I've found a frog and we don't have a pond.

[Marthaclematis]

I found 'her' (I think it is, its a biggie) whilst clearing some weeds. We don't have a pond and neither do our neighbours. I called dh to 'come and see Mr Toad' - I thought it was a toad at first, and he picked it up and put it in the rain filled tupperware, half full of mud and Lord knows what at the back near the shed. We also put a bit of old bookcase shelf in there so she could climb out. I have no idea really if we've done the right thing, but if we'd left her where she was the cats would have had her for sure. Or a fox.
Now we've decided to dig a hole and put the tupperware in it, creating a sort of pond. A keen gardener friend of ours said that just two weeks after making his pond it was teeming with life... "Build it and they will come". Does anyone have any experience of mini-pond life and whether we should go ahead. We have two cats, I don't want to encourage things into the garden just so they can die for their amusement. I'm already musing about my decision to build a woodpile to encourage stag beetles - I screamed and ran like a girl the first time I saw one. Also, please forgive my ignorance - can frogs drown? Its just that the piece of wood we put in for it to climb out on is laminated and slippy. We do hope to find something more suitable, maybe some big stones from the garden centre,

[rustylady]

Don't worry, just enjoy having a frog. They actually only need ponds to breed in, otherwise they're quite happy with somewhere cool and damp(ish) - a logpile, or dense shrubbery. Yes they can drown, and your frog may not appreciate being given a bath!! They're quite self-sufficient, and an adult frog will probably outwit your cats. I only used to have problems with the cat trying to catch baby frogs (and yes I did have a pond they bred in a long time ago). I now live in a rented cottage, not a pond in sight and still get frogs in the garden.

[digthatchick]

As Rustylady says the frog does not need water. Dense undergrowth and logpiles also compost heaps and leaf piles. Don't worry about the cats - I have cats and although they chase them, they rarely catch them, and if they do the frogs are not hurt. I have a wildlife pond but the frogs are all in the garden at this time of year. Yes frogs can, and do , drown Make sure any ice that forms over a pond is broken regularly so that the frogs can breathe.

[Alice]

Enjoy your frog Martha. Provide a damp, shady area and the frog will look after itself. And yes they can and do drown, so if you provide a mini pond do make sure there is some kind of ramp where they can climb out.

[BrideXIII]

by all means enjoy your frog, but as for cats not catching them or hurting them, either i have the fstaest cats in the world, or thats is wrong, because mine catch them all the time and torment them endlessly until I go and save them.
If you have ever seen a cat stamp on a squeaky toy to make the noise, this is exactly what they do to the frogs , and the squealing noise they make is horrendous.

[digthatchick]

Ooooh Bridey that sounds awful! I'm sure "proper cats" do catch them, mine are Persians (should have said, not pussies more like wussies) and with their flat faces it is probably difficult to pick them up.

[poozie]

Ive got two frogs in my concrete back yard and they found a 'pond' to sit in in hot weather, its a tiny pottery pot under one of my plant stands filled will murky rain water and leaves. Most of the time they hide under my long ornamental grasses. Now they are either snuggling in our woodpile or searching for a place to hibernate. i read that female frogs favour log piles and male frogs will hibernate at the bottom of ponds and can suffocate if they freeze over.

My jack russell is petrified of them.

[HayleyB]

We had to "save" a big frog the other day from the dogs and especially the puppy OH took it down to the stream and let it go there

[Marthaclematis]

Thanks for your reassurances and good advice. We checked she was ok last night and she was, she was sitting in the water, half in and half out. Where she is looks a good place, the garden there is damp and shaded and there's a woodpile and overgrown brambles and fern so she should like it. We've named her Francesca.

My dh smiled broadly at the thought of little jack russell being petrified!