Frogs

[Saluki]

We have loads of frogs in our garden, and a toad living in my greenhouse. We have a small pond which is full of newts, but frogs only really need water for breeding, living conditions they far prefer nooks and crannies.. a nice pile of damp logs for example. You will hopefully find frogspawn in your pond next spring, but if you could make a wild corner of your garden with some old logs, rockery, and bushes they will prefer to set up home there.

We will be working on this at the weekend. I've found a nice plastic box to make a hedgehog house with. Hubster is going to cut an appropriately sized door in it then it's going up the garden, by the shed to be covered with sticks, leaves and stuff with a South facing doorway.

 

[Lisa21]

Mr Toad

 

[Gravity Aided]

I've had a toad in my garden for some years. He doesn't seem to mind when I turn over the soil and waken him, he just goes and lives in an overturned planting pot. He does a nice job of keeping insects of a harmful nature out of the garden. This toad, unlike the only other one I know of, does not own a car, which stands him in good stead with me.

 

[Paulus]

We've noticed that the frogs are hiding out in a dug out area that was under the old mattress and wondered if we used an old terracotta plantpot, semi submerged in the earth, near the new pond, would that make a nice home for them. Pond is under a bloomin' great Buddlea bush and by a 6' fence so nice and protected on 2 sides.

Plant pot home OK for frogs do you think or is there something better for them. Never had a frog pond before and the interweb is curiously quiet about frog housing.

This time of year the frogs will need a damp place, not necessarily a pond for hibernation. They only need a pond for the breeding season to lay their spawn in. The plant pots they are in seem adequate at the moment. They must be ok for a food source, or they would have moved on. By all means dig your pond, next spring they will find it, as well as other amphibians and insects. You will surprised what turns up.

 

[Speicher]

We will be working on this at the weekend. I've found a nice plastic box to make a hedgehog house with. Hubster is going to cut an appropriately sized door in it then it's going up the garden, by the shed to be covered with sticks, leaves and stuff with a South facing doorway.

I think that hedgehogs need a house with an "offset" doorway.

I cannot think how best to describe it. Imagine the hedgehog going in the front of the house, then he would turn left and go to the end of the front corridor, then turn right through another door at the end. This is so that Mr or Mrs Fox cannot put their front leg straight through and grab a sleeping hedgehog.

I think that somewhere on tinternet there are diagrams for what I mean. I think that someone on this forum put a link to a Miss Tiggywinkle site or similar.

You could probably put an L shaped piece of wood in your box for the "corridor".

 

[AndyRM]

Our younger son, Gravel took these during a trip to the Amazon in 2008.

The frog is in there somewhere

View attachment 60861

Nice camouflage - but here he is up close

View attachment 60862

He's quite a big chap

View attachment 60863

That's not a frog. That's Godzilla!

 

[Saluki]

[QUOTE 3363812, member: 9609"]last year when we decided to do something with the rear garden I decided to get some prices etc from pond experts ( i have a knackered back and didn't want to get involved) The first bloke that come round just seemed to be obsessed with streams / pumps / filtration - he really wasn't interested in just a pond saying it would just be a "stinky bog" when I pointed out our little pond in the front garden and said it was full of frogs, he just said "urghh then things" then went off in the huff - we never got a price from him. The next guy seemed to be struggling with the concept of no pump! but we did get a price off him £5,000 seriously 5k for a hole in the ground filled with water (there is a small wall included in that) He also wanted £1250 for a fence that I have done myself for £300.

Anyway, finally got round to the pond at he end of august, and just a little bit everyday and I am nearly ready for the liner. (the wall will be finished off dry stone style) it going to be a sort of infinity pool for birds and frogs.

the unfilled block in the wall is a drain, and the blue pipe at the rear will bring all the water from the roof into the pond. Its about 4½m in diameter. The liners are a shocking price a rubber one would be £500 or more, so I may just go for a poly liner for about £90

and this must be the 'stinky bog' in the front garden[/QUOTE]
Awesome. Just awesome. We are trying to find some boulders at a price that is affordable, we've looked at garden centres and B&Q and have had to have a bit of a lie down in a darkened room for a while. Your stinky bog is a thing of beauty. Sounds like your first quotee needed a good and hefty slap upside the head.

