Are toads coming in through my toilet? (roof, drains, bathtub)
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My house is built into the side of a hill. I don't use the downstairs much; it has 2 bedrooms and a full bath and living area. It used to be occupied by the elderly parents/in-laws of the couple who lived here before and the space certainly comes in handy when DS, DDIL and the kids come to visit. I clean it every 2 weeks. I leave the toilet lid up but never really thought about it.
Last fall, I noticed little black/brown droppings on the edge of the toilet bowl and a toad sitting in the bathtub. I know they're small and harmless, but they make my skin crawl. It was still alive so I trapped it in a plastic container and let it go outside.
Today I found another one- droppings IN the toilet bowl and a few on the edge at the bottom, and a toad sitting on the edge of the bathtub. OK, that one is also outside and I've cleaned up, but those things are creepy and I don't want to see another one. Not sure how DDIL and/or my granddaughters (ages 5 and 2) would handle another visitor although I don't think DS would care. (And he has the bad habit of leaving the seat up.)
So- are they coming in through the toilet? If so, even keeping the lid closed means I could end up finding one drowned in the bowl. again.
My house is built into the side of a hill. I don't use the downstairs much; it has 2 bedrooms and a full bath and living area. It used to be occupied by the elderly parents/in-laws of the couple who lived here before and the space certainly comes in handy when DS, DDIL and the kids come to visit. I clean it every 2 weeks. I leave the toilet lid up but never really thought about it.
Last fall, I noticed little black/brown droppings on the edge of the toilet bowl and a toad sitting in the bathtub. I know they're small and harmless, but they make my skin crawl. It was still alive so I trapped it in a plastic container and let it go outside.
Today I found another one- droppings IN the toilet bowl and a few on the edge at the bottom, and a toad sitting on the edge of the bathtub. OK, that one is also outside and I've cleaned up, but those things are creepy and I don't want to see another one. Not sure how DDIL and/or my granddaughters (ages 5 and 2) would handle another visitor although I don't think DS would care. (And he has the bad habit of leaving the seat up.)
So- are they coming in through the toilet? If so, even keeping the lid closed means I could end up finding one drowned in the bowl. again.
What about putting something heavy over or in the toilet drain (glass dish, jar, a rubber stopper?) to prevent them from coming up out of it? You don't use that toilet very often right? Easy enough to move it if you need to. Possible they could also come out of the tub drain too. Close the stopper to see.
Learn about toads...so you won't be so grossed out by them. No reason to despise or fear them. Many species need our help and they help control unwanted insect pests.
It's not completely clear to me HOW a toad could get into the sanitary sewer. It's supposed to be a closed system except for roof vents and service manholes.
I guess that once the toad gets into the sewer, it can swim and occasionally go underwater (I expect toads can stay underwater for a long time) and surface in the toilet bowl. The thing to ask is, why more than one toad is coming up here? It seems to me that there's got to be some kind of incorrect path into the sewer, and probably close to your house. Are storm drains or lawn drains somehow improperly connected to the sanitary sewer? Has the riser of one of your vent stacks come loose allowing the toads to enter the sewer pipe? Is there some point where a toad could (how???) easily get into the rooftop vent of a vent stack?
The point of finding out where they are getting in, is that they should NOT be able to get into the sanitary sewer, so that indicates that there's something open that shouldn't be; because twice in the same toilet implies to me that they're coming in very near the house, not way down where the sewage treatment plant is.
As to the animals themselves they are completely harmless to humans (though you shouldn't lick their skin). When I see a toad somewhere it shouldn't be, I pick it up and carry it to my garden where it can help me by eating insects and slugs. The only thing is that sometimes when you pick them up they'll pee on your hands. That's what we have soap and water for.
I don't find toads creepy at all. Actually I have quite an affection for them. Didn't you ever read "The Wind in the Willows"?
I understand that toads have a purpose in this world, which is why in both cases I captured them and set them free. It's probably also a good idea to use the toilet occasionally; the exercise of going up and down the stairs will be good for me, and it's probably good to keep the water circulating anyway. I can weight down the cover when not in use and also close the bathtub drain.
If I find another one I'll definitely have a plumber check the vent stack.
I understand that toads have a purpose in this world, which is why in both cases I captured them and set them free. It's probably also a good idea to use the toilet occasionally; the exercise of going up and down the stairs will be good for me, and it's probably good to keep the water circulating anyway. I can weight down the cover when not in use and also close the bathtub drain.
If I find another one I'll definitely have a plumber check the vent stack.
Weighing down the LID won't keep them from drowning in the bowl.
I suspect that this is an old house and the sewer pipe has collapsed in some place, with drainage going through the gap in the soil. It might collapse and block the drainage and the expense could be high to rebuild it. The toads are just a symptom of that. A company like Roto-Rooter could run a camera on a cable through it and discover what has happened to the pipe. Whatever you do, don't sit on that toilet, unless you want to get warts in the worst possible place.
It's not completely clear to me HOW a toad could get into the sanitary sewer. It's supposed to be a closed system except for roof vents and service manholes.
It might depend on whether it is a septic system or a public sewer system
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I know they're small and harmless, but they make my skin crawl. It was still alive so I trapped it in a plastic container and let it go outside.
