# Green frog tadpoles!!!



## fishloverzj (May 3, 2010)

Yay!! I am so excited! I went swiming in the creek with my friend, and we found all these tadpoles (for those who don't know, tadpoles are baby frogs...). But anyways, we caught 20 or so of them in a water bottle. I am now trying to classify them, and I have come upon the results that they are either the N. American Toad (yes, they do have tadpoles too) or a Green frog. They also could be a combination of the two. But now lets get to the point: how do I take care of these adorable little creatures? I learned in a class that they eat algae, would alagae wafers work as a diet until they are full grown? I have plants for them to eat too, I could get some at the petstore tomorrow. Housing is no problem, I currently have them in the 1.5 gallon tank. Should I put gravel in there? Are plastic plants good or bad?

Also, I have a wild-caught minnow in there. Should I get him/her a seperate tank, and themn what should I feed it?

Anyways, thanks for reading this, because I have a whole bunch of stupid questions (i really think this smilie fits me...:withstup: :smile


Also, if it helps, these were gathered in the state of Pensylvannia.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

People who I know have kept tadpoles, have kept them a lot like fish: In a tank with a filter. IMO much easier than constantly changing water in a little container. I think they learn to eat flake food. If they normally eat algae, get a green veggie or algae flake.


----------



## fishloverzj (May 3, 2010)

thanks!!!!!


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

when I was a kid I used to feed them plain old bread and they changed just fine


----------



## fishloverzj (May 3, 2010)

k. I am feeding them Algae Wafers (by Hikaru, the kind you get for plecos..)


----------



## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

Hmmm... I saw some of those the other day kayaking. I also caught a painted turtle who we named Sam and ran my boat into one big fricking carp. What ever they are I suggest releasing them once they start to turn. Feeding tadpoles is easy, feeding lots of tiny toad/frogs smaller then a dime is quite challenging. The main difficulty is finding live food their size. If you intend to raise them all the way to toads/frogs I suggest you find some aphid infested plants to hang on to. You will need a cage much bigger then 1.5gal. I suggest setting them up in a Rubbermaid tub around 10 gal.


----------



## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

Wingless fruit fly cultures would be the best bet for raising tiny frogs. Every year a handful of toads come to my backyard pond for breeding. There are now hundreds (if not thousands) of tiny black tadpoles swimming around among the lily pads. Last year they didn't even all mature before the weather turned cold. The water doesn't get really warm with most of the surface being covered by the lily pads, and between the lack of sunlight and the snails algae is limited as well. I did find some tiny toads turning up last year though.


----------



## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

you most def. need a filter.


----------



## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

The problem with keeping while caught animals and releasing them back into the wild is the fact that they can develop new diseases after extended periods of time then by releasing them you introduce can introduce a new disease to wild species. This is especially true with aquatic turtles. With an animal like a tadpole you should really have some sort of UVB bulb to in order for them to properly absorb the calcium and minerals into their bones. And with turtles you need a very high UVB bulb like a mercury vapor and with aquatic turtles the fact that they get there food under water makes it nearly impossible to properly administer calcium and vitamins thus leading to deficiencies in which the turtle will basically wither away and die a very slow painful death. Thats why the pet store I work at we refuse to sell any aquatic turtles and the only land turtles we sell are russians and redfoots because they are just about the easiest to care for and they have to be captive bred. Usually i urge people not to take in wild caught animals for these reasons they are much better living there life in their natural habitat. I myself do have a wild caught snapping turtle but i found him almost lifeless in the sand last september when it was about 30 degrees out still with a yolk sack on his belly and he is now eating well enough and doing good for him to go back to the river this month. I also make sure he receives all the proper care that is needed for him.


----------



## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

I don't believe they need a UVB blub. That is more a reptile need. The majority of our local frogs and toads lean towards the nocturnal side.


----------



## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

Revo I applaud your bravery in helping that turtle, seeing as after they get bigger they can easily remove your arm with their beaks. thus why they are called snapping turtles 
(ive seen them bite through boat oars).


As for those frogs if you intend to keep them I would do as much research as you can in order to ensure that they dont get sick or anything (like revo said again) and then release them back into the wild (you could always keep one if your very attached to it). We need lots of wild frogs due to the fact that their populations are dwindling very quickly. This is because they absorb the pollution out of the air very easily, which can either kill them or result in fewer births.


----------



## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

mikaila thats adult frogs and toads but not all of them are nocturnal. But tadpoles are most active during the day and recieve a lot of sunlight being near the surface of the water. it may not be required i have no idea if they do need it but its something to look into.


----------

