at this time of year.. they go in and out of the ground ... so my best suggestions is:

>>>> LEAVE IT ALONE please dont kill it with to much love ....

he has presumably been there all summer... what makes you think he cant fend for himself the rest of the year ...

they bury themselves as deep as they need.. for the winter ... like they have for eons .... no need for you to start 'thinking out' his strategies.. and trying to improve on it ...

ken

If it's a large one, it's probably a she...and she will be fine where you put her, as Ken said, and finds it comfortable enough to stay there for a while. The toads here are stilling feeding at night and hiding during the day. When we take the dog out for the last walk of the evening, there's usually at least one toad per street light(feeding on attracted bugs), and one or two just outside our door, especially if the outside light is on. We're always careful where we walk at night so we don't squish them(although they can move pretty fast if needed). It's amazing that they can dig deep enough to survive the the winters here.

This past spring, I was planting my WS babies and my shovel cut through a toad. I about cried.

I found another tiny tiny one on a walk and carried it home to replace the one I'd killed.

During the summer, I spotted a garter snake in the same bed. I figured no way would that toad have grown enough to fend off the snake.

Recently, I spotted a HUGE toad - I guess a she - and tell myself it's the one I'd brought home. I've since purchased a large terra cotta pot to cut in half and then partially bury, creating two toad houses - in case "she" finds a buddy. I may be too late this year, for toads to take up residence in my toad houses, but this post gave me the nudge I needed to actually cut the pot in half (after soaking in water) and also gave me chuckle because I'd be googling as well - what to do with an uprooted garden friend.

Aaah, I see - didn't know toads "play dead". Very informative post, Tophie - thanks! (yep, it was a Bufo)

Well, I went to check on him when I got home late this afternoon, and he's gone. So he's either relocated himself, or the cat relocated him...

A friend gave me a glazed terra cotta "toad house" years ago and I put it in the garden area or in between containers every year. This year was the first time a toad moved in...I was so happy! I think she liked it because I put a shallow dish of soil under it, and it's on the side of the building that gets afternoon shade.

I'm sure if he needs to he'll rebury himself. Just leave him to do it. He's the only one who knows best the way he likes it. :)

mxk3 you're very welcome and glad the info was helpful. I wouldn't worry about your cat having eaten the toad either, because most likely your cat will avoid toads due to that toxin-secreting gland toads have.

We just spotted the same species of toad hanging out in the moss by our hosta a while back... probably looking for its breakfast. Toads are cool because they eat slugs, which is great if you grow a lot of hosta and such...

I have toads do that in my greenhouses, lol. When I find them in there, buried down in a hole, I am just careful not to harm them. Sometimes they disperse themselves when I irrigate. Can you tell I don't use a bunch of chemicals?

They often return to the same hole if you don't mess with them too much. I had an old Tom cat, my mouser, who was dumb enough to eat a toad each spring and get very sick. He remembered all summer not to eat any more, but come spring he always did it again. LOL. He finally passed away at seventeen, but not from toad eating.

I have seen a lot of toads this year while gardening, in comparison to other years, must have been a good season for them:)

Absolutely not dead !!! Just hibernating.. I done the same thing lol so i just covered him back up .