Frog in the Cistern

My husband just opened the cistern and saw a live frog inside. What should we do about it? Thanks!!

Only one? It's not unusual at all, just offer him a snorkel.

Haha! So it is okay? We do have a filtrations system.

Can you catch the little bugger?
Best to get him out if you can.
Make sure your cistern downspouts have screen over them as well as screen/chicken wire mesh over the over/outflow pipes to prevent pests from getting in cisterns.

Haha! So it is okay? We do have a filtrations system.

Honestly I don't think I've lived anywhere here where there haven't been frogs in the cistern and regular chlorinating doesn't seem to affect them. As Alana says, make sure your downspout and your cistern overflow openings are meshed to reduce the infiltration and f you want to catch the one you have in there just use a simple butterfly net to scoop him out. Whatever critters can keep the mosquito population down are fine by me!

Your mesh pasta strainer might work depending what surface the intruder is on. I use a strainer (for the lack of anything else) to catch hummingbirds and other flying creatures/birds that come into my house and get trapped. I trap them with the strainer then slide the dust pan under it to cover the opening. They can then be relocated back outside before becoming tasty tidbits for the doggies. Good Luck.
I would not want to leave them to decompose in my cistern water, filtered or not. Yuck!

if we see them in ours we use flash light...blind them and use pool net to catch them, then off they go into the bush.

our screens to down spouts are good but somehow they still get in. i think as tadpoles.

But, bottom line is no, they are not really a problem.

But, bottom line is no, they are not really a problem.

Only the odd one here and there who decides to start chirruping when one is trying to sleep. The echo factor is huge when the cistern isn't full!

Two cups of Clorox in the cistern each month...water smells great, and frogs HATE Clorox...that's what keeps them out of your pool.

Two cups of Clorox in the cistern each month...water smells great, and frogs HATE Clorox...that's what keeps them out of your pool.

The Clorox never bothered mine wherever I was! Maybe they've developed immunity ...

Either that or you get white, glow in the dark, frogs!
That may not be a bad thing when WAPA goes out!

lol glow in the dark frogs. and lets spray the centipedes with glow paint too

Don't worry, someone genetically engineer them to glow like the flourescent aquarium fish they sell in the states.

On STX there was a toad that came in every night and ate the cats food. HILARIOIS! I love the wildlife in the VI.

A WHAT ate the cat's food? I'm sure that was an auto-correct gone wrong, but I can't figure out what you meant.

Lol I changed it... Hahahah TOAD not road too funny!

Those toads that eat dog or cat food are called cane toads and HIGHLY poisonous to dogs (probably cats too). Lots of dogs will grab them with their mouths, causing the toads to secrete a poison from their skin. This can be lethal. One of my dogs got one as a puppy and luckily I got the horrid thing out of his mouth quickly enough, but it was a rough (ie foaming at the mouth, vomiting) ride to the vet.

Yes, those toads are definately bad news for pets. They also like water in dogs drinking bowls.
Be aware of them and if your animal starts having convulsions call your vet, immediately.
I think, I remember being advised to pour milk or pepto bismal down pet's throat to help counter the poison until animal can get to the vets but you should definately have your vet's emergency number on hand, not wait to call and take your pet "immediately" to get help. Check about the milk/peptobismal very temp fix as it was a long time ago it happened to one of my pups..

Terrible toads!

Yes, those toads are definately bad news for pets. They also like water in dogs drinking bowls.
Be aware of them and if your animal starts having convulsions call your vet, immediately.
I think, I remember being advised to pour milk or pepto bismal down pet's throat to help counter the poison until animal can get to the vets but you should definately have your vet's emergency number on hand, not wait to call and take your pet "immediately" to get help. Check about the milk/peptobismal very temp fix as it was a long time ago it happened to one of my pups..

Terrible toads!

I read up on them after a horrible incident just a few years ago when I found one of my wonderful outside cats moaning and frothing at the mouth around midnight. I rushed her to the vet who met me at his clinic and he did everything possible (shots, external heart massage) but after an hour when he thought she was safe and told me to put her into one of his on-site cages to stay overnight, I put her in there and then saw she'd stopped breathing. I asked for a necropsy as I wanted to know if possibly someone in the neighborhood might be putting out poison either accidentally or willfully.

The results indicated that stomach contents showed no results of any suspect ingestion but further examination of her organs showed a toxic element. The vet surmised that she may well have encountered a cane/bufo toad in the bush and playfully/curiously examined it and got her mouth on it even briefly enough to ingest it's poisonous skin exudation.

Putting ANYTHING down the animal's throat can be deadly. The correct procedure if this occurs (and which I did but to no avail) is to tilt the animals head and briefly flush plain water into and out of the mouth but avoid it going through to the stomach - and of course get the animal to the vet ASAP.

The bufo toad's toxic skin exudate (it's defense mechanism) is apparently very nasty from the get-go and large dogs who encounter them and are daft enough to ignore the smell and pick them up in their mouths quickly drop them with a "YUK" because of the taste and don't go there again. Now if they're stupid enough to ignore the nastiness and start chewing, they're in deep doo-doo and will have issues - but they're only rarely lethal. Small stupid dogs and simply curious cats - well, it goes without saying.