Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey there! New to the forum and figured this would be the place to find the best advice.

I've researched until my brain was ready to pop, but I still have a few Qs regarding these little squeekers. In early may I collected 6 Peeper tads (all I could find that were still alive) from a dwindling pool up by my cottage on Georgian Bay. Not knowing what else to do with them since I was leaving within the hour, I brought them home.

Since then, they have halved in number and trippled in size. Their hind legs growing/fully formed on some. I have their terrarium all set up with a large shallow pool for the stragglers, but here are my questions....

1) When should I start moving them from the fully aquatic tank to the terrarium pool? I really don't want to risk drowning as I am quite attached. There is a stick in the tank so they can climb out, but a fellow herper has told me that may not make a difference as no one ever said frogs were smart.

2) Once moved, what is the absolute best food for these little guys? I've been told pinheads, fruitflies and bloodworms, but all are fairly hard to come by around here and are slightly expensive. (note: I am willing to start a cricket colony, however much my parents will hate me for it.)

3) How much food? I have been told horror stories about the amount of food these guys can pound down. Honest answers anyone?

Cheers,
NastyTurtles & her peeping pipsqueeks

Ok..
#1 the hind legs will come out first. Then the front legs (usually one at a time). When the first front leg, on the first tad pops out is when I rearrange the tank to provide some land for them climb out onto. I usually just let cork or foam float in the tank for them to crawl out onto. Once all the legs are out, they will come out of the water (sometimes for good, sometimes they are in and out for a few hours or even a day or so.. at this point, their lungs are changing).

#2 Pinheads are your best bet.. sometimes you can get them at a petstore, or you can order them online.. just google crickets and you will get several suppliers.

#3 It will take a few days once they come out of the water for them to absorb their tails.. they usually don't eat during this time. Once the tail is almost gone, you can start offering pinheads. For froglets up to about 5 months, I feed everyday. You will want to make sure that the cricket is about the size of the distance between their eyes or slightly smaller.

BTW, once they reach about a year old, your parents will really hate you.. peepers are very very loud when calling..
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#1 Awesome info, thank you!

#2 Thanks, I'll start looking around.

#3 Good to know! Thanks for the size ratio too!

My Dad loves Peepers and my Mum is slightly touchy on amphibians. But I plan on releasing these guys before then... if not, yes, they likely will kill me

Cheers for the help!
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Cheers,
NastyTurtles & Her Peeping Pipsqueeks