{"id":1504,"date":"2024-05-23T19:26:04","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T10:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/?p=1504"},"modified":"2024-05-23T19:26:04","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T10:26:04","slug":"mayus-beloved-pet-toad-kuromaru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2024\/05\/23\/mayus-beloved-pet-toad-kuromaru\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayu’s beloved pet toad, Kuromaru"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly two years already! In summer ’22, my wife Mayu brought home a baby toad from her work. A coworker had a batch of baby toads and gave one to Mayu. He was so tiny at first! Some toad species are hatched as toads rather than as tadpoles first, but I believe this species are tadpoles although he already had legs when we got him. This guy was tinier than a grain of rice! He was such a dark color, nearly black. When we put him in the plastic box with dirt, he was so dark and tiny that he was hard to see. You couldn’t see him unless you looked very hard. Ulan named him Kuromaru, which is a ninja-sounding name (kuro<\/em> is “black” in Japanese). It was an appropriate name, since he was nearly black and could blend in with his surroundings, like a ninja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years ago when I first started this blog, we had a Japanese rhinocerous beetle named Pun-chan<\/a> whom we cared for for a very long time. She lived much longer than expected because of the care we gave her. Now we have this cute toad. He has grown so big since we first got him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kuromaru has such a big belly! Here he is posing with his bath. When we first got him, his bath was a bottlecap. Now it’s a big plastic container. Toads like water, but they are not good swimmers like frogs are. They also do not sing like frogs. He is always quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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He’s so cute!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly two years already! In summer ’22, my wife Mayu brought home a baby toad from her work. A coworker had a batch of baby toads and gave one to Mayu. He was so tiny at first! Some toad species are hatched as toads rather than as tadpoles … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Mayu’s beloved pet toad, Kuromaru”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[168,173],"class_list":["post-1504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life","tag-kuromaru","tag-pets"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":830,"url":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2023\/04\/20\/exercising-our-2nd-amendment-rights-on-aluminum-cans\/","url_meta":{"origin":1504,"position":0},"title":"Exercising our 2nd Amendment rights on aluminum cans","date":"2023-04-20","format":false,"excerpt":"I was going through a box of photos and found this picture of two right wing terrorists massacring some aluminum cans. This was over two decades ago! I believe this was autumn 2002, after we had moved back from Japan that August. My uncle Gary took us to his favorite\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "life"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/mayushooting.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":26,"url":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2022\/02\/06\/pun-chan-has-passed-away\/","url_meta":{"origin":1504,"position":1},"title":"Pun-chan has passed away","date":"2022-02-06","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, on February 7th, our precious bug has passed away. The night before last, she had flipped over on her back. In the morning, Mayu found her on her back and helped her over. She had probably struggled for a long time and it exhausted her. This morning, Mayu fished\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "life"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSCN7025.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":740,"url":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2023\/02\/26\/my-current-linux-desktop-feb-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":1504,"position":2},"title":"My current Linux desktop, Feb. 2023","date":"2023-02-26","format":false,"excerpt":"I found a sexy Nadia fanart picture to use for my wallpaper that reminds me of warmer weather. Neat. Mayu and I are nearly finished re-watching the series on the bluray I bought with gift card money I received for Christmas. Pretty soon I'll see the Nautilus rescue the Eiffel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "anime\/manga"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-at-2023-02-26-07-55-26.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":747,"url":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2023\/02\/27\/our-new-floor-sofa\/","url_meta":{"origin":1504,"position":3},"title":"Our new floor sofa","date":"2023-02-27","format":false,"excerpt":"Just over a month ago, I finally bought a small floor sofa for our apartment's living room. In Japan, these floor sofas are popular since they do not take up so much space. They have no legs and just sit flat on the floor. I've wanted to get one for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Japan"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DSCN7247.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2427,"url":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2025\/08\/28\/andys-hobby-headquarters-in-glendale-az\/","url_meta":{"origin":1504,"position":4},"title":"Andy’s Hobby Headquarters in Glendale, AZ","date":"2025-08-28","format":false,"excerpt":"Many years ago, I wrote an essay on my history of the plastic model hobby. I mentioned how it was my wife Mayu who got me back into the hobby. Although I had bought a couple of models here and there, she is the one who came home one day\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "modeling"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1594.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2658,"url":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2025\/11\/09\/i-got-to-cuddle-a-meerkat-at-the-pet-shop-in-maebashi\/","url_meta":{"origin":1504,"position":5},"title":"I got to cuddle a meerkat at the pet shop in Maebashi!","date":"2025-11-09","format":false,"excerpt":"There's a pet shop in Maebashi called Wing 21 where Mayu buys crickets to feed to her beloved pet, Kuromaru. 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