Do Frogs Eat Snails?

When dealing with pests, sometimes the best thing you can do is to avoid using chemicals and let nature take over by encouraging predators into your garden. Let’s take a look at one potential predator, frogs. Do frogs eat snails or not?

Yes, frogs do eat snails. Frogs are predators of snails and will eat every part of the snail – including the shell!  

Frogs are opportunistic animals and will consume snails when they get the chance to. With snails being slow, they do not stand a chance against the frog’s swift tongue.

Snails and frogs often live in similar habitats as they like dark and damp places. Therefore, it is only obvious that frogs and snails come across each other in the wild and only one of them is going to win in a fight.

Do Frogs Eat Snail Shells?

It is only natural to wonder how any animal could consume snails because of their hard shells. Frogs eat snails and swallow the shell. The frog’s sticky tongue will catch the snail, and it will swallow it whole. The shell is later passed in faeces, broken up. 

Frogs will only go for snails of an appropriate size. A frog small in size will eat small snails, whereas bigger frogs can easily swallow larger snails.

It is unlikely that younger frogs will eat snails initially but will do so as they mature. Once frogs become mature, they experiment with insects and other pests like snails.

Do Garden Toads Eat Snails?

Many people confuse toads for frogs. Both are amphibians, but toads are bigger and require less water than frogs. It is beneficial for a gardener to have toads in their garden because they effectively control the snail population. 

Even a single toad in your garden will work to help eradicate snails.

As toads are larger than frogs, they can consume both small and big snails. Toads also have a greater appetite which means more snails will be eaten in a day.

How to Attract Frogs and Toads

If you wish to attract frogs and toads, your focus should be on creating the perfect habitat. The right living conditions will bring these amphibians to your garden. You can do a few things to make your garden the right fit for toads and frogs:

Remove Dangers

The first thing you can do is eliminate any dangers in your garden. For instance, you should remove any dangerous sports or hazardous materials from the garden.

If you find any deep ditches or holes where the amphibians can fall and not find their way back out, they must be covered. 

Other dangers include predators. Amphibians will not come to your garden if they feel threatened, instead of feeling safe. If you have any curious pets like cats, it may be good to keep them indoors.

Even if your cat does not intend to hurt the amphibians, they do not like to play. The frog or toad does not understand the playful behaviour and may feel like its life is in danger. 

Avoid Pesticide Use

Using pesticides in your garden will also prevent amphibians from making a home there. Pesticides can harm the toads and frogs, and there is no point in attracting them if you still plan on using the chemicals. 

Install a Pond

After you are done ensuring the safety of these amphibians, there is one major thing you’ll want to have: It is important to have a garden pond as both frogs and toads like to live in moist places.

A garden pond will keep these amphibians happy. In addition, having a small body of water in your garden will also ensure future generations of these amphibians as it will provide somewhere for the frog to lay eggs. 

Create Moist Hiding Spots

You can also create moist hiding spots for the amphibians. You can make hiding spots under boards, logs or by putting down some rocks. Frogs and toads also like to hide under branches and leaf piles.

You can dedicate a corner of your garden and make piles of branches and leaves for the amphibians. 

Summary

Snails can be a menace for gardeners as they eat plants, leading to low yields in veg patches and poor bloom displays. Therefore, gardeners are always looking for ways to get rid of snails.

Using chemicals is not always the best choice and can do more harm than good. Instead, you can attract predators to your garden that will eat the snails. One such predator is a frog who will eat plenty of snails.