Reptile & Amphibian Forums

THE CHRONICLE (San Francisco, California) 13 September 03 Touching a toad may be hazardous -- to it, not you (Barbara Caswell)
I feel pure childish delight when I spot a toad in the garden, and I'm sure the neighbors are much amused when they hear me sing out: "Froggy!" and jump around like the animal I see.
When kids visit, we give a toad tour, and they unconsciously mimic him, too: squatted down with a broad grin. To judge from the clay toad houses and bug- eyed garden sculptures available everywhere, the charm of the toad is widespread.
We've been delayed in planting a path edge, and finally noticed that every little pit along the concrete base was a miniature cave housing a tiny toad or frog, the happy result of building a pond last year.
As each female lays up to 8,000 eggs, there were many thousands of tadpoles that gradually developed legs and metamorphosed shortly after Easter. In the weeks that followed, we had to watch our steps because there were little hopping dark spots everywhere in the evenings. Their numbers were so great that our lawn man stopped using the mower in certain areas, fearing mass slaughter.
Frogs and toads are important in the garden, not only as insect eaters, but also as the sign of a healthy environment. Because chemicals are absorbed right through the skin of amphibians, a large population of them shows that your soil is in good shape, and their decline marks the degradation of your garden soil.
Now that I know where they live, I watch more closely and find that as soon as the sun goes down, they all appear simultaneously at their dirt cave entries, gawking with their funny golden eyes.
The more kids see and play with toads and butterflies, the more interest and affection they develop for wild things, but of course, you want their play to be respectful observation, not torture.
And toads and frogs are easily tortured. Not only do all wild things find our interest in them frightening and the feel of our hands disgusting, but amphibians have soft bodies and delicate, absorbent skin. You might think it's OK to pick up a frog because your hands are "clean," but if you've used soap, sunscreen or lotion, it may be excruciating to the animal. Frogs have been used in cosmetic testing for just that reason. Also boding ill for frog futures is the way they grow, as toads and frogs develop in transparent egg sacs or strings, clearly displaying the effects of scientific experimentation.
Frogs don't "drink"; they absorb water and oxygen through their skins, so touching their skin may feel like someone handling your lungs. They also have the unusual trait of swallowing with their eyes sinking down, which forces down their food, and they blink whenever they catch a bug with their long tongues.
When we water the sidewalk, the toads (either annoyed or excited because they think it's raining -- we don't know which) come waddling out. It's lots of fun to observe the differences between the fat Western toads with stripes up their backs and the pale beige, smooth tree frogs, much slimmer and jumping like fleas, sticking easily to the siding of the house. This year's toad babies are now about 2 inches long, but I've only seen one of the mature 5- inch size.
Pool owners know that the chlorinated water they swim in quite comfortably is lethal to frogs. The chemically treated water passes right through their skins, bloating and killing them. It helps to leave a floating toy in your pool, so they can get out of the water. For your own well-being, as well as frogs', you should use chlorine carefully.
At the toadlet size, they are a delicious bird snack. Once I was weeding with my ducks "helping," and I looked up upon hearing a tiny shriek. I was dismayed to see a toad struggling in a duck bill, and sure enough, the duck was startled enough to drop him!
Toads bury themselves during the day where it's moist, and if you have healthy soil, I'll bet there's one under every leaky garden faucet. You can find him by gently digging about, although you might make him mad. I confess: I love to make toads come out so kids can see them, but it unquestionably interferes with toad happiness.
-- Toads like to site their homes at the base of walls, avoiding the wide open spaces that expose them, so spraying your foundation for insects kills the very creature that would be eating them. Once I washed windowsills with a cleaning solution, and the drip line brought out a toad or two, and I found one dead two hours later.
-- It is actually illegal to capture tadpoles to raise, but many do anyway. Be aware that tadpoles in an aquarium often develop very poorly and may not survive for long.
-- For toads, dampness is essential, and a pond even better. Toads wedge themselves into hiding places by inflating internal air sacs, so rocky hiding places help protect them from bird beaks.
Touching a toad may be hazardous -- to it, not you

This is why I always have my daughter wash her hands BEFORE handling our toads. Aswell as after.
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How to get your wife to like toads; 1.Get a male toad. 2.Get him to hug your wifes wrist (amplexus). 3. Tickle him so he chirps in protest. 4.Say "Awww, he likes you". Note; Make sure he pees first or you may receive bodily harm during this procedure.

In part, the article says...

"You might think it's OK to pick up a frog because your hands are "clean," but if you've used soap, sunscreen or lotion, it may be excruciating to the animal."

Toads should never be handled, but if you must let your kids touch them (and only rarely) you have to make sure their hands are rinsed free of ALL soap and thoroughly soaked in declorinated water first.

I would hope that anyone writing in this forum would know better than to handle any amphibian with contaminated hands. I've had toads for decades. Both rehabing and as pets and I have never lost one. Clean hands are a must (duh). Toads live in a pretty hostile environment. They are a little tougher than alot of people think. We don't handle babies at all. But our adults (even rehabs) get handled quite a bit. I recently took in a baby (1/2" american that had been handled to the point of near death. It wasn't moving, and wouldn't even retract a limb if it was staightend. Two days later and he was hopping about chasing fruit flies. I don't recommend handling them if you haven't washed your hands properly. If you think you may harm your toad by handling him/her, don't do it. But to suggest that mearly picking one up, or even touching one will cause it great harm borders on paranoia.
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How to get your wife to like toads; 1.Get a male toad. 2.Get him to hug your wifes wrist (amplexus). 3. Tickle him so he chirps in protest. 4.Say "Awww, he likes you". Note; Make sure he pees first or you may receive bodily harm during this procedure.