Poe has legs....

[Jace]

Poe, my American Bullfrog tadpole has recently sprouted rear legs. They look rather small in proportion to the rest of him. I included a picture. I have no idea what to do next with him....how long until the front ones come? Should I change his setup to include a land portion just in case? Would a ten gallon work for now? Any info would be great...he (or she-who knows?) is changing faster than I was anticipating! But I sure am excited!!

[Jace]

Picture would probably be good, eh? Lol..

[Ebony]

Cool Jace, Your tadpole looks to be progressing nicely.
Ive no idea if American Bullfrog tadpole's are similar to other tadpoles or not. Going by Tree frog tadpoles it takes just a couple of days after their arms are out before they will start to venture out of the water. So going by your photo there's no rush. He/she has a bit more growing to do first. The legs need to develop a lot more before the arms appear. Once the back legs are more developed you will see the arms moving under the skin about 1 or 2 days before they will pop out. It's very cool raising tadpoles and I never get sick of watching them change and develop their individual colouring. Your going to get hooked. I see more tadpole in the future for you.

Hopefully someone with American Bullfrog knowledge will jump in with more definitive information.

[John]

He has several months to go - American Bullfrogs take forever to metamorphose. When the front legs pop, put him in shallow water just covering his body and he'll be fine. One good thing about American Bullfrogs is that they are nearly impossible to kill!

[Ebony]

Gee..several months. That's a long time. So how long from Tadpole to frog all up?

[Paul Rust]

Poe looks good Jo-Anna.

[Jace]

Thanks for the info and the compliments. I was pretty excited to see the legs last night, though they kind of look like chicken legs! Lol. I've noticed that he is moving them around as he swims, which is kind of neat to watch. Not that I was watching him with a flashlight for an hour....no...I have a life, thank you. Sigh, no I don't. I'm glad I have a bit more time before he morphs completely. As for being hard to kill....I hope that is a point for the frog and not an indication of my less than stellar tadpole rearing skills!!

Ebony, I wish I could say that I will never have another tadpole again...but I would be lying. They are quite fun to watch, though the anticipation is nerve-racking!!

[John]

Gee..several months. That's a long time. So how long from Tadpole to frog all up?

These guys can take anywhere from 3 months to over a year. They grow into one of the biggest tadpoles in the world - they can pass 10 cm long.

[Jace]

Poe is just over 9 cm long as of now. Almost a 10.....

[John]

Then he'll probably top 12 or 13 cm by the end.

[Jace]

Wow. That is a huge tadpole. He eats nonstop; I give him three or four feedings throughout the day and he eats it right up. Maybe a sign I need to feed him more often!

[Ebony]

I was going to tell you to put your finger in and see if your tadpole has a nibble. When I raise Whistlers I loved putting my finger in water and they would all come over an nibble at my finger. It was so funny and ticklish. But now that your guy is going to be so hugh I wont as he may take your finger off .

[Jace]

I tried sticking my finger in the water, but he is completely uninterested. However, he is used to the feeding tongs, so when they go in the water, he knows food is coming and goes straight for his feeding corner. He does have a rather large mouth...thankfully no teeth as far as I can see.