Tadpole ID? D.C. Area U.S., pics

[Tadtholemew]

Awesome, thanks! I'll update the thread as he grows. I've tried looking at some ID pictures, and he does look pretty similar to the others I listed...but it seems like they are pretty diverse, even within a given species. Hopefully if he is a bull frog, the 20 gallon tank is alright. It looks like they get pretty big!

[Gnag the nameless]

If it is a bullfrog, I can definitely help you out and I know an expert on them here, as well. I've kept my Gnag for 10 months, ever since she was a froglet, and I will tell you, these frogs make great pets. Here's a list of basic things you'll need if it is a bullfrog as well as a basic caresheet that I've written and based off of my experience with this species:

American bullfrog (Rana Catesbiana) Caresheet:

Species information:

Coloration: Can vary from Bright Green, Normal Green, Brown, and Olive.

Size: Froglets start out at 1-2 inches (snout to vent), but most adults grow to 5-6 inches. Larger specimens may reach sizes of 8 inches. Females are typically larger than males.

Sexing: Male bullfrogs will call at a young age. Males will also have yellow throats, instead of cream-colored like their bellies. Females will have cream colored throats. Another way to tell them apart is that the typanum or "ear" of a male will be larger than its eye, whilst on a females it will be the same size.

Age/Breeding: Most bullfrogs become ready to mate once they attain 3 inches of length. Bullfrog tadpoles may spend up to two years in the tadpole stage. Bullfrogs will live to around 4 to 5 years, though some have been recorded up to ages of 6-7.

Distribution: Bullfrogs are native to the Eastern USA, but have spread to Canada, Western Europe, Northern and Western USA, and Asia via the frog leg trade.

Habitat: Bullfrogs are found in permanent bodies of water, such as lakes, ponds, and marshes. They prefer slow-moving water, and are often found at the edge of the water.

Diet: Bullfrog tadpoles graze on algae, whilst young bullfrogs eat invertebrates. Adult bullfrogs eat smaller frogs, fish, tadpoles, finches, young turtles, small snakes, mice, small birds, crayfish, and a large variety of invertebrates Anything that moves and they can fit into their mouth, they will attempt to eat.

Required Equipment:

- 30 gallon for when the frog is growing up, 55-70-90-100-120 gallon tank for when it is an adult.
- Strong filter, I personally suggest either a Canister filter or Fluval U(1,2,3) Underwater series filter.
- Pond stones or a divider, make sure all stones are too big to be eaten, and if taken from outside, aren't sharp and are boiled for 5 minutes to remove any parasites/bacteria. Same goes for any wood or decorations from the outside. If you use the divider, use coconut fiber or additive/fertilizer free topsoil. Seal the land area from the water area using aquarium grade silicone sealant.
- An Aquarium background, preferably a forest one, that can cover the sides and back of the tank
- A strong lid. These guys can jump high.
- Plastic bin and lid with egg cartons for crickets, as well as carrots/lettuce/spinach/squash and oats/bread.
- Plastic tub/bucket with coconut fiber/topsoil for earthworms/dew worms.
- Fake/live plants. Be careful about choosing live plants. I strongly suggest duckweed. As for fake, fake water reeds and fake lily pads work great. Just place the cricket/earthworm on the lily pad in front of your frog.
- Driftwood works great for cover. Just wash it very thoroughly in dechlorinated/conditioned water first.
- Aquarium water conditioner. Can be found at most pet stores. That, or Reverse osmosis water. Never use distilled water, it lacks the minerals that frogs need.
- Reptile Calcium + Vitamin D3 powder, and Reptile Multi-Vitamin powder. These can be found at most pet stores that work with reptiles and/or amphibians.
- 3 spare 4-8 liter buckets to help with water changes.
- 2-3 4liter milk/water jugs to measure and condition tap water with.

Captive care:

Biotype: Bullfrogs tend to stay at the waters edge, so I suggest 1/3 land-water ratio, resembling the edge of a pond or swamp. Moss can be used, but make sure it is not near the feeding area, as if it is ingested it may cause impaction/prolapse.

