Frogs in water butt...advice

scholesy · #1 (**permalink**) 27-07-2006, 09:00 AM

Hi.

A colleague at work has just been asking my advice on a frog related matter.

She has found two frogs in her garden water butt. They have been there a while, and are apparentley getting bigger. Must be feeding on insects and such that fall or land in water.

Its an open top water butt with no over hanging drain pipes or run-off into it. She was at a bit of a loss as tohow they got in there in first place.

She isn't aware of any nearby garden with a pond, but odds are that there will be one pretty close.

Has any one else out there had a similar occurance?

What should she do?
She was wondering whether to fish them out and release them under a hedge or something.

Are the frogs ok where they are?

Will they get out when they want (when weather gets wetter for instance)?

Any advice would be appreciated .

Cheers
Paul

Alan · #2 (**permalink**) 27-07-2006, 09:04 AM

Try draping something over the side. They'll probably leave of their own accord then.

nightshade · #3 (**permalink**) 27-07-2006, 09:23 AM

Float something on top to give them a resting platform,and a leg up if they want to leave,if you are not happy just take them out and release them elsewhere in your garden

Mr Mag00 · #4 (**permalink**) 27-07-2006, 01:48 PM

I'd probably leave them im there for a while until this dry weather breaks!! we might want to get in too!

catalaze · #5 (**permalink**) 27-07-2006, 05:20 PM

It probably is best to fish them out as adult frogs don't usually stay in water year round. A decent-sized kitchen sieve might do if you haven't got a net. However they got in, it doesn't sound as if they can get out or I doubt they'd be regularly seen.

It would be best to release them into an area of long grass, where the conditions are likely to be moist, rather than the bottom of a hedge. If you can transport them to somewhere near a pond, or ditch with clean water and vegetation, so much the better, as if they haven't been able to leave the water butt, a period of acclimatisation might be needed. Evening would be a good time to do this as it will give them a few cooler hours to adjust.

If you need to transport the frogs, put them in some sort of container with very wet grass, cotton wool, cloth or similar in the bottom to keep them wet and stop them sliding around!

Digifrog · #6 (**permalink**) 10-08-2006, 02:14 PM

Paul

If at all possible, now is the time to build a small pond in the said garden space.
Catalaze's advice is good, wet grass (wetted by water from the butt) to transport them (tho not too far) to areas of long grass and shade. How high is the water butt? I can assure you that the frogs would like to leave the butt at intervals but if it's too high they might be unable to. Similarly they would obviously like to be able to return to a water pool. Personally, I would take the oppertunity to create a small pond and a small habitat (areas of long grass, piles of stones and/or logs of wood) somewhere in partial sunlight. You can oxygenate the pond with Crespa (or other submerged oxygenating plants) if you can't afford a pump. This way you can sit back and enjoy watching the frogs' lives unfold in front of you.

to help...

A larger example of what to do

Good luck. If you need any advice on how to make a frog friendly pond, please feel free to ask.

Tinkerbell · #7 (**permalink**) 10-08-2006, 03:32 PM

Thanks for the advice so far Digifrog. An interesting exercise for the summer holidays methinks.

Tink

Digifrog · #8 (**permalink**) 10-08-2006, 06:35 PM

Welcome of course. 1 in 10 UK gardens have a pond, most of these keep fish which is of course no good. I would like to see 1 in 4 gardens in the UK to have a pond and of course fish free. We humans have badly fragmented frog (& other wildlife) havens, and is of course only right to pay nature back with what we can. Hedgehogs, for example only ever feed in gardens, you will be very lucky to see hedgehogs in the wild countrside.

nightshade · #9 (**permalink**) 10-08-2006, 07:50 PM

Hi Digifrog,I have several fish some large and some small.The pond has a number of Frogs and Toads that have been thriving there for a number of years ,they support the occasional Heron and at least one Grassnake.The last time I drained the pond there were around 100 Frogs and Toads give or take!
A second similar pond adjacent to the first attracted only 4 frogs,and was incorperated into the original eventually

Digifrog · #10 (**permalink**) 11-08-2006, 06:29 PM

Hi there. That's great. You must have a decent sized pond to hold such a diverse range of lives. Myself, I only have a small pond, and I would ask others who would wish to incorporate a 'small' pond in their small garden space , like mine, to deter from placing fish in it, and leave it for our own indigenous wildlife to inhabit it naturally. I have about 6 frogs in my pond

plus probably a few others around in the grass. It's an open house.

www.froglife.org (a registered charity)