Backyard Animals ·
Do Frogs Attract Snakes? Yes, and What That Means
Frogs are a staple food for several common snakes, so a frog population does draw them. What it means in practice, and what to change if you mind.
Reptiles & Amphibians
40 guides in Backyard Animals.
Backyard Animals ·
Do Lizards Eat Other Lizards? Yes, More Often Than You Think
Cannibalism and predation between lizards is common, including adults eating hatchlings of their own species. When it happens and what it means in a garden.
Backyard Animals ·
Do Lizards Eat Plants? Which Ones Do, and What to Do
Most backyard lizards are insect eaters and ignore plants entirely. The exceptions, how to tell lizard damage from the real culprit, and what stops it.
Backyard Animals ·
Frog Eggs in Your Pool: What to Do With Them
Frog spawn in a swimming pool will not survive the chlorine. How to move it to water that works, and how to stop frogs laying there next spring.
Backyard Animals ·
Frog Holes in the Yard? They Are Almost Certainly Not Frogs
Frogs do not dig burrows in most of the world. What the holes in your lawn actually are, how to read them, and which ones need dealing with.
Backyard Animals ·
Does Vinegar Kill Frogs? Yes, and It Is a Cruel Way to Do It
Vinegar burns amphibian skin on contact and kills slowly. Why it circulates as a frog remedy, what it does, and the methods that work without it.
Backyard Animals ·
How Long Can a Snake Live in a Garage? Weeks to Months
A snake in a garage survives as long as the mice do. How long it can realistically stay, how to tell if it has gone, and the gap it came through.
Backyard Animals ·
How to Get Rid of Skinks, and Why You Might Not Want To
Skinks eat the insects you are already fighting. If you still want them gone, here is what moves them — and why no skink repellent on sale actually works.
Backyard Animals ·
How to Get Rid of Tree Frogs Without Killing Them
Tree frogs climb walls, cling to windows and call all night. Why they picked your house, what moves them on, and which methods are illegal or useless.
Backyard Animals ·
Do Snakes Like Sand? Some Live in It, Most Avoid It
Desert species burrow in sand and swim through it. For most garden snakes, loose dry sand is poor habitat — which is why sand barriers do not work.
Backyard Animals ·
How to Get Rid of Snakes Under a Concrete Slab
A snake under a slab got in through a gap and stayed for the rodents. Seal it after the snake leaves, not before — or you trap it underneath.
Backyard Animals ·
How to Keep Toads Away Without Harming Them
Toads come for insects, damp shelter and standing water. Remove those three and they leave on their own — no barrier or repellent needed.
Backyard Animals ·
Will Tortoises Eat Poisonous Plants? Often Yes
Wild tortoises avoid most toxic plants, but captive ones in a small enclosure will eat them. Never rely on instinct — remove the plant instead.
Backyard Animals ·
Where Can You Find Lizards in Your Backyard? Warm Edges
Sunlit walls, rock piles, log edges and south-facing paving in the morning. Lizards need to warm up before they can hunt, so they bask first.
Backyard Animals ·
How to Get a Snake Out of Your Garage, Safely
Identify it from a distance, open one exit, and let it leave on its own. The sweep-and-guide method, when to call someone, and how it got in.
Backyard Animals ·
What Eats Frogs in a Pond? The Predators, Stage by Stage
Frogs are eaten by something at every life stage, and the main predators change completely between spawn, tadpole and adult. What is taking yours.
Backyard Animals ·
Can Turtles Be in Cold Water? Wild Ones Yes, Pets No
Native pond turtles overwinter under ice by slowing their metabolism to almost nothing. A tropical pet turtle in cold water is a medical emergency.
Backyard Animals ·
Can Tortoises Eat Marigolds? Pot Marigold Yes, French No
Calendula is safe and readily eaten; the French and African marigolds sold as bedding are a different genus. How to tell them apart before feeding.
Backyard Animals ·
Can Tortoises Eat Mint? Safe, but a Herb, Not a Meal
Mint is non-toxic to tortoises and most will eat a little. Why it stays an occasional addition, and the weeds that should make up the bulk instead.
Backyard Animals ·
Do Garter Snakes Eat Chipmunks? Almost Never
A garter snake is the wrong size and the wrong hunter for a chipmunk. What they actually eat, and which garden snakes do take small mammals.
