Toads have very flexible habitat requirements and can be expected to occur in all forest types, agricultural areas, suburbs and disturbed habitats such as gravel pits and clear-cuts. The earliest record for a toad in spring is April 5, in 1960, when two females were found in Wolfville, Kings County. Number of eggs produced by a female is strongly related to body size. Along with their food, adults also swallow sand, gravel, bits of bark, moss, spruce and fir needles. A few eat their own shed skin.
Toads are among the last amphibians to hibernate in the fall.
They are often seen on the highway during rainy nights in early November. Latest fall record for an active toad is November 28, in 1972, when an adult female was seen in a backyard at Melville Cove, Halifax County.