Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Now that we have identified my tadpole, Clyde, as a tree frog - most likely a grey or green tree frog (Thank you batrachos) - is there anything I need to do, or watch out for as he grows?

He just started with his back legs, and I haven't noticed any front legs growing yet. He is in a small fish aquarium with an aquatic plant and rocks to climb on when he gets his legs. I am currently feeding him lettuce and bottom feeder fish food. I have also noticed he is eating algae of the plants. (he must be eating a good bit, because he poops a lot!)

My goal is to let him go once he gets to the proper stage, but I'm not sure when that would be - and I'm tempted to keep him as a pet. I love tree frogs. (That decision really is questionable - I want him to have the best possible chance at life and I don't want to screw it up).

So please help me and give me some specific pointers on keeping him growing. When do I need to start changing his diet? and to what? Should I add things (tall plants) for him to climb on when he starts developing his front legs? When is it appropriate to let him go?

I also happen to have a tankful of tadpoles that were rescued from the same 'kiddie' pool that Clyde came from - but they are only a few weeks old and still to little to determine what they are - that's a problem in another thread (I think under frogs in general).

Thanks in advance for any advice -- this place is a great help for newbies like myself.

Frognut

start feeding crickets or small bugs when his tail is completely absorbed. when they are absorbing thier tail they don't eat anything, this is because their mouth isn't developed enough to eat anything. it's inbetween a fish mouth and a frog mouth.

when you let him go is up to you, frogs can get eaten at any point in thier life.
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A room of herps.
www.freewebs.com/kapoktree

Ok - great, crickets and small bugs when tail is absorbed - and then the guilt of letting it go out and get eaten after I have worked so hard to get the cute 'lil tadpole into a frog! sheesh! Can I get some pointers on how to keep him?

I've read keeping the sides misted to keep the humidity up, and now bugs - but what about his 'living conditions'? Should I have a sandy/beach like area along with rocks and some sort of vertical stuff (examples would be helpful here)? What about water -water in a water dish or keep a low level of water in the tank and make sure the sand/rocks/etc sit above the water level on one side?

He is currently only in a small fish aquarium that is 7.5" X 7.5" - would that be big enough?

Now my only question left is what about the other 75 tadpoles in the 20 gallon aquarium that are steadily moving toward frogdom? I guess I could have a big party and send one froglet home with each guest

otis07 - despite my intended friendly 'sarcasm' I do appreciate your assistance!

Frognut
soon to be Froginsane

Here is my latest pic of Clyde - his hind legs can now almost reach the bottom when he sits like this - and his little tiny toes are soo cute!

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Lets see...for caging you can use what you have now for a few weeks, but I would just put him in a 10 gallon if you decide to keep him for more than a month or so. For substrate, dirt with a few inches of leaf litter, maybe a potted plant or two, glass lid with some kind of light (can be ambient). Have a small waterdish or water area in the tank, (dechloronated water), but make it easy for him to get out so he doesn't drown. thats about it for housing, you can take plants from outside, moss, ferns, whatever, and put a few sticks or something in. i wouldn't use sand, most frogs don't like when substrate get stuck to them.

why don't you just release the tads? if you do plan to release them the sooner the better, they can't get used to no predators, being handfed, same time every day... if you want them them keep some, but if not then you should let them go soon.
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A room of herps.
www.freewebs.com/kapoktree

The tads are still pretty small, so I guess if I found a suitable pond I could let them go. If I kept one or two of the tads, placed them in Clyde's current small aquarium and moved Clyde into the 20 gallon tank and as he metamorphed I could change his environment. Would I be able to introduce the other one or two tads - when they became frogs into his aquarium at a later date? (provided they turn out to be the same type of frog)

They are still too small to identify, but they were all found in the same place (the 'kiddie' pool left out for my dogs) and they do look an awfully lot like the tadpole group Clyde came from...

what do you think?

Thank you for all your advice
Frognut

>>Now that we have identified my tadpole, Clyde, as a tree frog - most likely a grey or green tree frog (Thank you batrachos) - is there anything I need to do, or watch out for as he grows?>>

The main thing about keeping tadpoles is to keep them in clean, warm water. Warm water helps digestion and clean water keeps them healthy. Keep water temperature about 75-80 degrees but not above that. If it gets too hot, throw some ice cubes in the water to help cool things down.

>>He just started with his back legs, and I haven't noticed any front legs growing yet. He is in a small fish aquarium with an aquatic plant and rocks to climb on when he gets his legs. I am currently feeding him lettuce and bottom feeder fish food. I have also noticed he is eating algae of the plants. (he must be eating a good bit, because he poops a lot!)>>

Tadpoles eat almost constantly. Give it leafy vegetatables and an occasional piece of raw beef. Tadpoles can and do benefit from the protein in meat. Boil the vegetables to soften them. Remove uneaten food daily as they tend to spoil. Lettuce is poor in nutritional value. Green leafy vegetables are more nutritious. Algae is good too because that is what tadpoles often eat in nature.