Backyard Animals ·
What to Feed a Lizard From Outside? Usually, Let It Go
A garden lizard you have caught needs live insects, not lettuce — and almost certainly needs releasing. What to offer if you are keeping it briefly.
Backyard Animals ·
How to Get Rid of Geckos on a Porch, Patio or in the House
Geckos follow porch lights to the insects. Change the light and most of the problem leaves. Exclusion, deterrents, and what genuinely does not work.
Backyard Animals ·
What Flowers Can Tortoises Eat? A Safe and Unsafe List
Hibiscus, dandelion, nasturtium and rose are all safe and popular. The flowers that are genuinely toxic, and why variety matters more than any one.
Backyard Animals ·
Best Pet Tortoise for Beginners: 5 Species Worth Considering
Tortoises are easy animals in the right enclosure and difficult in the wrong one. The five beginner species, their adult sizes, and what indoors really costs.
Backyard Animals ·
Best Pet Turtle for Beginners: 6 Species, Honestly Compared
Most beginner turtle problems are tank size and lifespan, not species choice. The six that suit a first keeper, the ones to avoid, and what each really needs.
Backyard Animals ·
Do Corn Snake Bites Hurt? What to Expect and What to Do
Corn snakes are non-venomous and a bite from one is closer to a scratch than a puncture. Why they bite, what it feels like, and how to handle the aftermath.
Backyard Animals ·
Do Lizards Keep Snakes Away? And Do Frogs Attract Them?
Lizards do not repel snakes — they are prey. Frogs do not summon them either. What a yard's small animals actually tell you about its snakes.
Backyard Animals ·
Does Bleach Kill Frogs? Yes — and Why You Should Not Use It
Bleach kills frogs slowly and painfully through their permeable skin, and it is illegal in many places. What it does, and the methods that actually work.
Backyard Animals ·
Does Lemongrass Repel Snakes? What the Evidence Says
Lemongrass is widely sold as a snake-repelling plant. The claim does not hold up — here is where it came from and what actually keeps snakes out of a yard.
Backyard Animals ·
Frogs in the Backyard: Why They Are There, and the Holes
Frogs in a yard mean damp cover, insects and water nearby. What they eat, what those holes in the lawn really are, and whether to keep them around.
Backyard Animals ·
How to Catch a Salamander Safely (and Whether You Should)
Salamanders hide under damp cover and absorb everything through their skin. How to find and handle one without harming it, and why to put it straight back.
Backyard Animals ·
How to Get a Frog Out of Your House Without Hurting It
A frog indoors is lost and drying out, not invading. How to corner one safely, where they get in, and the one mistake that kills them on the way out.
Backyard Animals ·
How to Get Rid of Lizards and Skinks (and Why to Think Twice)
Skinks and yard lizards eat the insects you are spraying for. If they still have to go, here is what works on the porch, the patio and the plants.
Backyard Animals ·
How to Keep Frogs Away From a Pool (and Out of It)
Frogs come to a pool for light, insects and water to breed in. Remove those three draws, give them a way out, and the nightly cleanup stops.
Backyard Animals ·
How to Stop Frogs Croaking at Night in Your Yard
Croaking is breeding calling, and it stops when the breeding water does. What works, why sound deterrents do not, and how long the season actually lasts.
Backyard Animals ·
Snakes in a Crawl Space or Under the House: What to Do
A snake under the house is following rodents and cool air. How to confirm it, get it out safely, and seal the gaps so the next one does not get in.
Backyard Animals ·
How Long Do Lizards Live? By Species, Wild vs. Kept
Backyard lizard lifespan runs from 1 year to over 20, depending entirely on species and whether it is wild or kept as a pet. The real numbers, by common type.
Backyard Animals ·
How to Get Rid of Frogs — 3 Fixes That Cut the Draw
How to get rid of frogs starts with the water and light drawing them in. 3 fixes compared for yards and pools. See which matches your problem.
Backyard Animals ·
What Do Backyard Lizards Actually Eat?
Wild lizards in a garden are almost entirely insect-eaters, not the varied diet pet-care sites describe. What they hunt, and what draws more of them to your yard.
Backyard Animals ·
Are Corn Snakes Poisonous? No, and Not Venomous Either
Corn snakes are harmless constrictors often killed on sight because they mimic copperheads. How to tell them apart, and why one is worth keeping around.
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