Found a small toad 2" by the pond this morning. His front right leg looked
like it was either cut off part way down and had healed over or maybe
deformed. Hard to know. Also his back left leg was tucked under him. I
couldn't really see if there was a problem with it or not.

Suggestions?

Thanks,
Heather
SW Ontario (Zone 5)

hmmm. I'd let him be.
And, being soft hearted, I'd buy a bunch of
crickets and leave them where he seems to
hang out. Maybe a few mealworms...


k30a

Great idea K30a. Thanks, I'll do that. I am worried that something bigger
is going to come along and eat the poor little thing. Do you know who his
predators are?

Heather


"K30a" wrote in message
...

hmmm. I'd let him be.
And, being soft hearted, I'd buy a bunch of
crickets and leave them where he seems to
hang out. Maybe a few mealworms...


k30a

On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 11:48:18 -0400, "Heather"
wrote:

Found a small toad 2" by the pond this morning. His front right leg looked
like it was either cut off part way down and had healed over or maybe
deformed. Hard to know. Also his back left leg was tucked under him. I
couldn't really see if there was a problem with it or not.

A 2" toad is nearly full grown, so he is doing well. He's probably the
victim of a lawn mower.

One summer there were so many tiny toads in my yard I hated to walk, much
less mow. I gave them a few days to find cover from the hot sun, and this
minimized the carnage.

Toads are under rated. They are voracious eaters of insect pests, and real
tough survivors. I found an adult toad that had fallen in my water shut-off
box, and he was skinny as a stick. He survived there a long time with only
an occasional bug and a few drops of water which is absorbed through the
skin.

Bob

Toads taste nasty but some birds will eat them and hognosed snakes and skunks
like them.

Cats will toy with them but Bob sounds right, a lawnmower might be the cause of
his injuries.


k30a

I didnt think toads had preds...

"Heather" wrote in message
...
Great idea K30a. Thanks, I'll do that. I am worried that something
bigger
is going to come along and eat the poor little thing. Do you know who his
predators are?

Heather


"K30a" wrote in message
...

hmmm. I'd let him be.
And, being soft hearted, I'd buy a bunch of
crickets and leave them where he seems to
hang out. Maybe a few mealworms...


k30a

Bob Adkins wrote:

Toads are under rated. They are voracious eaters of insect pests, and real
tough survivors. I found an adult toad that had fallen in my water shut-off
box, and he was skinny as a stick. He survived there a long time with only
an occasional bug and a few drops of water which is absorbed through the
skin.

I like toads. I have a terracotta toad house under some bushes that has
had the same occupant for the past two years (which is when I put it
there). I bought it as a garden decoation but you can also make an
effective toad house by truning a terracotta pot upside down if it has a
chunk taken out of the lip. Good way to make good use of a damaged pot.

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

Toads taste nasty but some birds will eat them and hognosed snakes and skunks
like them.

Cats will toy with them but Bob sounds right, a lawnmower might be the cause of
his injuries.


k30a

I didnt think toads had preds...

"Heather" wrote in message
...
Great idea K30a. Thanks, I'll do that. I am worried that something
bigger
is going to come along and eat the poor little thing. Do you know who his
predators are?

Heather


"K30a" wrote in message
...

hmmm. I'd let him be.
And, being soft hearted, I'd buy a bunch of
crickets and leave them where he seems to
hang out. Maybe a few mealworms...


k30a

Bob Adkins wrote:

Toads are under rated. They are voracious eaters of insect pests, and real
tough survivors. I found an adult toad that had fallen in my water shut-off
box, and he was skinny as a stick. He survived there a long time with only
an occasional bug and a few drops of water which is absorbed through the
skin.

I like toads. I have a terracotta toad house under some bushes that has
had the same occupant for the past two years (which is when I put it
there). I bought it as a garden decoation but you can also make an
effective toad house by truning a terracotta pot upside down if it has a
chunk taken out of the lip. Good way to make good use of a damaged pot.

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

Toads taste nasty but some birds will eat them and hognosed snakes and skunks
like them.

Cats will toy with them but Bob sounds right, a lawnmower might be the cause of
his injuries.


k30a

I didnt think toads had preds...

"Heather" wrote in message
...
Great idea K30a. Thanks, I'll do that. I am worried that something
bigger
is going to come along and eat the poor little thing. Do you know who his
predators are?

Heather


"K30a" wrote in message
...

hmmm. I'd let him be.
And, being soft hearted, I'd buy a bunch of
crickets and leave them where he seems to
hang out. Maybe a few mealworms...


k30a

Bob Adkins wrote:

Toads are under rated. They are voracious eaters of insect pests, and real
tough survivors. I found an adult toad that had fallen in my water shut-off
box, and he was skinny as a stick. He survived there a long time with only
an occasional bug and a few drops of water which is absorbed through the
skin.

I like toads. I have a terracotta toad house under some bushes that has
had the same occupant for the past two years (which is when I put it
there). I bought it as a garden decoation but you can also make an
effective toad house by truning a terracotta pot upside down if it has a
chunk taken out of the lip. Good way to make good use of a damaged pot.

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

On 11 Jul 2003 19:39:34 GMT, ESPMER (K30a) wrote:


Cats will toy with them but Bob sounds right, a lawnmower might be the cause of
his injuries.

Cats will usually not toy with them. Mostly kittens will. Most grown cats
have learned how evil they taste!

Bob

Maybe a cat caught him? I found a dead toad at the bottom of my water
garden, and one of his rear feet was missing. I doubt that either of my
pond-drinking dogs could have gotten him, unless they dropped a tennis ball
on him. (You know, dog carrying tennis ball gets thirsty, drops ball in
pond, drinks, attempts to retrieve ball from under bell fountain spray, etc.
to the amusement of pond's owners!)

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC


"Heather" wrote in message
...
Found a small toad 2" by the pond this morning. His front right leg
looked
like it was either cut off part way down and had healed over or maybe
deformed. Hard to know. Also his back left leg was tucked under him. I
couldn't really see if there was a problem with it or not.

Suggestions?

Thanks,
Heather
SW Ontario (Zone 5)