Tadpoles!

[whalelover]

Hey,
Last weekend I went to my friend's house who lives out in the country, and I got a clump of frog eggs(about hte size of my hand) from her ditch. So, I put them in an ice cream pail along with some water from the ditch, and today I looked in the pail and their little tadpoles! But I need to know how to take care of them, I read that you put some goldfish flakes in, so I put a tiny pinch in. The tadpoles are about the size of your baby fingernail. I also put out some water in another ice cream pail and put some water conditioner in it, then set it outside for tonight to declorinize. My question is, does anybody know how I might go about doing water changes without harming the tadpoles, and how do I take care of them exactly? How long will it take for them to grow up, am I feeding them the right stuff, what do I do with them when they get bigger, etc. Just general information on caring for them would be greatly appreciated!

[Fur&Feathers]

Best thing to do would be to put them back in the ditch. Or if you live by a nearby lake, put them in the most shallow part you can find. Taking them out of the wild isn't so nice.

[whalelover]

I will eventually set them free, but I think it would be a cool "experiment" to raise them and then set them free when they mature eventually.

[Fur&Feathers]

Perhaps do the experiment when you are fully ready and very knowledgeable about what you experimenting with? Just know that you are experimenting with lives.

[IRescue452]

I agree. My sister and I used to try and raise tadpoles all the time when we were kids. Unfortunately we were never able to get any to survive to maturity. They are very fragile critters.

[CagneyDog]

Originally posted by Fur&Feathers
Perhaps do the experiment when you are fully ready and very knowledgeable about what you experimenting with? Just know that you are experimenting with lives.

Exactly.

Do some research first.

I hope they make it

[k9krazee]

A couple of years ago my cousin and I thought it would be neat to do the same thing, it was a bad idea and only a few made it to adulthood, I would recommend putting them back too. Good luck!

[Suki Wingy]

Well, I would recomend releasing them too, but my dad gave me some and I killed them with clean water, they apparently like it muddy.

[slleipnir]

It's very hard, I believe, to keep tadpoles that turn into frogs, alive. Atleast that is what someone told me. I had an aquarium fill once of tadpoles (like, A LOT of them). Most of them died shortly after being in full frog form, so I started taking them back to the pond which I got them from as they became frogs. It's amazing to watch them change though! I got mine from swap like water..they need stuff in that water to eat or live off..like algie?

[Fur&Feathers]

Yeah, they need algae. But it doesn't matter to whalelover. Completely leaving them alone in the pail will work wonders for them.

[Fur&Feathers]

Originally posted by CagneyDog
It is sad to see such helpless creatures being killed by someone so ignorant.

I couldn't have said it any better.

[Tweety_Pie]

Although it may seem like a neat thing to watch tadpoles grow up, IMHO I would put them back where you found them so they can grow up in their natural habitat. Do some research so you know what to do... I would imagine it's hard to take care of them just like it is hard to take care of of baby bird or any creature at such a young age. Whatever you do, I hope you make the right decision.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

That's so neat!!! We would love to have frogs in our pond, but we don't know where to get them.... !

[luvofallhorses]

Tadpoles are supposed to stay where they came from---the wilderness. They have better chance of survival in the wilderness...they aren't supposed to be taken from their homes. Please do some research before you take them out of their own home It is cruel IMO

[whalelover]

Okay, well yes, it does matter to me what kind of water they have. That is why I posted in the first place Fur&Feathers!
Jeez, I wouldn't have posted asking for ADDITIONAL information on caring for them if I didn't care about them. I have done extensive research on caring for them, and yes, I feel I do know alot about them now. I know that they need real pond water, or declorinized, aged water, so my friend has been giving me fresh water from the ditch I got them from. They are growing and are doing well.