yorkiefan and all others who are reading this, I want to share a little about the seriousness of Bufo toads. They were brought to Hawaii as well as Florida in 1930s to eat bugs in cane fields. They do mainly come out at night, so that's a good time to go hunting for them and dispose of any you find. We scoop them into a 5 gallon bucket with a rake and put the lid on. If we catch several, we transfer to a trash can lined with a trash bag. Then I dump some Clorox bleach on them.... kills them quickly. (sorry the recommended "humane euthanasia" called for in the article of putting them in the freezer for 3 days is just not going to happen here, it's gross).
Meika died within 1 hour of coming in contact with a Bufo at 2:30 in the afternoon, even though I discovered it quickly and immediately washed her foaming mouth out with water. She died on my lap in the car on the way to the vet. I really think she stumbled across a sleeping Bufo in the daytime, and she was startled and bit before thinking what it was. She would also react this way to a mouse or bird, so it is not surprising, nor something I could have trained out of her. So just know that they can be found in the daytime too.... usually sleeping.
My gardeners are on alert now and look for Bufos around plants and bushes every week. We have only caught 2 since March, but will never quit looking. They especially like moisture, so after a rain, or wherever there are sprinklers, or a fish pond.... they will be there.
So happy Cookie is ok. |