Thai Frogs And Toads

[deejah]

whats the deal???

dont touch it dont touch it!!!!!!

[BambinA]

Toads have poison.

[sbk]

Believe it will cause a rash if you touch it but not kill you. Young dogs are known to have a nip at a toad and spit it out. Never seen one die from it yet. I wouldn't worry too much about it

[Goshawk]

Toads have poison.

From the latin Bufo (toad) the toxin found in the skin of many species of Toad is known as Bufotenin

Interestingly, many people associate the existance of this chemical with the mythology and folklore of witchcraft. Because Bufotenin is believed to be hallucinogenic, their argument is that this could explain the phenomenon of 'witches flying'

witches & toads - a classic association, and if you picture it, toads being dropped into a bubbling cauldron releasing Bufotenin. The witches then drink their brew where the psychoactive element kicks in and the drinker then enters a trance-like state before flying...

a good theory

details of Bufotenin here

[Tony Clifton]

My dogs seems to take a liking putting them in it's mouth without hurting them and then spitting them out a few times in a row. They come in the house all the time, they do secrete something on my hands when I catch them but I never wear gloves, I wash my hands immediately, never got a rash or anything.

[Tywais]

What about this guy? Found him in the house and surprised at how far he could jump. Small but jumps about a meter, a few hops and he stuck himself on the wall!

[qualtrough]

I have always been fond of toads, and pick up the toads we find in the yard here all the time. The ones I am talking about look identical to the ones found in the USA. I have never had a problem. If you get them nervous they will eventually pee. Never had a problem here with tree frogs like the one pictured either. The wife is convinced that toads harbor all kinds of diseases, which makes it fun to chase her around the house with one in my hand. Ah, the fun never stops!

[Tywais]

chase her around the house with one in my hand. Ah, the fun never stops!

Been there, done that - though it can make for a lonely night.

[oldsailor35]

Believe it will cause a rash if you touch it but not kill you. Young dogs are known to have a nip at a toad and spit it out. Never seen one die from it yet. I wouldn't worry too much about it

In Queensland there is the Cane toad, it has poison glands behind its eyes. Many native animals and dogs die from their poison

[Sheryl]

There are both poisonous and non-posionous toads in Thailand. The cane toad (Bufo) is even here although i think not so common. Judging from my dog, who insists on catching and eating toads and frogs, majority of the toads are of the non-poisonous type, at least where I live (Prachinburi).. Either that or he has just been very lucky so far...

The frogs are all OK AFAIK.

[deejah]

nice to see this topic come alive

as i often think about this

and i have still yet to pick up and play with one after all these years

on that note

i must say

and perhaps against some super fine advice here:

i am starting to think

that befriending local dogs and cats

may be more chock full problems and troubles i could have ever imagined

maybe i should switch to frogs and toads!!!

also, perhaps, like with wild magic mushrooms, some documentation will insist the same species is poison while another will insist it is merely hallucinogenic

perhaps it is about dosage, i have no idea and do not need to go there

that being said

DMT comes from frogs, no?

thai frogs????

legal???

i see an above link is about something like that

so i will read it now

thanks all

in summary overall consensus:

there is no harm in picking up and touching local frogs and toads

can anyone report otherwise???

Edited February 5, 2012 by deejah

[Naam]

There are both poisonous and non-posionous toads in Thailand. The cane toad (Bufo) is even here although i think not so common. Judging from my dog, who insists on catching and eating toads and frogs, majority of the toads are of the non-poisonous type, at least where I live (Prachinburi).. Either that or he has just been very lucky so far...

The frogs are all OK AFAIK.

judging from one of my dogs who, a couple of years ago, spent a few days in intensive care because he liked licking the toads residing in my pond some, if not all, of our toads can leak a poisonous secretion through their skins.

p.s. he learned his lesson!

[mogandave]

I heard that you can get loaded by licking their butts. I wonder who figured that out...

[theajarn]

Bumping up an old topic. Probably like others I did a Google search about "Are Thai Toads Poisonous?" The short answer: NOT UNLESS YOU LICK/EAT THEM~!!!!!

The toads here look much like the ones I've played around with in the Philippines. Well -- good thing I didn't lick them then either~!!!

Thai superstition. It's gotten to the point where I have to bloody Google it. As expected... that's all it is -- ignorant wives tales that have just gone extreme.

[cooked]

I had a set to with A Swiss guy I saw killing a lizard because 'all green lizards are poisonous'. Don't forget what was going on in Europe not so long ago. Charles Darwin talks about peas growing' inside out'. Nobody had actually ever seen one or could explain what they looked like, it was always 20 miles away. And only in leap years.

European superstition.

[Gary A]

I often pick up toads and move them to a safer location. I have never had any skin reaction despite my wife yelling at me.

The frogs with suction cups on their feet are common tree frogs. They too are harmless.

ADDED - A friend lost his puppy after the puppy ate a toad so some are indeed toxic to pets.

Edited October 3, 2012 by Gary A

[gazwa]

The Cane Toad (Bufo marinus) was imported to Australia in the 1950s to control the Cane Beetle which was causing havoc in the Sugar cane industry. Guess what! The toad didn't want to climb the cane to where the beetle resided so resorted to eating anything else on the ground that moved, including all other frogs and toads, insects (good or bad) lizards and basicly anything it could get in it's mouth. The Cane toad is poisonous, it has enlarged sacks on it's back (shoulders) that secrete a white liquid when aggrevated. Any predators that eat the toad will die including birds, snakes, dogs, cats even crocodiles have been found dead after eating these nasty, toxic pests. They are, by far the most stupid attempt at biological control by mankind on record. They have spread like wildfire across Australia's tropical regions and are wiping out native species. They breed prodigiously ( a key to identifying them, they lay 5-10 times more eggs than other frogs/toads) they have rough, almost impenetrable skin and they are UGLY!!

I have gone to these lengths to identify this pest as I recently discovered a Cane Toad had taken up residence in my fishpond in Rangsit. I come from Queensland Australia and have seen first hand how these pests can overwhelm entire ecosystems. Unless you have seen the sheer numbers of these things you can have no idea. They thrive and once established, are almost impossible to eredicate. So please if you find and positively identify a Cane Toad ( I don't condone wholesale slaughter of all amphibians, just these toads!) destroy it and any offspring. You will be doing yourself and Thailand a great service.

[tim armstrong]

Believe it will cause a rash if you touch it but not kill you. Young dogs are known to have a nip at a toad and spit it out. Never seen one die from it yet. I wouldn't worry too much about it

In Queensland there is the Cane toad, it has poison glands behind its eyes. Many native animals and dogs die from their poison

But, good old nature. In recent years the magpies have learnt to avoid the poison on their backs by flipping them over to kill them. But touching toads on the back is not good as it can remove their protective slime. Thai toads should be left alone, as they also help keep the mozzies at bay.