Providing cover. Toads are very wary of predators like birds, snakes, and house pets, and they will avoid areas where they are likely to be a meal. You can create cover by providing bushes and other leafy plants for toads to hide. [1] X Research source Avoiding chemicals. Toads, like all frogs, have thin skin and are susceptible to pesticides and herbicides in your garden. [2] X Research source Use organic gardening supplies including dirt, fertilizers, and pest- and weed-killers.
Toads like a quiet home, so choose a place where pets and children don’t run wild. A quiet corner of a yard is a nice place. [3] X Research source
Toads tend to prefer to be near lots of plants of various heights, so building your toad habitat as close to your garden beds as possible is best. You also want an area that is out of direct sunlight for a good part of the day, especially if you live in a hot and dry climate. To convert existing garden space, you will need to clear at least a square foot of space by pulling out a few plants. Choose an area in the garden that likes a lot of water, since your toad will need his area to be watered quite frequently. Unlike some garden plants, toads are not “drought tolerant. "
Toads reproduce by bodies of water like lakes or ponds, so having a small pond or ditch nearby on your property will make your yard a more welcoming home for a toad. [5] X Research source If you do not have a pond or other body of water nearby, you can use a large pot tray (the pie-pan shaped container that sits under a potted plant to catch the water that runs out). Dig a shallow depression in your garden and place this pot there, then pat the dirt around it into place so it sits securely flush with the ground around it. You can place flat rocks around the lip of the dish to keep it in place. Fill the dish with clean water. [6] X Research source
Try to include native wildflowers and plants of many types. One favorite among American toads is creeping veronica. [7] X Research source To find the correct vegetation for your part of the world, visit a local wetland and see what is growing near ponds.
Wooden boards, logs, and large rocks make nice areas of cover for a frog that also stay damp.
The most basic way to make a toad house is to purchase a medium sized terracotta pot and use a hammer to break a large chink out of the rim of the pot. Then, you will turn the pot upside down and place it in the frog habitat, so that the toad can access the pot using the hammered-out opening as an entryway. [9] X Research source You can also use a dremel saw or tile saw to cut a smoother opening in the pot if you’d like, and you can decorate the pot by painting it and gluing on small stones or broken tiles as you’d like. By watering the whole area including the toad house regularly, you can keep it moist inside for its lucky inhabitant.
Add smooth river stones around the water source, which make the space feel natural and also provide a place for bugs and insects to hide. Small garden figurines like gnomes or fairies are great accent pieces for a toad habitat, but avoid realistic-looking figurines that resemble toad predators like snakes, birds, or large wildlife. It’s important to keep the safety of the toads in mind, so you may want to avoid putting bird feeders, bird baths, or birdhouses near the toad habitat. Small toads are a favorite food for many birds, so toads are less likely to feel welcome and safe in a toad habitat that’s right next door to a bird habitat.
If you don’t get a resident in your toad habitat within a week or two, you might want to go to a local pond or wooded area and see if you can catch one. You can also purchase toads in pet stores, but it is not recommended to release domestic toads into yards. They may not be used to living in the wild and may not have the skills needed to survive.
Instruct older children to observe the toad house from a distance, and be sure to supervise younger children when they are in the yard. If you are unable to keep your pets from the area, you may need to construct a small fence around the toad habitat. Otherwise, toads are unlikely to make the habitat their home. You can gauge how comfortable the toads are in your presence by watching their behavior when you are gardening. If they don’t run from you, you may eventually find that you can touch or even hold them. Just take your time.
Because you must water the habitat frequently, it is important that the plants in the area prefer a lot of water to thrive. Otherwise, you may find that the frequent watering will drown the plants or encourage root rot. If you notice that the frequent watering harms the plants in the habitat, you’ll need to plant something else that tolerates more water.
Any type of small garden light will do the trick, but it should be no taller than three feet high. Install it on the periphery of the toad habitat, and keep it lit at night in the warm months whenever possible.
