Toads & Frogs: Toads and frogs can be excellent pets for you but you have to make sure that you wash yourself well after having handled them as some toads/ frogs produce secretion, which can be toxic to humans and is harmful to your eyes and mouth. But they are very easy to handle and have cheaper market value comparing to other pet reptiles. When you keep a frog/toad as your pet, you are actually saving a species, endangered mainly because of human manipulation of their ecosystem. The age of a toad/ frog can be calculated in terms of rings in the bones of their Phalanges, which keep growing annually. Toads/ frogs are quite sedentary by nature and like to spend time hiding under a stone or in the soil. A toad likes a soak in water while frogs prefer to swim.
How to take care of them: Frogs/ toads can live up to 10+ years given the right environment. They are insectivore by diet. Generally speaking, your toad/frog can be fed 2 to 4 times a week. But it's according to the species and you don't have to get worried in this regard as you can easily recognize their routine. They usually take houseflies, crickets, pill bugs, mealworms etc. Toads don't hibernate usually in captivity, but they are likely to eat a bit less during the summer season. You are supposed to arrange a terrarium with moisturous surroundings. Good ventilation must be allowed. A small fish tank with a screen top can also be used. You can put some soil and dry leaves as they are interested to burrow in soil. You can also use commercially produced substrates and arrange some hiding place inside, with barks and little twigs. Unlike frogs, toads don't consume water directly but use their skin to get it absorbed. It's very good for you to arrange a water bowl inside and keep changing water daily to prevent your pet from water contamination. Make sure that water is dechlorinated.
Aristo, the mountain toad: A village man, from Kamba in South India, got intimate with a little mountain toad, that he named Aristo. The company with little Aristo changed his life. He never built the toad a shelter, but started talking to him fondly and it became their routine every single evening. Moving on, the little toad became so friendly that it was ready to pose for photos and allowed him to pet it the way he wanted. The villager claims to have learned a lot from the toad including punctuality, survival tactics, and the necessity to fend for oneself. The intimacy with the toad strengthened his family relationship and he even claims to have achieved spiritual awakening through a toad's company. When you stay close to Nature, you are more likely to be spiritually awakened. Wherever the villager goes, he does have the saga of how his life changed through little Aristo, the mountain toad...