No snake but a toad!

[Clair]

I went outside last night to look at the lightning in the distance and nearly stepped on a big toad just like this one: http://www.zetnet.co.uk/~pm/photos/toad.jpg

sitting in the corner of the concrete steps to the garden.

I had a similar experience last year, similar looking toad, same area.

What are the chances of it being the same toad? What does it live on and where does it go during the day?

[hoverfrog]

we had a huge toad living in the concrete box thing that the water meter is in last year. Must have been more than one of them though, as this year we have dozens of them!

I just found four when clearing the remains of an old bonfire - sitting under lumps of wood.

Some of them are in the long grass round the compost heap too.

[plod]

I wish we had a lot of them; they could stuff themselves on our slug poulation.

[chris pp]

I thought that someone would have answered this by now, Clair. Common toads often visit the same places, have their "favorite places" and there is a reasonable chance that this is the same toad as last year. During the day they find shelter under almost anything and their food is mainly slugs, worms and insects, so quite handy to have around.

I'm sure that there are others around that you haven't seen.

Chris

[hoverfrog]

so what's the average life expectancy for a toad? We had one in the UK that reappeared for several years, and it sounds like it was the same one.

Do they have to get really big to eat those huge orange slugs?

[chris pp]

Up to 12 years for a male and 9 years for a female, I thinks all those males clambering all over them must take its toll.[blink]

I don't think that they ever eat those big orange jobs, in fact I think it's only the Belgians that do.

Chris

[hoverfrog]

the belgians or some sort of toad??? Dad was Belgian, and he didn't eat slugs (orange or not!) so I'm hoping it's taods, and has anyone got one to spare that eats gurt big orange slugs 'cos we've got lots :)

[Framboise]

We had a huge toad residing in our house when we bought it, how he got in there was a mystery but during the initial renovations he was ejected several times, along with the Loir who has since returned.

The first night we were able to sleep in the house there was no sign of Toady, so we thought he had finally got the hint and moved elsewhere, however next morning I noticed a small puddle on the floor beside the bed and there He was!   Sitting on my purse in my handbag, puffing his cheeks at me!!   Cheeky devil.   Since I was not too keen to remove the blighter from my bag, Husband picked him up and old Toady widdled all over his hand as if to say "That will teach you mate!", and although he has not been in the house since we fitted a new front door I don't leave my handbag on the floor any longer,  just in case............            (A thought.   Maybe he has smuggled himself back here in my bags instead?)

And frogs too.   I made Husband make a frog-ladder to allow the frogs to escape from the drainage basin where the roof gutters drop into the soakaway into the underground stream gulley, thence to the well.   Our neighbour thinks I am a loony worrying about the frogs drowning in the well,  but I spent ages fishing them out so now I don't need to fret about it, AND I have seen four froggies sitting on our patented "frog ladder" so it must work!