hydra311

Surrogate 'Frog Mom' New to Forum

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, August 25th, 2014 at 02:57 PM (1024 Views)

Originally Posted by hydra311

I SO wish I had found this site 3 yrs. ago! It would have saved me countless hours of worry and probably saved a couple thousand 'frog babies'. If anyone had told me 4-5 yrs. ago that I would be THIS involved with frogs (green anoles too, but they're a good bit more self sufficient) I would have said they were past crazy. It started so innocently. A metal tub and some water plants in 2012. I was not recording the day-to-day wildlife activities at this point but going by the last 2 yrs. it was probably mid-May. We started hearing frogs croaking periodically on our patio. We didn't really think that much about it until one night in late June and there seemed to be quite a gathering (which shall now be referred to as a 'party on the Fiesta Deck') So we go outside with a flashlight and one by one start finding these little frogs with REALLY loud voices! It was somewhere in this investigation that I look in the metal tub with the water plants and while glancing around notice the water is really dark. I grab another flashlight, take a GOOD look in the tub and about died! It was just full of eggs! Do the math here, Atlanta, summer, temps in the 90's, metal tub, water, eggs....this does NOT a good combination make! The next day I trundle down to Lowe's and buy a clamshell kiddie pool, stuff it in my Hyundai Elantra (You can fit ALOT of stuff in one of those!) bring it home and proceed to set it up. The whole time there is one of these little frogs stuck on the side of the house watching me! Well...in short, despite my best efforts we did not add to the frog population that summer. But I researched and discovered that these were Cope's Grey Tree Frogs and resolved I would be ready for them the following spring. Fast forward to April 9, 2113 I've been in and out of the house near the glass patio table. About the 3rd trip I look over at the table and there he sits! Now affectionately known as 'Homie'. The frog sat there for close to 8 hrs. pollen is settling all around him, never moves a frog hair...until about 8:30 pm. This is when his buddy 'Earnest T' calls to him. One call, no response, second call it's like someone just lit a fire under his little frog butt! Within less than a minute and about 4 good hops he goes from the table over to their pool (which I had already set up for them) a distance of about 10-12 ft! A few minutes later Earnest T came to join him and the party started. I guess they figured out that they were safe here (we have no kids, dogs, cats, etc.) and we started finding them in some VERY unusual places during the day. We just started referring to them as 'Watch Frogs'. If I ever figure out how to post pics on here I will do so! Anywho....despite my best efforts as far as we know we only raised ONE little froglet last year. We named him Fivel since after he hopped off all we knew was he was 'out there somewhere'. The problem seemed to be we got a handful of them to froglet stage and then they died. I combed internet, e-mailed supposed 'frog experts', no help. I even went so far as to consult with the guy who runs the 'Frogpod' program at Atlanta Botanical Gardens. But I persevered. I was determined that 2014 was going to be the Year of the Frogs. What was I doing or not doing. I raised a human child but was failing miserably at frog rearing (which was making the grown human child question how she made it as far as she did) It is now Aug. 25, 2014. All my frog mom's & dads have gone back to their homes in the woods and (remember the Air Trans commercial from a few years back...) left us with the babies. BUT...to date we have released about 15 babies with MANY, MANY more soon to follow. I'll share what I did different and also ask for ANY additional info/help from all the frog experts here. Right now, gotta make a fruit fly run.

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hydra311 - August 29th, 2014 03:38 PM
So...Since I last posted there have been about 5 more bouncing baby Cope's Grey Tree Frogs moved to the 'nursery'. Our weather has been so erratic over the last week but we are expecting rain all weekend so there will be some moving from the 'nursery' into the 'wild' this evening. As I stated in the previous blog despite my best efforts I could not seem to get any to this point. They would make it to froglet stage then die. It was after a chance encounter with someone about 6 wks. ago that a light bulb went off. I was helping a friend with her booth at a bead show when a lady commented on my frog pendant necklace. We started talking she told me about some Cope's Grey's leaving eggs in her pool cover. Long story short...she moved the eggs to another container along with the water from the pool cover. So in other words she didn't moved them into a clean or 'fresh water' situation. As she put it, she didn't want to upset the eco-balance that they appeared to be doing well in. She said she replaced water periodically with distilled water. Because of time and the circumstances I didn't get a chance to ask her if or what she fed them but the seed was planted. Remember now, I am NOT keeping all these frogs! I just want to give them a fighting chance to grow up and come back and visit me next year like their Dad's do (And I know for FACT we have males that return) So I got to work separating. What I ended up with were containers with tadpoles in 'like' sizes. Mating season was still in full swing and the main kiddie pool was filling up fast with new crops of eggs while baby tads were popping out daily! So I went out and got a smaller 3 ring inflatable pool. I fill it with a mix of distilled water and water from the already established pool. There are water plants in containers in the 1st pool (miniature horse tail, cat tails, corkscrew rush) as well as many water lettuce and water hyacinth. I just moved some of the latter into the new pool. Then I moved some of the tads that were getting some size on them over. That evening a cute little frog couple decided to christen said new pool and POOF!! more eggs! It's rare that I've ever seen these little guys in the water (I've been told they are not particularly good swimmers) Usually if they are in the main pool they are in the containers with the plants. They also like to perch in the 3, 4 foot potted Norfolk Pine Trees that I have around the pool. They also seem to enjoy hopping on the bulbous part of a water hyacinth and riding around on it like a pool toy! But this particular evening, I look in the new pool and this little guy is just floating around. I didn't think that much about it until I took a closer look. Now, by my own admission I'm not a math wizard but it just looked to me like there were more legs on this one than there should be! That's when I realize I am witnessing a 'frog moment'. Anywhoo......back to the separating. I found a large plastic container about 24" x 6" and filled it with about 2" or so of water from the 2 pools with a little distilled water and water lettuce. I put the largest of the tads in this one. Then I took another container that was about 16"x 8". In this one I put a concrete 'leaf' that will hold a small amount of water, some medium size smooth stones and some water lettuce with maybe 1 1/2" of water. Again, this water is mainly from the larger container. I have been feeding them algae thins and micro frog/tadpole pellets. When the tads in the larger container start to sprout back legs I moved them over to the smaller container. Half of the surface of the stones is out of the water as well as the 'leaf'. So what has happened is that when they get their front legs and start thinking 'I'm a big frog now!' they will either start climbing up the side of the container (there is a screen covering both the big and little one so they don't hop out and nothing can 'hop in' and get them) or they will hop onto the 'leaf' or a rock or piece of water lettuce. If they still have some tail I will gently tell them they're not quite ready which they usually are within 12-24 hrs. Then I put them in the 'nursery' where they have 2 'trainer tree's' another concrete leaf and fed flightless fruit flies for several days before I let them out into the world. So, I don't know what exactly has contributed to my success rate this year, 26 so far with a LOT more in various stages, compared to 1 last year and 0 the year before. Water, food, the separating...I really don't know. Now....if anyone has any thoughts on this part (if anyone is even reading this!) when I let them go I have been doing it around a line of giant elephant ears that runs up the side of the front of our house. Logic was, there is water at the base of them which in turn attracts small insects i.e. food, as well as shade. BUT there is stone wall which is home to God knows what. I know some skinks and green anoles. We have a lot of woods around us and a creek that runs under our driveway and through the woods. This is where the adult frogs go during the winter (I think) Do I need to be releasing them closer to the creek? Or do I just need to ask their Mom's & Dad's to come get them???