How To Keep Frogs from Using Your Porch as Bathroom?

Green-colored tree frogs are cute at first, but they can quickly start making a mess if they hang around for too long around your property.

They enjoy rainy weather and are always seeking out somewhere to live in this type of environment.

If you let them come to rest on your porch, you’ll notice frog poop start cropping up everywhere.

This is not only messy, but frog waste also has the potential to cause various diseases due to the bacteria they may carry.

Fortunately, there are a good number of ways to rid your property of these frogs.

Below, we’ll look at the steps you need to take to stop frogs from pooping and peeing on your porch.

Step 1: Figure Out the Frog

To begin, you’ll want to determine which type of frog it is you’re working with.

For instance, the American green treefrog will make any shrub its home and will eat insects that might otherwise end up on your porch.

The Eastern Gray Treefrog is an arboreal species that doesn’t care for porches at all.

Both of these species are protected in some states, so you can’t just put them back in the woods if you do get ahold of them.

You’ll need to talk to a wildlife rehabber or animal control to deal with the issue.

Step 2: Get Protected

Before tackling the problem, you’ll need to make sure you are protected.

Though they are small, treefrogs can still cause issues with bacteria if they touch your skin.

When working in areas where the cane toad is around, you’ll need to be even more careful not to run into them.

These toads are able to grow as large as four inches and secrete a nasty poison that can harm pets.

They also eat small amphibians and reptiles and should be avoided.

There is also the bullfrog that is capable of growing up to 12 inches in size.

It will eat anything that can go into its mouth, including birds, large insects, snakes, and even small animals.

If you find one, you may need animal control to help remove it.

Step 3: Tackle the Issue with a Trap

There are a few options for getting rid of the frogs and their droppings.

You can bring an exterminator to the property, but it’s best to just use a humane trap if you want to do it yourself.

One of the best things to do the job is a leghold trap compete with rubber padding, something that won’t hurt the frog while still preventing its escape.

You can also use a net should the frog be in a tree.

Most commonly, you’ll find them in your shrubs or on the ground from where they may try to get into your front balcony.

If you absolutely must, you can grab it with a pair of gloves on, but it isn’t recommended.

Step 4: Clean and Seal the Porch

You can’t stop frogs from showing up forever, though you can make it more difficult for them to come back onto the property once you’re rid of them.

Get rid of any standing water in the yard that might otherwise attract them.

Replace deep piles or large chunks of mulch.

Finally, seal off any ground-level openings that go into the house like cracks or weep holes.

After a month or so, you should notice that the frogs have gone and you can enjoy the porch again.

If this doesn’t work right away, you can try again during springtime when the frogs are ready to come back, breed, and lay their eggs.

If you can keep the porch dry and clean, it’ll reduce the number of attractive, safe places for the frogs to go.

Step 5: Bring in a Frog Predator

If nothing else works to get rid of the frogs, there is another thing you can do: bring in a predator.

Sometimes, it’s impossible to deal with frogs on your own, but by letting an animal take care of the problem for you, you are letting nature help you out.

One of the best ways to do this is to put up a bat house to attract bats and hope they handle the tree frog problem for you.

Lizards also eat small frogs and can help, so you can consider keeping the lizards as pets if you like.

Otherwise, it may be best to just keep trying, weeding the yard, or calling in an expert to help you clear them out.

Step 6: Keep the Porch Maintained

After your frog problem has been handled, you need to work to keep them away.

Do so by keeping your porch dry and clean and looking out for any new frogs that might show up.

If the frogs are seasonal, you might find it easier to maintain your porch by dealing with them when they return in the spring.

If you have a healthy backyard habitat that doesn’t have any chemicals like pesticides, the frogs are likely to keep coming back.

Making your porch and yard uninhabitable is a way to ensure they don’t.

Take out the plants and shrubs that they like the most and sweep your porch often.

You’ll also want to wipe down your outdoor furniture and surfaces when they get wet.

Basically, you want to make your porch a place frogs don’t want to be—not kill them.

This goes back to keeping it dry and clean. By cleaning the porch, it will be easier for you to keep your eye out for them.

Step 7: Enjoy the Frog-free Porch Again

By following the steps above and some planning, you can free both your porch of frogs and their waste.

You may even be able to get rid of them entirely if they aren’t the kind to keep coming back spring after spring.

If they are seasonal, then keep an eye on the porch area when it gets dark until spring comes again.

The Conclusion

When you build a new porch, you can preemptively stop tree frogs from using it as a bathroom by installing screens or using other protective measures.

Frogs like the wood surfaces like your wooden deck, balconies, stairs, and porches.

They can hide there for a long or can come here for just peeing and pooping.

So, try to limit their exposure to the things they like using the tips above to keep them at bay before they have a chance to arrive and back move in.