Quote Originally Posted by mightymousemom View Post
Thanks for the responses. Yes, I live in South Florida-Naples area. So, are you saying they are invasive here?

I have 8 yr old twins that love to play in the yard and try catching these guys, are they dangerous for them? Not sure what to do about them.

Pls advise.

Yeah. They were introduced into Florida from S. america to control sugar cane beetles. They get huge (the size of a salad bowl), and ate everything but the beetles-including native frogs and toads. They can outcompete most of the natives, and toxins they produce in the skin are nasty enough to cause serious damage to a person. Not really a problem if the toad feels safe, but if they are agitated enough they can squirt poison from the large glands in their shoulders up to a few meters. If this gets into the eyes it can be extremely painful, and may cause temporary blindness. Same if the kid does not wash their hands and then rubs their eyes. If ingested the poisons can potentially be fatal.

If you have a curious dog, it is also best to kill the toad, because if the dog picks up the toad, the dog will probably die.

Best to just kill them...