Reptiles & Amphibians

@AngelaR - ask and ye shall receive - toadpole pictures, one from this year (the blurry dark and spotted one), and one from just after we put the liner in (light brown in bright sunlight).


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You are soooo lucky! I am hoping (finally) to get at least a small pond in shortly as it’s what I miss most from my UK house about being here. I don’t miss anything else as far as I can think :smiley:

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Can I refer you back to my friendly toad in the swimming pond?
He was there again yesterday when I went for my swim, in the water midway between the 2 corners and paddling away as if to climb out, but it is steep, even overhanging, there.

So I climbed in carefully, did another couple of lengths checking on him every time, I didn’t want to hurt him as I touched the end each time. Then I stopped to talk to him, right up close, he wasn’t a bit afraid, so I ventured a gentle stroke down his back. Still no fear so I put my finger in front of him and he took hold, very lightly. Emboldened and thinking that maybe he wanted to climb out I put my upturned palm underneath and gently lifted him from the water.

Then I noticed something I had missed before, where his left rear leg should be there was just a stump. ! It was not recent though, it was all healed over, so was he born like that, or has a snake taken it just as one I pictured some years ago tried unsuccessfully with a frog? I looked again at the close up photo, couldn’t see a leg or foot at all, just assumed before that it was tucked underneath him.

Anyway, he was happily sitting there on my hand, so I took him to the corner where I had first seen him and held it there and he slowly crawled off and settled into the crevice. I determined to check again on him later

He was still there last night, un-moving, he could get back in the water easily if he wanted to. He was so still that I feared the worst and gently stroked his back, he moved a little. Will check again this morning.

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Gone today, hopefully safely, but I am being careful where I walk knowing his penchant for hiding in liner folds. :astonished:

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