didn't want to stress him out more than I had to.

I live in America, Kentucky to be more exact, but he was shipped from a company called LASCO and I haven't any idea where they are located. He was shipped with your general pet shop reptiles: Leopard Geckos, Bearded Dragons, Anoles, Chinese Water Dragons, etc. but not in the same box, of course. I really don't know too much about the shipments, as I am only a 17 year old associate.

He is approximately 3.5 inches, perhaps a little more.

I will definitely look into the Betadine and thank you for your fast response.

I'm going to borrow my friend's camera in the next couple of days to take some better pictures of him. Here are some slightly better ones?

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/7...9editedpi7.jpg
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/1...ture008jm9.jpg

He really doesn't have any color to him, only shades of brown and the white spots and splotches which are assumed to be fungus. His underside is very light, but I guess that's probably the case with most of them.

That last picture helped a bit more. When you get your friend's camera, good shots from above, both sides, behind, from the front, and details of the head from various angles will help. A closer and clearer shot of that white spot wouldn't be a bad idea either.

That said, I'm fairly certain you have a juvenile marine toad, Bufo marinus, thanks to that last shot. I'd still like to see some more photos to be sure, and a shot of the white spot. The spot may not be an infection after all, in which case any treatment would do more harm than good.

Being a marine toad would make that "large toad" denomination somewhat understandable. They're also known as cane toads or giant toads, as they are one of the world's largest, capable of reaching around 3 lbs in weight, with the largest on record weighing nearly 6. They're also quite toxic, especially as adults, so washing your hands after dealing with this toad would be advisable.

Marine toads are very variable in color and pattern, but I have seen them with white spots that may resemble yours. The parotid glands will also enlargen as the toad grows. Right now it is quite young.

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"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

I actually think you are right. I found a "picture tag" on him at work last night and it lists his adult size as 9 inches. If he is positively identified as a marine toad, I'll be finding it another home because I have two curious cats. I am trying to find local herpetologists to consult as well. His spots are actually more of a cream and definitely resemble those of some marine toads I've found on the net, provoked by your post.

I imagine virtually everyone that has purchased or will purchase one of our "large toads" probably has a cat or a dog at home.

It kind of angers me. We have no business selling marine toads and both companies are masquerading them as "Large Toads". If this is confirmed, I will do my best to get both companies to begin selling them as Bufo marinus.

Yeah, it really bothers me that stores will sell an animal without even knowing what it really is, especially when it can be dangerous. Marine toads will easily kill any dog or cat that tries to make a morsel of it. If you were closer I'd consider taking him myself. Good luck finding a home for the little guy! On the upside, at least he doesn't have a fungal infection.

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+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

Update:
I still haven't had access to a better camera, but I did get some slightly better pictures. My manager has been trying to correspond with the vet at LASCO, but to no avail thus far. Also, I found more paperwork on this guy and it lists him as Bufo melanostictus, or Black-Spined Toad. Everything I can find on him in the store is contradictory!

Pictures:
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x...g?t=1186516788
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x...g?t=1186516858
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x...g?t=1186516924

More paperwork in the store or what? He doesn't look like any black-spined toad I've ever seen. Part of the challenge is that if he is a giant-sized species, then he's a young one right now and could therefore be showing atypical coloration. His pattern is more defined than I thought it was though, but I still doubt he's a black-spined toad.

If you can get ahold of that other camera, that should help. The trouble is that color and pattern don't help much, and your camera can't show the details that will possibly help ID him. Close-up views of the various ridges on his face, his spots, and the parotid glands might help. Then again, they might not, lol.

__________________
+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield