Tadpoles

[catsinc]

How should I look after tadpoles? We have a few puddles with tadpoles and in one puddle there is often frogspawn. This year we collected some for the children to watch them change.that was february half term,they hATCHED THE NEXT DAY AND 3 OR 4 OF THEM NOW HAVE BACK LEGS.

the ones that hatched in the puddle only hatched last week and when i last checked they were still alive millions of them in 1 puddle!since then though it had been very cold,my problem is the tadploes are changing at diff rates so do i need to start feeding them live food now?or wait until the have 4 legs?i have collected stones for there home so will put them in shortly,other question is i know i should put them back where i got them from but as there are so many in 1 puddle already and theyre way behind in development in the puddle at what point do i return them?as they may eat the ones that are there now??or there may not be enough food for them?there arent any ponds around here that i know of to release them to either??i feel guilty for taking them now!!any advice appreciated thankyou

[Kayleigh]

Is it possible to make a small pond then they could live in your garden. Is the puddle safe, is it in the street? Is the puddle likely to freeze with the bad weather? You could keep them and feed them until they are frogs then let them go in your garden. They are not likely to survive in a puddle anyway.

[Lords and Ladies]

Hello catsinc, don't stress

Have I understood correctly, you've had the spawn/tadpoles indoors for a while and they've developed much faster than those outside?

This is what they do, the speed of their development very much depends on temperature. (Though I'm still a little surprised you have anything with back legs so soon!). The frog/toad spawn outside will remain as spawn until it's warm enough for the tadpoles to develop.

Personally, if you want to return the tadpoles to the wild, I would wait until this current cold spell is over to give them a chance, and then return them to where you found them. If they have been kept in a relatively warm place, I'd try to acclimatise them gradually beforehand.

[catsinc]

thanks for your replies!i have half a dozen with back legs!most are flatter to look at and quite large but a few are still small,i collected the spawn approx 3 weeks ago but the ones in the puddle only hatched last week.the puddle is full of tadploes!!it doesnt look big enough or enough food to sustain the amount that is already in there,there are other puddles along there if that is an option??im a bit stuck as what to feed them now as they are are at diff stages i had 2 dead ones yest and the big ones were eating their tails!does this mean i have to introduce diff food for them?they are currently getting fish flakes.i wanted to keep them until they were froglets for the kids to see them develop is this still an option??whatever the answer to that one?at what point do i release them?and i can i do it in another puddle but next to the one i had them from?they are safe from humans there but not from predators!,the whole area is quite boggy.the puddles do freeze when it is very cold but so far they havent but it isnt getting any warmer either.i ahve collected rocks for them for when they need to go on them but ive had conflicting advice....please advise me

[Susie]

Firstly, don't worry about the tadpoles in the puddle - nature will do whatever it will with them.

You don't say what sort of container your tadpoles are in at home. Is it possible to put the stones in now, so that there is somewhere for the frogs with legs to rest as well as there being water for the less developed ones to swim around in?

I keep tadpoles every year and have done since I was tiny. What I tend to do is put some stones in when I see signs of them getting their first legs. As long as there is plenty of space they will be okay like this even when they are froglets/tiny frogs.

I feed mine leaves when they are in the first tadpole stages (spinach is a favourite with them, as is lettuce) and later on I will tie a tiny piece of plain uncooked meat (usually chicken) onto some string and dangle it into the water. The taddies go nuts for it. It has to be removed and replaced at least every day or so as it will rot very quickly and turn the water putrid.

I tend to removed about half a pint of the water in the tadpole container every day and replace it with fresh to keep them healthy.

Lastly, keep them out of direct sunshine, cos they can cook on hot sunny days, and put them in the coolest place in your house. They will develop quicker than their "wild" cousins, but this will stop the process from being quite so fast.

Enjoy watching your froglets develop. It never ceases to fill me with wonderment.

[Kayleigh]

I feed mine chopped worms from the garden and water snails. If you put some pond weed in the water, it will help to keep the water clean and they will eat it. They sell it in aquatic shops for tropical fish tanks. I would hold onto them until they a little frogs.

[catsinc]

well a week on and i have approx 6 with all 4 legs!!still got tails and still got some with no legs at all!im suprised that it isnt only the largest ones that have 4 legs .really cute never thought id say that about frogs but i have lol.they have rocks in there now and pond weed and a hair net over the top!!still feeding them fish food(they havetn eaten the weed)and got some daphnia(frozen)from the aquatic shop.so far ive put in half a 1 twice so far,1st time they didnt really bother with it but last night they gobbled it all up.ill be sad to let them go now!!thanks for all your advice

[Stewy]

How long is it roughly from the Spawn being laid to Taddies hatching?

[nightshade]

Dont forget to give them something to climb on when they have their legs

[catsinc]

im not sure how long between hatching ans being spawn but if it helps the spawn left in the puddle hatched 2 weeks ago