Toads in tortoise enclosure.

I have been noticing toads in my sulcata’s enclosure at night when I water the grass. Is it safe to let them be? I know their skin can be toxic, but I so foresee my sulcata trying to hunt them.

I get these too. I remove them for two reasons: 1. They are toxic, and the tortoises very well might try to eat one if given the opportunity. 2. They sit in my tortoise water pans and defecate. As if their skin toxins aren't leaching into the water wasn't bad enough, they leave giant encapsulated turds!

Tom said:

I get these too. I remove them for two reasons: 1. They are toxic, and the tortoises very well might try to eat one if given the opportunity. 2. They sit in my tortoise water pans and defecate. As if their skin toxins aren't leaching into the water wasn't bad enough, they leave giant encapsulated turds!

Click to expand...

Thanks, I will start removing them.

Well crap! I am overloaded with toads! Everywhere! I have never considered moving them.. ( I have never seen a toad turd either ... or recognized it if I did..) I did know that they were toxic for my dogs but apparently my dogs know it too... I can easily catch them and relocate but how do I make my habitat less inviting for them? I think I live in toad paradise!

EllieMay said:

... ( I have never seen a toad turd either ... or recognized it if I did..) ...

Click to expand...

They look like poo from wee teeny itsy tiny cats.

Very adorable.

You know, for poo.

ZenHerper said:

They look like poo from wee teeny itsy tiny cats.

Very adorable.

You know, for poo.

Click to expand...

Well then my toads must be huge because their poop sure is...lol

EllieMay said:

Well crap! I am overloaded with toads! Everywhere! I have never considered moving them.. ( I have never seen a toad turd either ... or recognized it if I did..) I did know that they were toxic for my dogs but apparently my dogs know it too... I can easily catch them and relocate but how do I make my habitat less inviting for them? I think I live in toad paradise!

Click to expand...

I've never seen a toad turd either. I guess I'm lucky so far. Also, Saphire is a total vegan but the little ones I find usually exit his enclosure asap. They take up residence around my back door or in the lower area of our backyard. I only see 2 or 3 a year if that. Interesting.

Cathie G said:

I've never seen a toad turd either. I guess I'm lucky so far. Also, Saphire is a total vegan but the little ones I find usually exit his enclosure asap. They take up residence around my back door or in the lower area of our backyard. I only see 2 or 3 a year if that. Interesting.

Click to expand...

I open the door at night and there may be 5 on the length of my sidewalk... and then there was the one on steroids that came in the doggie door!

EllieMay said:

I open the door at night and there may be 5 on the length of my sidewalk... and then there was the one on steroids that came in the doggie door!

Click to expand...

I had a giant one at my house too that I named grandpa because of how huge/old he was (im assuming old because of how large he was)

He would chill under my garage light and eat the June bugs so I decided he could stay since he was doing us a very valuable service. I hate those bugs...

EllieMay said:

I open the door at night and there may be 5 on the length of my sidewalk... and then there was the one on steroids that came in the doggie door!

Click to expand...

I remember your toad on steroids. That was funny. It brought back memories of the darn toad that chased me onto the kitchen counter top. I guess s/he was trying to sit on my lap and I wasn't having it.?

The really big ones are the Mommas.





And the solution is: snakes!

ZenHerper said:

The really big ones are the Mommas.





And the solution is: snakes!

Click to expand...

Haha we had a lot of those too because we lived in the country and the farmers would do the big field mows and all the little creatures would come to our house... even the giant wolf spiders and their millions of babies attached to their backs ?. I love snakes. I don't love giant spiders. ??

Yes. Bearing wolf spiders have a knack of getting up in the crack of a doorway. Some varieties verge on the size of temperate tarantulas. lol

We are a species on our own with those fur balls...

Toads love to hide in the back of my russian tortoise burrows. If i get rid of them they just keep coming back. I guess they don't really cause a problem.

ZenHerper said:

The really big ones are the Mommas.





And the solution is: snakes!

Click to expand...

Interesting... So toads are a snake snack?

Cathie G said:

Interesting... So toads are a snake snack?

Click to expand...

Oh, yes. And large enough toads will eat small enough snakes.

It's a long-standing feud.



Food.



Food feud...

ZenHerper said:

Oh, yes. And large enough toads will eat small enough snakes.

It's a long-standing feud.



Food.



Food feud...

Click to expand...

That's even more interesting. All the toads living around my home that I've seen are little ones or a little older. Even though I live in the city, I live close to a small river and I see a lot of different wildlife. I've not seen a large snake but it wouldn't surprise me. Also, I've always thought most other animals won't eat them. And possibly the type of toads here are a small type. In other words who's eating my pet toads?!☺

Cathie G said:

That's even more interesting. All the toads living around my home that I've seen are little ones or a little older. Even though I live in the city, I live close to a small river and I see a lot of different wildlife. I've not seen a large snake but it wouldn't surprise me. Also, I've always thought most other animals won't eat them. And possibly the type of toads here are a small type. In other words who's eating my pet toads?!☺

Click to expand...

You need coyotes!

I've seen box turtles chase toads, trying to eat them. They usually give up, but once I did see one chowing down on a toad carcass. Box turtles seem to have some bit of immunity to toxins. I read a story of how Indians would not consume box turtles because knew the turtles frequently ate toxic mushrooms, hence they were dangerous to eat. Lore or fact? No idea...

There are hundreds of types of toads. Most aren't toxic. The majority just have a numbing secretion around the neck area. I had a dog that ate hundreds of toads... but just the back half. Was gross. Had to bin bit-in-half corpses... it was either that or mowing them... which was even more gross. Usually toads will just cause excessive drooling and vomiting in dogs and cats. Don't know of any cases of torts ingesting a toad.

Look into the species in your area. A google of "__your_state__ amphibians" will often give you a list of species commonly found in your area. Invasive species like Cane toads in Florida and eastern texas can be a problem and can cause death. Most Torts and turtles won't be able to bring down a living toad or frog, but they will happily scavenge from a dead one or an injured one.