Toadpole Invasion

[JAYS]

I built my pond about 10 years ago, and have a proliferation of frogs and spawn each year. The first frog appeared whilst the pond was only two weeks old and whilst it was still empty of all but water.
Only ever seen one toad in the garden in twenty years, although I suspect toads are more secretive.

I have just been told that the neighbour's kids have put a batch of tadpoles into my pond without my knowledge. Their mum told them to take them back where they came from but they chose the easier route. On examination it rather looks as if they may be toadpoles: very black compared with the tadpoles I already have. Obviously nothing I can do now about possible disease transmission, but they do look healthy enough.

My question is whether these new toadpoles will come to see my pond as their spawning ground in two or three years time? They will be welcome if they do, but the pond is only approximately 12 by 10 feet in size. The nearest toad breeding pond that I know of, maybe a mile away, is much larger, some 100 yards square, with a huge toadpole population....probably where the kids got theirs.

Will they out-compete the frogs? or vice versa? Or live harmoniously?

[moonpenny01]

Hi,
We have a small garden (30mx30m) and have many, many frogs and at least 3toads that I know of. We also have newts and Slow Worms and visiting Hedgehogs. I have found toadspawn in our small pond, but have never seen 'toadpoles', though this may be because we also have dragonfly larvae. As long as you've plenty of slugs and snails, you should be fine!

[dampflippers]

Yes, hopefully!
Toad tadpoles are black, and because they are usually laid later, are usually smaller than the brown frog tadpoles.
It will take a few years before any of them are big enough to breed, but hopefully enough will survive that long.
And yes- they will want to return to your pond rather than the spawing pond.

(Now the little lecture- because of the risk of spreading amphibian diseases, you should never transfer adult frogs or toads, and now they also recommend not transferring spawn or tadpoles either. That's a change from when they used to say you would be ok if it was from the same poscode area)

[JAYS]

Originally Posted by dampflippers

(Now the little lecture- because of the risk of spreading amphibian diseases, you should never transfer adult frogs or toads, and now they also recommend not transferring spawn or tadpoles either. That's a change from when they used to say you would be ok if it was from the same poscode area)

Not needed: the frogs found their own way to me: the toadpoles were introduced without my knowing of it...see original post. My postcode area comprises just 4 houses, with all their gardens being blessed with frogs visiting from my pond. My neighbour actually complained that MY frogs, blocked her washing machine drain when the soapy water killed them, causing her cellar to get flooded. I advised her to cover the access point with netting.