What snake burrow?

[eger]

Trouser Snake?

[Lucy&Ethyl]

Hi,

A toad lives in a hole near our sliding glass door. A month ago, a snake had it, so I dumped water on the snake and he let the toad go. I also saved this toad from dying in the pool filter. He's almost like a pet. Yesterday, I chased a snake twice from around the toad's hole. Would the toad be better off if I brought him inside and provided him with a large terrarium and a lot of food? I'd hate for a snake to get him and it seems like it's only a matter of time. My husband saved a toad from a snake in the back yard last week, so snakes are everywhere at this time. I realize that snakes have to eat, but I do not want a snake to get this toad again. I don't kill snakes, but I feel like it now. What should I do?

Thank You,
Sheryl

[HillCountryHotRodMan]

Originally Posted by Lucy&Ethyl

What should I do?

Sounds like a job for a roadrunner.... but he would eat both of them so never mind. LOL

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by Lucy&Ethyl

Hi,

A toad lives in a hole near our sliding glass door. A month ago, a snake had it, so I dumped water on the snake and he let the toad go. I also saved this toad from dying in the pool filter. He's almost like a pet. Yesterday, I chased a snake twice from around the toad's hole. Would the toad be better off if I brought him inside and provided him with a large terrarium and a lot of food? I'd hate for a snake to get him and it seems like it's only a matter of time. My husband saved a toad from a snake in the back yard last week, so snakes are everywhere at this time. I realize that snakes have to eat, but I do not want a snake to get this toad again. I don't kill snakes, but I feel like it now. What should I do?

Thank You,
Sheryl

There are a lot of things that can happen to toads. Snakes, pets, cars, etc. My daughter loves toads and would like to bring them all inside to be safe, but I think it's not kind to the toads to take them away from their natural habitat and from the company of other toads. They can also eat an amazing quantity of bugs each night, which helps with pest control in your yard.

So my daughter and I came up with a compromise. We filled one of our flowerbeds with large river rocks and created a small pond for the toads. The rocks provide hiding places and the pond gives them a place to hop in and cool off. We'll go outside after dark and see several toads hanging out in our little pond. They can still eat the bugs around the house.

If you do decide to bring in your toad, you probably need a pretty good-sized glass tank, at least a 20 gallon long tank, if not bigger. You'll need an area with water that you can change daily, or a larger water area with a filter. Toads need live bugs to eat, which means catching or buying bugs for him. And once you bring him in to live as a pet, he'll lose the skills to live in the wild, so you'd have to plan on keeping him long-term.

[HillCountryHotRodMan]

Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom

If you do decide to bring in your toad, you probably need a pretty good-sized glass tank, at least a 20 gallon long tank, if not bigger.

With a lid in case you have a cat. Learnt that one the hard way

[CBERRY]

Good afternoon, I wanted to respond to the first message regarding a light colored snake living within the ground. You are not imagining things and you are absolutely right. There are snakes that burrow in the ground which are light in color. I know this because I actually came in contact with them in the back yard of the home I am renting. San Antonio had received a lot of rain the past several months which stirred up a lot of wild life (snakes to be exact). One week I was out mowing my grass and I came across a small dead snake which was light brown on the top and pale white/light on the underside. The head was removed so I assumed a bird probably dropped it in the yard. It freaked me out a little but I took it as a one time incident and it was nothing I should be alarmed about. However, just yesterday I decided to mow the grass again because the steady amount of rain we had been receiving. I had bought my son a little playhouse which was in the back yard. I had placed little plastic stepping plates inside on the ground so he didn't have to step on the grass. I decided to mow the area where the house had been sitting so I moved it and lifted the plastic plates and when I did, I discovered 2 of those same baby snakes on the ground under the plates. I ran one of them over with a lawn mower and the other one managed to escape beneath the grass. Once I removed all of the plastic plates, I discovered small tiny holes in the ground. The snakes do exist but I do not know what kind they are. I have tried researching it online to determine whether they were poisonous or not but I am not really sure what kind of snake they are. They bare a resemblance to a yellow belly water snake (at least that is what I think it was called). Just be cautious because there are snakes that burrow in the ground, so just watch where step and what you lift.