Froglets/Tadpoles

[chumpy100]

My Uncle took me to a place to snag some tadpoles, i got about 50, gave half to him. Three of the ones i kept had all four legs and a tail, now a few days later they barely have a tail and like to be out of the water. I have no idea what kind of frog they are. Is it normal for them to climb up the side of the tank? They have a greenish back and brownish legs. Thanks, this is the first time ive raised tadpoles.

[John]

Some will try to climb out but many will drown at this stage. You need to give them a very low water level. Have a look at the section on raising tadpoles and froglets in the Gray Treefrog Care article (linked in the navigation bar at the side of this page) - it applies to your situation when it comes to losing the tail and leaving the water.

If you can take a decent photo of them we can try to identify the species for you.

Welcome to the forum.

[chumpy100]

this is the best pic i could get, they look the same as this one. He is sitting on a floating turtle log i have in there, hes not climbing up a tree =)

[John]

Does he have toe discs? It's hard to tell from you photo.

[chumpy100]

give me a few min ill get a closer pic without the net on, and would tadpoles be ok in a tank with a RES, and what should i feed them, i read lettuce somewhere, is that fine?

[John]

No idea what a RES is. Tropical fish food is good for tadpoles.

[John]

Read the raising tadpoles section of that article I talked about.

[chumpy100]

heres some more


A RES is a Red Eared Slider (aquatic turtle) i know he likes to eat minnows though.

[John]

No, absolutely not.

It looks like it has toe pads so I'm guessing it's a gray treefrog (which is what I thought to begin with).

[chumpy100]

so when my uncle brings a tank down i should set up a habitat with a little more land than water?

could this also be why some of the frogs we put in the pond left?

[Kurt]

Gray treefrogs can survive with just a water bowl. They don't need a half flooded enclosure. The more water in an enclosure the more likely the prey insects will drown.

For those little guys, you're going to need to get fruit flies or some other tiny feeder insects. You will also need to use an enclosure that fruit flies can't escape from. I would use a "critter keeper", with a paper towel in between the top and the rest of the enclosure. This prevents fruit fly escape and allows for good ventalation (very important for treefrogs) and the passing of water. Fruitflies can be purchased on line from Black Jungle or Ed's Flymeat. They can also be purchased at Petco.

[chumpy100]

Since i cant put tap water in with the tadpoles can i take water out of my turtle tank to fill the tadpole tank a little? (i havent put tap into the turtle tank for weeks) The water in the turtle tank is pretty clean and clear too.

[Kurt]

You can dechlorinate tap water with a water conditioner found in every pet store. That will make the water safe for your amphibians.

[chumpy100]

can i do it just for a temp thing, cant make it to pet store til later tonight.

It's ashame my dad threw out the stuff for that like 3 weeks ago

or will they be fine in 2" water til later?

[Kurt]

They will be fine in two inches of water no problem, as long as the water is somewhat clean. But do get out and get some conditioner.

[John]

Walmart sells it, and I think most other big super markets.

[chumpy100]

how long do i have to let water sit after i put the conditioner in, it says "Dechlorinates instantly!" on the package, just being safe.

[John]

Just give it a quick stir and it's ready right away.

[chumpy100]

here are some pics of my turtle/tadpoles!

[chumpy100]

what should i get for these guys to put in the tank when they get bigger?