Toad Tub Gets Upgrade

[Greatballzofire]

toad tub with black landscape edging.

With wire lid off.

Bolted on with nuts, washers and bolts. I joined the landscape edging ends together at the top by inserting a length of half inch pvc irrigation tubing into the top bead.

A bead of weatherstripping to close tiny gap some of them thought interesting enough to try to squeeze through. Not a chance with these big fatties but I didn't want to take a chance someone would get his head stuck.


This a a funky but practical solution for my ten California toads. Now I can put deeper soil and yet still provide some head space. With deeper soil they can overwinter in the greenhouse. I have an indoor outdoor thermometer with the outdoor probe inserted into the soil to monitor the temperature. They have an "organic" odor which is fine outside but in the house might not be so pleasant., so I am hoping they can live in my greenhouse. If it gets too cold I will of course bring them in and put them back in their original cement mixing tub, which is smaller.

[SethD]

Looks good, with that sort of setup, overwintering outside, and being nice and fat I wouldn't be surprised if they spawn for you in the spring.

[Greatballzofire]

Looks good, with that sort of setup, overwintering outside, and being nice and fat I wouldn't be surprised if they spawn for you in the spring.

They would have to spawn in the water bowl, unless I give them a yet larger tub. A used small above ground pool would be awesome! Gotta watch Craig's List, etc!

[SethD]

They would have to spawn in the water bowl, unless I give them a yet larger tub. A used small above ground pool would be awesome! Gotta watch Craig's List, etc!

The water bowl looks big enough, that is why I said that. What size is it, about a foot across?

[Rat The Unloved]

I'd look into making them a tin and wood structure. It could be partially set into the ground, mulched heavily on all sides, framed in and have a heavy screen/hardware wire lid or lids. With tin you'd also have less to worry about from raccoons. Maybe even line the bottom with wood to prevent digging. Inside you could apply expanding foam and concrete to create insulation and visual interest.

You could also include one or two small, preformed, ponds like a whiskey barrel liner, or a "flexi" form like the Willowfly. That would create an area large enough for soaking -and- spawning.

Then again, I like huge projects. Other folks might run screaming from something like that.

[Greatballzofire]

The water bowl looks big enough, that is why I said that. What size is it, about a foot across?

It's 14 inches across. I guess if I see amplexus going on I can remove the egg strings to another container. If eggs had to become tadpoles in their water bowl the water would soon be a mugwump mess what with all the traffic and pooping in the bowl.

[Greatballzofire]

I'd look into making them a tin and wood structure. It could be partially set into the ground, mulched heavily on all sides, framed in and have a heavy screen/hardware wire lid or lids. With tin you'd also have less to worry about from raccoons. Maybe even line the bottom with wood to prevent digging. Inside you could apply expanding foam and concrete to create insulation and visual interest.

You could also include one or two small, preformed, ponds like a whiskey barrel liner, or a "flexi" form like the Willowfly. That would create an area large enough for soaking -and- spawning.

Then again, I like huge projects. Other folks might run screaming from something like that.

That sounds like a good plan. I had planned on building them a wooden box like a raised planter box (how I grow my vegetables), using 1 x 12 inch lumber and corner bracing. The lid would be like the lid that is on the tub. The bottom would be wood. It would be lined with heavy duty plastic. My only problem is figuring out where to put a thing that would be about 4 x 8 feet in size. I like to see my toads in the front garden so the box will probably go there. I plan on having it off the ground a few inches on bricks so the bottom does not rot out. I want it to be easy to clean, too, just shovel out the old dirt and hose it out and put new soil.

I already have the perfect spawning tub, a black plastic tub 2 feet wide and 6 inches deep, which is currently the tadpole tub for the tree frogs who live around my above ground pool. I put some big rocks in the tub so the tads have something to climb onto as they become froglets. For the toads a graduated slope of stones so they could climb in and out would work pretty good.

Now I just need to go buy the materials. Argh! $$$$$!!!