We are going to put a gravel path up our garden (we have the plastic path maker things from a customer) and will take up the grass in turf rolls and use them by the pond, as well as some logs that we have and are in the throes of cutting up. We want to try and make it nice and natural and inviting to various bits of wildlfe.
I have a heavy work week this week but we will set too again at the weekend.

 

[nappadang]

Paging @nappadang

Thanks @User13710.

 

[nappadang]

I think that hedgehogs need a house with an "offset" doorway.

I cannot think how best to describe it. Imagine the hedgehog going in the front of the house, then he would turn left and go to the end of the front corridor, then turn right through another door at the end. This is so that Mr or Mrs Fox cannot put their front leg straight through and grab a sleeping hedgehog.

I think that somewhere on tinternet there are diagrams for what I mean. I think that someone on this forum put a link to a Miss Tiggywinkle site or similar.

You could probably put an L shaped piece of wood in your box for the "corridor".

Perfect description of a tricky object.
Hogs will be looking to hibernate soon and will look favourably on a good, safe, warm site. @MartinQ has built some crackers and uploaded some pics.I'll try to link the thread when I get time

 

[MartinQ]

I think that hedgehogs need a house with an "offset" doorway. I cannot think how best to describe it. Imagine the hedgehog going in the front of the house, then he would turn left and go to the end of the front corridor, then turn right through another door at the end. This is so that Mr or Mrs Fox cannot put their front leg straight through and grab a sleeping hedgehog. I think that somewhere on tinternet there are diagrams for what I mean. I think that someone on this forum put a link to a Miss Tiggywinkle site or similar. You could probably put an L shaped piece of wood in your box for the "corridor".

From my very limited knowledge of this stuff (and there are plenty of better plans on the web), something like:

We just made them all out of bricks 'cause we had some spare from the neighbour's extension. The hogs should be reasonably cosy in something like this. Plenty of insulation is important and give them some food over the next few weeks to put on a bit weight. Our one(s) have a real passion for mealworms and drink more water than I originally thought they would. A few more pics at http://sites.google.com/site/hogsinchester

 

[davdandy]

I hate this thread.But somehow i keep having a look but from behind the sofa.These creatures are evil,destroy them at once.

 

[Saluki]

I hate this thread.But somehow i keep having a look but from behind the sofa.These creatures are evil,destroy them at once.

Nooooooo. Frogs are nice. Toads are evil, one of them gave my terrier toad poisoning when she decided to try and eat it. To be fair, the toad won as she's never tried to pick one up again.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

YEAH! WHO YOU LOOKING AT!!!!!

I think I may need to report someone for the use of capital letters!

 

[ianrauk]

I think I may need to report someone for the use of capital letters!

but it's not a thread header so YA BOO!!......

 

[Mrs M]

[QUOTE 3363812, member: 9609"]last year when we decided to do something with the rear garden I decided to get some prices etc from pond experts ( i have a knackered back and didn't want to get involved) The first bloke that come round just seemed to be obsessed with streams / pumps / filtration - he really wasn't interested in just a pond saying it would just be a "stinky bog" when I pointed out our little pond in the front garden and said it was full of frogs, he just said "urghh then things" then went off in the huff - we never got a price from him. The next guy seemed to be struggling with the concept of no pump! but we did get a price off him £5,000 seriously 5k for a hole in the ground filled with water (there is a small wall included in that) He also wanted £1250 for a fence that I have done myself for £300.

Anyway, finally got round to the pond at he end of august, and just a little bit everyday and I am nearly ready for the liner. (the wall will be finished off dry stone style) it going to be a sort of infinity pool for birds and frogs.

the unfilled block in the wall is a drain, and the blue pipe at the rear will bring all the water from the roof into the pond. Its about 4½m in diameter. The liners are a shocking price a rubber one would be £500 or more, so I may just go for a poly liner for about £90

and this must be the 'stinky bog' in the front garden[/QUOTE]
Lovely, would dearly love a pond in our garden but was worried about "stinkin bog"
This looks the biz!