>>My goal is to let him go once he gets to the proper stage, but I'm not sure when that would be - and I'm tempted to keep him as a pet. I love tree frogs. (That decision really is questionable - I want him to have the best possible chance at life and I don't want to screw it up).>>

Either let him go now, or let him go after he transforms into a little froglet. At that point, feed him a couple of times and then let him go. Start culturing fruit flies. You can leave a piece of banana out in the open, and soon enough fruite flies will find it. Take the banana and put it inside a jar with a cloth cover. Soon fly maggots will appear and they will develop into flies. Fruit flies are the right size for small frogs, and they cost nothing except some bananas to keep the colony going.

>>So please help me and give me some specific pointers on keeping him growing. When do I need to start changing his diet? and to what? Should I add things (tall plants) for him to climb on when he starts developing his front legs? When is it appropriate to let him go?
>>
>>I also happen to have a tankful of tadpoles that were rescued from the same 'kiddie' pool that Clyde came from - but they are only a few weeks old and still to little to determine what they are - that's a problem in another thread (I think under frogs in general).
>>
>>Thanks in advance for any advice -- this place is a great help for newbies like myself.
>>
>>Frognut

You can either let the other tadpoles go or feed them the same way as the treefrog tadpole. Practically all tadpoles are vegetarian. They have the long guts that are characteristic of plant eaters.

Don't forget to peel the banana first before trying to attract fruit flies. Also peel it before putting in the jar to start a fruit fly colony. It is summer now and fruit flies are easy to find and cultivate.

Thanks for the advice. Clyde sprouted his front legs yesterday - there were 2 bumps in the morning and two cute little legs in the afternoon.

I lowered his water a little, to make sure he has plenty of rocks to access if he wants to climb out of the water. The most I've seen him do is cling to the plant, but that is under water.

Yeah, fruit flies are easy to cultivate -- every time my husband leaves a slice of orange or grapefruit out I get them and it takes me weeks to get rid of them. I guess I have a place for them to go!

Now that he has both legs, I guess I'm watching for the tail to absorb? When should I really drop the water level (it is swimmable now - about 1 1/2" deep)? Should I start cultivating the fruit flies for him now?

About returning him to his world, since he was found in the 'kiddie' pool in my yard, should he be let go in the woods next to my house?

Sorry for all the questions, but I really appreciate all the help - as does Clyde. He really is adorable. His body is turning a dark green with a light underbelly. I'm pretty sure batrachos is right and he is turning into a Gray Tree Frog.

Thanks again,
Frognut

>>Thanks for the advice. Clyde sprouted his front legs yesterday - there were 2 bumps in the morning and two cute little legs in the afternoon.
>>
>>I lowered his water a little, to make sure he has plenty of rocks to access if he wants to climb out of the water. The most I've seen him do is cling to the plant, but that is under water.
>>
>>Yeah, fruit flies are easy to cultivate -- every time my husband leaves a slice of orange or grapefruit out I get them and it takes me weeks to get rid of them. I guess I have a place for them to go!
>>
>>Now that he has both legs, I guess I'm watching for the tail to absorb? When should I really drop the water level (it is swimmable now - about 1 1/2" deep)? Should I start cultivating the fruit flies for him now?
>>
>>About returning him to his world, since he was found in the 'kiddie' pool in my yard, should he be let go in the woods next to my house?
>>
>>Sorry for all the questions, but I really appreciate all the help - as does Clyde. He really is adorable. His body is turning a dark green with a light underbelly. I'm pretty sure batrachos is right and he is turning into a Gray Tree Frog.
>>
>>Thanks again,
>>Frognut

If it is a treefrog tadpole, it will be able to climb onto the vertical sides of the aquarium. You will need to keep a tight lid on the aquarium. There is no need to lower the water level. You can also put him in a jar with a rock and a tight lid once he stops eating. Now is a good time to cultivate the fruit flies as it takes time for the maggots to turn into adult flies. Releasing him in the woods is a good idea. Give him a head start by giving him some food before letting him go. It will probably stay there and get fat on insects before dispersing further.

OMG! I didn't know he would turn from a tadpole with both back and front legs to a fully functional froglet in less than 12 hours!!!

When I went to bed Sunday, Aug 3rd he had a long tail and all his legs, but he was still swimming. (see picture #1) I put the lid on tight, but there was a small hole in the top (I didn't give it a second thought)

This morning -- he had escaped! I flipped - my dogs had been in all night, then there are the cats and I didn't know how long he could survive outside the water -- I mean he was underwater when I went to bed.

I found him by pure luck. He was on the floor and had white cat hairs stuck to him - he was a hopping dust bunny! (Otherwise he would have blended right into the dark floor). (see picture #2, without the cat hairs).

He now has screen covering the top underneath the lid so he can't escape. I've been scrambling for bugs and found two little mosquitoes in the tadpole tank. I have the fruit out waiting for fruit flies - I hope he'll be ok.

I guess I'll get some food in him and let him go in the woods. I'm sure he has had more than enough excitement here.

I want to thank everyone - this has been an amazing experience!

Frognut

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