well, my goldies must like the toad eggs too as none visable in the pond the next day after I took a pailful out of the pond & I know MANY were still left in the pond. No tiny tadpoles in the pond a few days later either but the pailful was swarming with the little critters! I called rescue organizations & they all laughed (!?) & said to call Fish & Game. Well, Fish & Game said to dump the pail of little ones back in the pond for the goldfish to eat!!! I guess I will just let them develop & then place them in the gardens but Fish & Game said birds will eat them when they are small. Oh, now I wish I had not let the eggs hatch as that would have been the most humane thing to do... but now it is too late! A toad is a live creature & guess I may be silly but.. I can't see not trying now to get them to adult stage since I was responsible for letting them hatch! Since toads lay their eggs in ponds, how do they get out when they develop past tadpole stage... jump out? Don't think they could jump out of the pond though as the lip is rather high.

You all seem so knowledgeable about toads v frogs, may I ask a question. Do the toad ribbons foul the water? I had a tree frog lay eggs one year, got thousands of tadpoles, and it didnt bother my fish one bit. I have never had frogs again, but twice I have had toads spin their ribbons and within a week, the water became putrid. My fish began to die. I drained the pond but again the toad laid eggs. Luckily, I had not restocked the pond with fish because again the water became a foul, putrid, stinking pit. I dont want to kill these toads that keep showing up. Is there anyway to discourage them from laying eggs? Or am I wrong about cause and effect here?

BAD NEWS: The Giant Toad "...is probably the most widely introduced amphibian in the world. Agriculturalists released the Giant Toad (Bufo marinus) in attempts to control beetles that damage sugarcane, It readily adapts to backyard gardens and will accept food from fingertips. A milky secretion from the Giant Toad's parotoid glands is highly toxic; it will burn the eyes and may inflame the skin. A dog or cat that bites a Giant Toad will sicken and may die." The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians, page 393 GOOD NEWS: First of all, out of the 18 toad species that inhabit North America, only the Giant Toad is toxic to mammals. The other 17 species are completely harmless. Secondly, the range of the Giant Toad (Bufo marinus) is limited to the southern tip of Florida, extreme southern Texas, and Mexico. The two species that live in the mid-western States are the American Toad (Bufo americanus) and the Woodhouse's Toad (Bufo woodhousei), and they're beneficial to have around, particularly for gardeners. Thirdly, the Giant Toad is usually very easy to recognize due to its gigantic size. I lived in the Caribbean for two years and saw hundreds of them. I caught a granddaddy Giant Toad once and could hardly fit it into a wide mouth quart jar. You probably won't step on one without seeing it first. Hope this helps to ease your fears about toads. If you live in St. Louis, you should check with your agricultural agent, veterinarian or other knowledgeable authority to determine if Bufo marinus is inhabiting your area.

Oh those pics are a little scary. I believe I would be quite scared if I reached down into my garden an had that at close to my hand. About as scared as I would be to find one of Helen's snakes! I agree the story does sound sad at first but since they are becoming invasive maybe they should try to correct the problem. I don't think I could handle living in a country when they had so many deadly species. The place (name escapes me) where they have all of those snakes in the fields where they HAVE to work every day in those big holes. gives me chills to even think about it. I will stick w/what I am used to. good ole Ozark wildlife : ) At least I know what to be prepared for. Quite interesting. Bonnie