# last herp trip



## ryanbichel (Mar 12, 2014)

hey guys spent an afternoon herping on the weekend and found a reasonable size beardy and a 1.5m red belly dead after it had eaten a cane toad( cut it open and found that)


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## cma_369 (Mar 12, 2014)

Where did you go herping?
The cane toad in the red belly gut has me concerned......



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## ryanbichel (Mar 13, 2014)

Why does it have you concerned? it has me a little concerned but I went herping at Bororen on my property. It was dead in the water on the bank. There are toad holes everywhere. major toad bust operation will commence on the week end.


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## SteveNT (Mar 13, 2014)

Toad holes? I've never heard of cane toads burrowing.


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## RedFox (Mar 13, 2014)

I've seen plenty of toads but never any toad holes. I would be cautious before destroying any holes. 

We have stacks of bandicoots that dig burrows though. When I was little, around 4-6 yrs, I was told snakes lived in those and if I put my hand in I would die. Haha.


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## zulu (Mar 13, 2014)

I like the beardy ryan,dont see many around western sydney these days.


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## jedi_339 (Mar 13, 2014)

SteveNT said:


> Toad holes? I've never heard of cane toads burrowing.



Cane Toads are found in burrows all the time down here in QLD, though whether they generally dig their own hole or use another species burrow is probably up for debate.

I remember some years ago a bearded dragon burrowing into the side of a bank and laying eggs, two days later a cane toad had dug into the burrow and the eggs had all been eaten. The cane toad then occupied the hole for the day before we killed it.


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## RedFox (Mar 13, 2014)

That's pretty interesting Jedi. Maybe I just don't look hard enough or maybe they don't last all that long enough in my yard to observe that sort of behavior.


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## ryanbichel (Mar 13, 2014)

yeah I poke around the hole with a stick, which agitates the toad. by poking the stick around, I know if there is a snake etc. Plus most of the time they are not that deep. just deep enough to cool them down in the mud


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## joshfinlay600 (Mar 13, 2014)

Never heard of toad holes bro


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## ryanbichel (Mar 13, 2014)

toads burrow continuously to keep cool etc.


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## MissDangerous (Mar 13, 2014)

Plenty of toads in holes here I live.. I have even watched them make their burrows. So yes they definitely do make holes!!


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## critterguy (Mar 13, 2014)

Yeah, have seen them occupy other critters holes plenty up here in NQ.


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## butters (Mar 13, 2014)

Toads definitely dig holes if the ground is suitable.
Toad holes are common around my place in Brisbane but where I work out at Mount Isa I haven't seen one. Very different ground and I think that is a determining factor.

As noted above they generally aren't very deep. Usually 2-3 times the body length of the toad.


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## SteveNT (Mar 14, 2014)

Interesting. Either the NT toads are too lazy or the dirt is too hard!


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## ryanbichel (Mar 14, 2014)

I usually find their burrows in soft ground in or near a water supply. Have even ha toads burrow into my strawberry plant!


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## jedi_339 (Mar 14, 2014)

I've also found them in monitor burrows and heavy cracking blacksoil in and around gilgais.

The toads are quite different morphologically up in Darwin to those around SEQ, perhaps that plays a part. Though I imagine if you went looking in swampy areas or around water bodies you would find signs of their burrows.


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## cma_369 (Mar 17, 2014)

ryanbichel said:


> Why does it have you concerned? it has me a little concerned but I went herping at Bororen on my property. It was dead in the water on the bank. There are toad holes everywhere. major toad bust operation will commence on the week end.



Thought it may have been south eastern nsw.
The longer they stay out of my neck of the woods the better!

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