my yard is home to lots of creatures --which of course is great fun for my 5 pound napolian complex dog---but i couldn't seem to get the toads to join us
well---after hearing my dog whimper, bark, growl and cry with his head in the down spout i decided to see what he was up to---and that toad was in there just far enough to drive the dog crazy without being in danger! nice big one too!
now--since i want him to stay-- is it true i have to provide a stagnant water source for eggs and tadpoles
yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TOADS
I live above Long Lake, in Montgomery Cty. After a rain, my 'frogs' come out & sing praises to the Man Upstairs for the rain!!!
They get so loud that we have to turn up the volume on the TV & I am not exaggerating (sp?)!!!
I was on my cell talking to my mom in FtW & she wanted to know, what was the noise & where was I. I was sitting in my back yard! She couldn't believe that they were so loud!!! lol
ok--i am embarrased to say this but--false alarm!
the "toad" came out and my dog was playing with it in his mouth--turns out it was one of our baby turtles!! the turtle is fine--no harm done and still no toads!
Food, (clean) water, shelter for itself and its young. So you already know it likes a small dark place like the downspout, where it is cool and feels safe. If you don't want it to stay there, you can make a similar place with a clay flowerpot turned over, a piece of pipe, a rock pile, etc. Put it in the shade or build an awning or something. They don't actually need a whole huge pond, they can make do with a tray or shallow dish if you're attentive to keeping it filled. The most toads I ever had was with one of those baby pools (~3 feet across) with a couple inches of water and a plank to get in and out. The food (bugs, slugs, etc) will come if you have the damp. Avoid pesticides, because amphibians are real susceptible to absorbing them through their skin. It will need somewhere to stay the winter, so make sure there's somewhere it can burrow down into dirt/leaves.
Have fun! Show us some photos!
ETA lol. Well, do all that stuff I said and I bet one will come...
This message was edited Jul 26, 2010 11:45 AM
I can't remember the last time I saw a toad. Tree frogs galore and a few lizards but no toads. Of course who would think toads would be way out in the country. I do see about 1 firefly every night.
It's because all the toads have moved to Houston. I've had literally dozens of them at a time in the yard. I had a small inground pond, about 5 feet x 2 1/2 feet. It had a pump and statue that circulated the water and made a pleasant sound. The toads would lay so many eggs that the filter would clog up within minutes of starting the pump. I finally got to the point that I didn't run the pump when the eggs or tadpoles were in the pond. I agree with the others that if you make a place fitting their requirements of water, shelter and shade that you'll have them in no time.....and they'll multiply like crazy!
Crow
well it is pretty inviting but no pond
Linda....take heart, you don't need a pond. I think if you put in a small bog using a piece of pond liner so it stays wet, that would be an ideal place for them.
When we first got a pond I was wanting toads too. I went as far as to go to my sisters and load up 10 or 12. She didn't have a pond only a leak in an outside faucet and also the discharge water from the washing machine so the dirt stayed wet. They would come up on the patio for the dogfood and the bugs that came to the light there. But they would stay under the doghouse or whatever other crack they could get in. The day I went to get some, we moved the dog dish which had openings on the side to pick it up. It looked like college kids packed in a telephone booth they just kept coming out.
But, careful what you wish for...they are super loud when calling a mate as Smockette said. Our bedroom window is near the pond and it takes a while to get used to them each spring. If you want to come back over to the house again I will catch you some. LOL!
Be careful what you wish for.
I had a ground level pond a few years back and it attracted every toad within half a mile. I was able to listen to them sing all night long. Each toad would try to sing over the other one creating one hell of a racket. You could hear it a block away easily. I had to put them all in a bucket and take them to the pond at the university around midnight. About 10 replaced those in the next few hours. They also lay so many eggs in long strings that the fish have nowhere to swim.
When I lived in Austin, we had a duplex with a pond. It was outside my brother's window and they really made some noise. He went out there with rubber gloves and a bucket and gathered them all up in his boxer shorts. I wonder what would happen if the cops pulled him over when he drove to Barton Springs in the middle of the night in boxer shorts, rubber gloves and a bucket full of toads in heat.
To be safe, put the water as far away from your bedroom as possible. Also, put 2-3 small goldfish in the water to keep the mosquito larve from surviving. It probably needs to be at least a foot deep. A few water plants from the river will make it a nice environment. Still water ponds are great if you sparingly feed the fish and give them plants.
i am rethinking the toads idea--all that noise might not be fun--and my dog goes a little crazy with noises outside when he is inside--i think i will leave things as they are and if they come i will welcome them--if not--oh well!
jujube, that story on your brother is hilarious. I needed a laugh today and that really did it! Thanks for sharing :)
Crow
Linda....The first warm night next spring when you don't hear the loud throaty sound of the maiting call....you will be thankful you changed your mind. As much fun as it is to watch Daisy run around the pond edge making them jump in, I wish they weren't so prolific. The only up side is they do eat some mosquitoes.
