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Pondless toads
Ashleigh 2
Posts: 256
The only pond in our street was filled in some years ago, we are planing to put one in soon. We still have toads in the garden but I haven't seen frogs or newts for about three years There are currently two pairs of toads wandering around the garden piggy-back style. Am I right in thinking that the female goes and spawns on her own after mating? and what do they do if there is no water? If I could get the pond done in a couple of weeks would we be too late for them to spawn this year?
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Those of a delicate disposition, please look away now !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Toads do not have penetrative sex, they pair up and go to their 'ancestral spawning pond' where the female lays strings of spawn into the water and the male on her back ejaculates sperm over the spawn, which fertilises it.
Your toads are looking for water - have you got an old sink or something you can fill with pondwater for them to use - they might just use it now.
They might wait for you to finish your pond - I don't know - but it needs to have pondweed and plants and mini-beasts in it for the tadpoles to feed on - you could go pond-dipping somewhere and bring some back and add to your pond to start it off but I don't know whether it would establish soon enough to raise a new batch of toads.
Poor toads
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks, I thought it was only frogs that actually mate in water. I'll put a plastic dustbin in a hole for now, I can buy daphnia and canadian pond weed at the pet shop will they do for tadpole food?
They don't need very deep water, 8" will be fine - but they do need water plants to wind the strings of spawn around.
The daphnia and Canadian Pond Weed will be fine - the aquatic dept of our GC had some Hornwort yesterday which is a UK native which would be even better if you can get it - don't let the Canadian stuff get into the open environment but it'll do if you can't get anything else.
Good luck!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks Dove
All the amphibians breed in water Ashleigh.
You might get some newts move in as well when you get your pond done
Then there's the insects that lay eggs in water and their larvae live there for ages. Dragonflies and damselflies and water beetles
Don't think about the mozzies too much, something will eat their larvae for you
In the sticks near Peterborough