If you have hungry tadpoles to feed....

[lovecrawlies]

..I have established by experiment today, that they love squished pond snail. Bit grisly I know, but if like me you're trying to nurse some taddlers past the most vulnerable stage before plopping them back into the pond, it's a convenient and fairly natural way of keeping them happy.

I spent a while today trying to find something they would definitely eat, anxious they might starve in the tank, but equally reluctant to put them all into the pond just yet, as I watched the water bubbling with newts, predatory diving beetles and more. This seems a happy solution whilst they get a bit bigger! (Obviously not happy for the snails...!)

[Kayleigh]

They also love slugs, land snails worms all chopped up of course...
They will eat meat and chicken too, the birds dropped some bread in the pond they went into a feeding frenzy..

[tom00_uk]

they will naturally cannibalize on week/deformed/sick tadpoles as well,

[Red Robin]

I've only managed to see about 4 tadpoles surviving in my pond since the newts arrived but I'm not bothered if they don't make it. I started with 2 large Great Pond Snails last June and now I have dozens but I shan't be squishing them. They eat some of the Duckweed and generally clean up the algae.

Just out of curiosity, is the Great Pond Snail Lymnaea stagnalis native to Britain?

[tom00_uk]

Great pond snail - Lymnaea stagnalis - Natural England Natural England see it as a British native

it occurs in North America, Europe and parts of Asia after being both accidentally and intentionality transported, its often sold in pet shops, though i have never needed to add them to a water body as they have all ways turned up in the end

[Red Robin]

^^^^
Thanks, Tom

I think they're a rather fine and fascinating creature and seem to do some good in a pond. I couldn't bring myself to squish one for tadpoles etc but if a bird or other predator gets one then that's nature and ok with me. I even rescue the smaller ones when I'm hoiking out some blanket weed. I don't hoik out all the blanket weed because even that has a valid role to play.



^ This handsome 'ocean-going' one was born in my pond last summer.