Releasing tadpoles

[Mousie]

When and where is a good time to release rescued (pond dried up) tadpoles? Back into a big pond while they are still tadpoles - or back into shallow water such as drainage ditches when they are almost froglets, or wait till they are froglets and release them onto wet land?

[GCN lova]

id say a pond nearby where they were found (without fish)

[dampflippers]

Originally Posted by Mousie

When and where is a good time to release rescued (pond dried up) tadpoles? Back into a big pond while they are still tadpoles - or back into shallow water such as drainage ditches when they are almost froglets, or wait till they are froglets and release them onto wet land?

Where are they now?
If they are in something in your garden, I would suggest making sure there is a ramp to get out, and let them disperse from there into your garden. They don't need to return to a pond for a couple of years, and there are sure to be some gaden ponds nearby.

[Mousie]

Thanks for the replies, I have got a huge number of them and they are in a fish tank in the house!! I don't have a frog friendly garden so need to take them somewhere to release them. I do have a selection of lake, pond, wet ground or ditch within walking distance.

If I put them in a pond now (because of the drought there are no little ponds and it would be a big one) they would be easier to transport and I know they need shallow water when they start getting legs, all the shallow water round here has gone - and there is usually loads. There are no fish apart from minnows, but there are ducks! (Wild ones)

I've been amazed by how much they eat!

[Siskin]

Hi there

Just out of curiosity, what have you been feeding the tadpoles on? I used to "raise" tadpoles in a fish tank, feeding them on boiled lettuce mainly.

As for releasing them, you say you have a selection of ponds near your house; do any of these ponds currently have tadpoles already in them? I'd say the tadpoles (or rather frogs) know best, so release them where there are already some established.

[Mousie]

They were very small when I first got them, and yes, I did the boiled lettuce thing, they loved it, as they got bigger, and I got fed up with microwaving the lettuce (no cooker) they graduated on to goldfish flakes. At first they used to swim upside down and nibble on them, now they eat them whole!!

I can't find any surviving tadpoles outside anywhere - and I didn't see much spawn at all earlier, which is why I thought it was so essential to rescue these when their puddle dried up.

[GCN lova]

if they are toad tadpoles they can be released in the shallow areas of lakes
are you able to make a pond? it can be hardwork but it pays off in the end

[Ukwildlifeo]

In the intrests of not spreading diseases it is recommended that frog tadpoles/froglets are released where they were collected from. Perhaps a few trips to the dried up pond and releasing them into nearby vegetation would be best.