> Will cats eat resident toads? or dogs?
> TIA,
> Nancy
It is doubtful that the cats will eat the toads because of the
secretion mentioned by someone else. They may bother them by playing with
them, but probably will cause no permanent harm.
And I am quite certain that the cats will NOT eat the dogs. Too big.
Paul
Richard wrote:
If I remember correctly, toads are territorial and will always try to
return to the same pond to breed. So it would be better to collect some
spawn, which is usually produced in far larger quantities than the host
pond can support. Your toadlets will then believe that your pond is "home"
and will return there to breed when mature. If you are feeling
particularly ethical, you could always return some of your toads' spawn to
the original pond in due course.
Anna
----------------
Anna Whelan
London, UK
a.whelan@ic.ac.uk
----------------
Thanks to all of you who passed along your ideas and wisdom regarding my
search for toads. Since quite a few of you asked me to keep you posted,
I thought I'd share what I've found with all of you:
It is not illegal (at least in Wisconsin) to take toads, tadpoles, or
eggs from ponds. It *is* illegal, however, to release any *purchased*
animals into the wild.
Anna's point about toads being territorial is very important; the
herpetologist I spoke with said that toads imprint on their
environment.
Now I need to get busy building a pond and when the temperatures get up
into the sixties, I'll be at the park listening for the toads' mating
calls, and looking for their eggs (toad eggs are in long "strands," frogs
eggs are in globs).
Thanks everyone!
Jeanne
