How to Make a Toad House?

I've got a toad! Its nesting in the dirt in my small Mandevilla. I checked at a nursery, but I really don't wish to spend $30.00 for a clay pot with a cut out for a door. any ideas? Doris
P.S. Are toads useful in a garden? If so, I'll name him!

They had some really nice ones at Big Lots for about 7 dollars I think

A turned over flower pot makes one of the best.Just prop up one side just a touch with a flat stone or something..They will bury up under it..or pots with a piece broken out of the rim works well also..Just large enough for the little toad to squeeze thru, turned upside down..And too, they will simply bury into the soil under plants..I bought several at the Dollar Tree for $1.00 each.Nice big ones, but they don't look at them..lol..Yes, they are super helpful in the garden..
Larkie

Good Heavens, I'm off to Big Lots and Dollar Tree both, hopefully Tomorrow or Monday! This things the size of a small tangerine. I noticed when he's in the pot with the plant, he's halfway down in the soil. So I shall make sure he has a choice of homes and leave my plants (and me) alone!!!!

He will be an asset, and won't harm anything. He's sitting in the soil waiting for some hapless insect to wander by, whereupon he will pop out a tongue of unbelievable length and snare his dinner. He will eat hundreds of undesirable insects daily, and that means they won't reproduce and cause you to reach for the spray can.

BTW, please don't add chemicals to the soil. Mr. or Ms. Toad might leave. If you need to enrich it, be sure he isn't at home and then work it into the lower soil so it won't burn him/her. If you're lucky, a colony will hatch and you will have a fine bug control team.

I have a family of toads that use my garage as their home. We feed our dog in the garage and the toads seem to love the canned Alpo dog food. You can open the door any evening and see the group of them sitting in the dogs dish munching away. Too funny....

LOL mudpuddle, didn't think they would eat something like that ;)

Thanks for all the information. At least I know it won't jump out at me snapping its teeth! It was gone this morning when I sprinkled, but usually it returns after a bit. Hope it likes mosquitos and I won't do any fertilizing in the area.

DJM...you are too funny! your toad might lick you, but never bite you...hee hee. I'd never heard of taod houses before reading this post. I have tree frogs here...think I'm going to set up a taod house just in case one of thoses guys wants to reloacte to my yard..lol

Wild1, I so envy you! We had tree frogs for as long as I could remember, but now they have disappeared. Some ag guys think it's because of the Imported Fire Ants!

Yes, toads eat mosquitoes, and wiggle tails in some cases. Not as many as frogs, but plenty.

I'm sorry to hear that Aimee...those ants are just the worst!!! The tree frogs here range from a med. size muddy brown to the tiny little green ones. We share a seasonal creek with neighbors, both of us dug out small ponds for the frogs. We kept a large conntecting section naturalized for them too! It was fun listening to them this spring as they we breeding. We had quite a few come this year and breed before the creek/ponds went dry. We captured the remaing tadpoles and put in a manmade pond to grow. They just hop out and go into the tree and naturalied areas until next year. it's taken 3 years to get them back in our little area, but sure was worth it. So sad that we lose so many wonderful creatures because of development.

I have tree frogs too. They like to hang out in the fancy bricks so I left some on the ground for them. Their favorite home is my hanging garden around my patio. They seem to delight in waiting for you to stand to close and them CROOOOOAK in your ear. They sound like they are being strangled. It is fun to watch them go from pot to pot.