# is it legal to keep common uk toads



## cai508 (Jul 17, 2009)

can you tell me if it is legal to keep common toads please


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## cai508 (Jul 17, 2009)

i really need to know, pleeeease


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## gaz0123 (Aug 19, 2008)

why would u want to or are u already keeping them


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## cai508 (Jul 17, 2009)

i have had 3 really small ones for about a week, i feed them on little bugs in the garden, but i dnt know if they are legal to keep


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## Captainmatt29 (Feb 28, 2009)

I have a few, i told the council and they seemed fine with it.

They are rare here so will be breeding them next year they came fromm hull lol

they love morioworms and mealies


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## knighty (Feb 27, 2008)

yes it is legal however it is very hard to provide them with good husbandary in captivity, and are better suited to being left to roam in the garden.

If you are going to keep them They need to be kept quiet cool (cant stress that enough, high temps will kill them) require alot of space, a fesh source of water, good ventilation and a good supplymented diet.

as far as amphibians of theuk go the onlyu ones i know that you are deffo not allowed to collect and keep are great crested newts.

ICUN report

IUCN Red List (version 2009.1) - Bufo bufo (Common Toad)


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## cai508 (Jul 17, 2009)

does anyone know if fire bellyd toads will be easyer to keep than common toads because i am interesten in buying some


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## Captainmatt29 (Feb 28, 2009)

knighty said:


> yes it is legal however it is very hard to provide them with good husbandary in captivity, and are better suited to being left to roam in the garden.
> 
> If you are going to keep them They need to be kept quiet cool (cant stress that enough, high temps will kill them) require alot of space, a fesh source of water, good ventilation and a good supplymented diet.
> 
> ...


This is absolutely correct, our toads have fresh water and food along with eco earth as a substrate which they like to burrow into.

They are hard to care for when it comes to the young because they get bullied so make sure they are all of a similar size.


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## Captainmatt29 (Feb 28, 2009)

cai508 said:


> does anyone know if fire bellyd toads will be easyer to keep than common toads because i am interesten in buying some


firebellied toads are fairly easy to look after but there care isnt much different to be honest.


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

Yes, as stated _Bufo bufo _are legal to keep in captivity. However they are protected from sale under Shedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside act 1981, as ammended.


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## knighty (Feb 27, 2008)

messengermatt said:


> firebellied toads are fairly easy to look after but there care isnt much different to be honest.


there care is different. they need a more aquatic set up, higher temps and humidity and smaller foods. uk toads are not very aquatic but FBTs will spend most of there time in the water, which will need to idealy be filtered. i have kept these in the past and they are great amphibians. 

if this is to be your first toad/frog i would recomend these.


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## Barney_M (Apr 2, 2008)

please release them. it is legal bu why keep them? they are best off in the wild. uk amphibians and reptles arnt doing too ell so the more there is in the wild the better.


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## knighty (Feb 27, 2008)

Barney_M said:


> please release them. it is legal bu why keep them? they are best off in the wild. uk amphibians and reptles arnt doing too ell so the more there is in the wild the better.


i totally agree but if people are not going to i want to at least give them advice so as the toads stand half a chance.


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## TheToad888 (Dec 18, 2008)

It is legal. But as babies... Could they settle in? This question has pretty much all been answered.


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## Barney_M (Apr 2, 2008)

yes i suppose babies would settle in like any wild caught reptile but i would much rather these were released giving brtihs amphibians a better chance of survival and hs ewent to a pet store and spent £10 on a captive bred fire belly toad, american toad or somethig of that nature.


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## cai508 (Jul 17, 2009)

i thaught about what you all said and, i just reliesed the 3 toads and i am going to buy fire bellied toads.


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## Scarlet_Rain (Jan 16, 2009)

I have 2 european toads which need licenses to collect and bring over but as I bought them form a shop I am ok with the receipt.

I keep mine in a fish tank type enclosure which has a long metal vent running across the back and a bar lid which ensures plenty of ventilation. I keep mine in a cold room away from the heat and they love it!

I would not keep any british species unless I was planning on breeding them and then releasing the spawn or baby frogs, its a nice thing to do to help conserve them but I wouldn't bother keeping them as pets as they will be much happier in the garden.

I keep mine on a soil substrate with fresh moss I collect form my area and a tub in which they can swim in if they want too.


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## ex0tics (Jun 9, 2009)

Keeping in captivity doesn't tend to give them the necessary life they need but it is perfectly legal.


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## ex0tics (Jun 9, 2009)

Scarlet_Rain said:


> I have 2 european toads which need licenses to collect and bring over but as I bought them form a shop I am ok with the receipt.
> 
> I keep mine in a fish tank type enclosure which has a long metal vent running across the back and a bar lid which ensures plenty of ventilation. I keep mine in a cold room away from the heat and they love it!
> 
> ...


I believe releasing CB native wildlife is illegal atleast I think it's true with slow worms so I don't understand why it wouldn't apply to amphibians I can't back this up but if you can prove to me I'm wrong I would be happy to listen:2thumb:


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## kettykev (May 15, 2009)

Suprised you think Toads are rare around here Matt, maybe around your house but 10 miles away I counted 230 in one pond in March.
Many amphibians on shop price lists are down as WC wild caught, if they can settle in to captivity then no reason why WC uk toads would not.


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## knighty (Feb 27, 2008)

Glad you released the lil guys!

Realeasing CB into the wild is a very risky thing to do, it can spred deseases and should be left to the people running breading programes. The frogs they use arent acclimatised to indoor enclosures, they are kept much more naturally so as they can fit in when released.


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## Matt Harris (Aug 21, 2007)

ex0tics said:


> I believe releasing CB native wildlife is illegal atleast I think it's true with slow worms so I don't understand why it wouldn't apply to amphibians I can't back this up but if you can prove to me I'm wrong I would be happy to listen:2thumb:


There is no wildlife law against releasing cb UK natives, although there may be animal welfare issues such as reckless abandonment etc if you just dump them in the middle of Sainsbury's car park.

As above though, it is not wise to release natives that are LTC or cb, especially if you have non-natives in captivity also.


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