Reptile & Amphibian Forums

WOW these guys are really changing fast! I only posted a few days ago that some had gotten their arms - as of this morning, those two have already absorbed 90% of their tails. They've got little rottweiler tail stump looking nubs now, & probably by this evening they'll be entirely tailless.

So that's two of them - as for the other two, one is a couple days behind, has arms & legs but still a full tail. The last one has hind legs, hasn't sprouted arms yet.

These guys have been raised in 2 2.5 gallon tanks, with pond water changed out every other day. The weird thing is, the tadpoles in the glass tank are the ones developing faster. The ones in the plastic 'critter keeper' are behind. Their environments are otherwise identical. They've only had vegetation stuff from the pond to feed on - leaves, sticks, bits of reeds, duckweed & floating moss stuff, all of which were good cover for hiding, & all of which were growing algae. I tried adding fish flakes but they just made a mess. My method of maintaining that they had adequate food was real scientific: if I saw goldfish-style dangling poop hanging off their hind ends, I assumed they were eating well :-P

So now the little boogers are hopping around like experts! They've got their cute little raccoon masks, too. When they've all transformed, I'll choose the two least skittish, to move into the planted 10 gallon tank I've set up. It's got organic soil, & I've planted 3 different ivys, plus ferns, moss, & other shade-loving foresty stuff from the woods out back; the fluorescent hood I've got doesn't put out enough light for sun-hungry plants. There's a wide shallow dish which I'll need to stack some rocks in, & I've been aging some water; I really hope they adapt alright to the aged tap water. What should I try for feeding: pinhead crix, flightless fruit flies, ants? These guys are fingernail size (& I have small hands!)

I'm determined to choose the jumpiest two to go back to the pond; there's a big fat bullfrog there, & a few green frogs as well, plus chipmunks galore, & I'd like my little wood frogs to have at least a LITTLE chance of not being eaten for a while!

Thanks

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~kimhotep

n/p
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~kimhotep

not yet, they are too young. You'll have to wait until sexual maturity to get an "idea" of sex. If I'm not mistaken the only true was is to wait and see if one of them does any calling. If so then the caller is male.
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Heather

Chilean Christmas Toad
Lemon Toad
Bufo varigatus

n/p
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~kimhotep

Sounds cool, now I know what to expect with my 50 little wood tads. Some have their full rear lags and arm nubs, a few have rear leg nubs while some little ones are barely developing yet. I split them in three groups according to size, and have a log floating for anyone who might decide to morph. I plan on keeping 6 or so of them.
Your setup sounds great. I would start off with pinhead crickets, placing the frog in a small tank with paper towel substrate, or at least hard-packed soil, and leaving it alone for a few hours every day. I do this by putting the frog/cricket into a small, yet tall, rubbermaid container and placing that into the regular tank, adding a moist paper towel shred, and leaving it overnight. As long as the frog and cricket(s) cant escape, it makes it easier for the tiny frog to eat, no "dirt mouth." They dont always start chomping food right away, one green frog i had took nearly a month after absorbing the tail. I would suugest seeing what ones eat the most readily, and keeping them; that's what I plan to do, though it will be tough with 50 tads and i'll hafta watch discreetly.
glad there's someone else out there who raises wood frogs! this is my first batch of this type of frog, so we'll see how it goes..
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*~Ginevive~*

I'd love to see these little dudes eat. I never have been careful about the toad, he gets a dozen crix dumped in as often as I 'don't see any' & his weight is consistently good (he lives in my bedroom so I monitor him & his enclosure pretty closely...crix have plants to hide in & crix food in there too, so Edmond doesn't get stressed or nibbled on by em)

ANYway I'll get some pinhead crix tomorrow, because if these guys are disappearing their tails so fast, they prolly don't have a very patient metabolism.

Still haven't heard green frogs singing outside... :-P

Thanks!
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~kimhotep

Wow I hear it like CRAZY here in Tampa. Right at dusk they start going nuts! It sounds like there are three in the tree right at level of our balcony but I never seem them.
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Heather

Chilean Christmas Toad
Lemon Toad
Bufo varigatus