Turn up your sound,,,trust me they loud.
http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/view_default.asp?curGroupID=7&source=&parkid=&fromWhere=&searchText=&allSpecies=&shapeID=1056&lshapeID=0&curAbbr=&lgFromWhere=&curPageNum=1&lastView=default&lastGroup=7&lastRegion=2212&lastFilter=4&lastShapeName=&trackType=&curRegionID=2212&size=&habitat=&fruit=&color=&sortBy=family&viewType=default&curFamilyID=605®ionSelect=Texas®ionZIP=
I have toads in the yard for the first time this year. Two regulary come to the kitchen door at night where the light attracts bugs for them to eat. No idea why this year but its nice to see them.
C
jujubetexas, I had to read your story twice. I thought at first your brother put the toads in his boxers! Haha...still funny.He must have been desperate to sleep.
That would be hardy to explain.
he he
ahhh, the little rain frogs, both gray and green, I missed their songs when driving in Mn, Mi, and the fur nort, so tiny for such deep melodies, and our leopard frogs 24" stretched out in a big jump, they create a very unique environment when making a voice recording to leave a msg...kept my homesickness down to listen to when I neeeded to remember that not everywhere takes ice for granted.
Lots of frogs in MI and lots of wet areas for them to live in.
Don't worry about the dogs, most learn their lesson after one encounter with a toad.
C
We have toads like crazy, baby ones everywhere. Hognose snakes think of them as dinner. Everywhere I walk I keep looking at the ground for snakes.
Oh mercy Lisec, you are not talking about the little garden snakes are you? I hope so! I asked Linda to load up some and bring to my house. I want them because they eat the slugs and the snails which eat my Hostas.
They sell Toad houses too, some are really cute. As much water as I have running down the back ally, I am sure I could accommodate them.lol
jujube, I also wondered about "gathered them all up in his boxer shorts" -- had to laugh; visualize that..... I have a toad/frog (what's the diff?) that wanders around under my house, showing up occasionally at either front or back porch, watching my dog. Then, one time as I'm poking into a container to check soil moisture the soil "erupted" and scared the bbs outta me -- the little 'toad' cooling off in that pot!
Can't tell you the difference myself, but I think it has to do with living in water, on land , and in trees that defines it. Here is a link to the frogs of texas and what they sound like. The toad link was posted above. http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/view_default.asp?curGroupID=7&source=&parkid=&fromWhere=&searchText=&allSpecies=&shapeID=1056&lshapeID=0&curAbbr=&lgFromWhere=&curPageNum=1&lastView=default&lastGroup=7&lastRegion=&lastFilter=4&lastShapeName=&trackType=&curRegionID=&size=&habitat=&fruit=&color=&sortBy=family&viewType=default&curFamilyID=607®ionSelect=All+regions®ionZIP=
green-frogs / brown-toads
water-frogs / land-toads
circle pouch of eggs-frogs / string of eggs-toad
smooth wet skin-frogs / dry bumpy skin-toad
long, strong back legs-frog / short back legs-toad
leaps-frog / jumps along-toad
This message was edited Jul 30, 2010 9:07 AM
No, I'm not talking about the little garden snakes. The hognose get big but are harmess and very slow moving, but they love baby toads
That is a lot of info there Linda...good to know when my 5 yr old great-nephew asks me. LOL!
Here he is with Daisy looking at the fish.
Hognose rattlers is their full name, LOOK like a rattle snake, non poisonous. find them wherever there are toads/frogs. If its a watery place we also have to watch out for Cottonmouths...A lot of our snakes can flare their necks like a cobra too, looks awesome but gives you a start. Most folks admit down here that the snake probably wont hurt them, but they are apt to hurt themselves getting somewhere else fast.
My hand is in the air!!!
Shelia-Your turn.
One big diff between toads and frogs is whoever heared of etin toad legs.
I was just agreeing with the comment.... "Most folks admit down here that the snake probably wont hurt them, but they are apt to hurt themselves getting somewhere else fast."
LOL!
The toad legs vs frog legs would be like crawfish vs lobster. Not worth the cleaning!
You DO know that a lot of gardeners believe toads damage their crops? chuckl, toads slimy coating gives a dog a 'high' from the poisons, they end up nutty if allowed to keep mouthing and carrying toads aroun in their mouths. makes em into 'druggies' in a manner of speaking...
They also foam at the mouth and my experience has been that dogs don't do that more than once, at least mine haven't.
C
well the last two posts have just confused me!
Yes. I used to have a cat that would pick them up and would be foaming at the mouth afterwards.
If you look at the link I put there for toads, it has a warning that they have a toxic substance. (Open one of the toad information link and you will see it.)
oh--so that is what the foaming at the mouth is all about?!
yes, it makes them nauseated.
Toad or Frog? me think I was just lucky...
Well. I was thrilled when the toads moved into my little pond (about the same size as Crowelli's). Yeah, you know, one time I found a website that had all the calls for toads indigenous to the U.S. The Gulf Coast toads we have around here are easily the loudest! I don't mind, though. They are so cute when they're little... and I love sitting in my yard watching the big guys come out and hunt down their dinner. Bye, skeeters.
I dont understand how they do it. This small pot is up on a platform two feet off the ground.
Enjoy Buddy.
Hey Grit,
That is definitely a frog. You wont find a toad sticking to a plant like that.