Feeding: Feed crickets the same size as the space between the frogs mouth. Dust with a calcium mix every other day for growing frogs and a multivitamin once a week. Do not be lazy on the dusting! I was, and I'm still treating my Green frog (Rana Clamitans) for a double case of Giardia/Tetany. I strongly suggest you also feed him earthworms/nightcrawlers. They're easy to digest and so much more nutritious than crickets. I feed my 3.2 inch bullfrog 8 4week crickets and 1 earthworm every night. You can feed adult bullfrogs guppies or minnows as treats, as long as they come from a parasite-free source. I don't suggest mice, they're difficult to digest and are high in fat. I also would steer clear of mealworms/superworms. They're difficult to digest and are low in nutrients.

Water/filter: In the first few weeks of getting the new filter, do 25% water changes daily. As the bio-filter boots up, you can do 50% water changes every week. As for the level of water, I suggest 2-3 inches. Make sure there is somewhere the frog can sit and be relatively dry, or at least out of the water.

It may sound like a massive challenge, but it is not impossible and the results are very rewarding

[Psychotic]

I agree. He looks like a bullfrog tad to me.

[Tadtholemew]

Thank you both! I think you're right, and I'm just waiting to see how he turns out. Here's a picture from this morning:


Caspian, thank you for the care guide! I wish you'd posted it before I bought his tank. I bought the coconut substrate...but I didn't get the sealant (actually, I didn't even see any in the pet store...). My first terrarium attempt turned into a giant dirt mess all over the bathroom. I have all of the recovered substrate drying in the window, and I set up the rest of the tank, including some structures for him to climb onto. However, he's been acting a little odd since I set it up. He keeps jumping everywhere, like hyperactively. Yesterday, he jumped out when I was trying to get him into his new terrarium (...four feet onto the wood floor). I got him right back in the water and he was a little dazed for the next few hours...but after that, he's gone right back to excessive jumping everywhere - which was a relief at first, but now it's getting a little concerning. I thought that maybe with the amount of water and the filter, there might not be enough algae for him to eat...so last night I turned off the filter and gave him twice the number of recommended food pellets and a tiny piece of lettuce. He's been a little calmer since (and I turned the filter back on), but every ten minutes or so I'll hear a splash. I had a recurring series of nightmares in which he jumped out of the tank last night because he kept splashing (and the tank is by the bed).

I'm worried that he needs more air now (he has cute little legs now!)...but he doesn't seem to be using the climbing dock or rocks in the tank. Is this normal? Or do I just have a hyperactive tadpole? Is is the food, do you think? Or maybe something with the tank (he seems to be gravitating towards the corners, where they are glued together, so I'm a little worried he's, I don't know, eating the glue or something). I'm also worried that he will beach himself on the rock. Do you think that should be a concern?

Thanks for your replies! I hope I'm taking care of him okay. I felt really terrible after I let him jump out.

[Psychotic]

He may not like the filter. I have the same filters in my frog tanks. However I don't use any filters at all for tadpoles. The current was too strong and they don't like it at all! I just did 20% water changes once a week until they turned into frogs. I always had pretty shallow water too. For deeper water I would prefer an air stone.
My bullfrog tadpoles have always been lazy and like to just lay around on the bottom of their tank. So you could turn the filter off for a few days and see if he calms down. He also might feel exposed without plants to hide in. Though with my own tadpoles I never provided plants, but I think they were used to that because they never had plants from the time they were born.

Once he finishes developing his legs and starts to loose his tail, he should climb out of the water himself. However you can keep an eye on him and remove him to land once his tail starts to shrink. My last batch of frogs eggs that I hatched out were wood frogs. Once they started loosing their tails I removed them to damp paper towel set ups for a few days until their tails completely disappeared. Then moved them to a terrestrial set up. But with my bullfrogs I left them in an aquatic set up with plenty of rocks and ramps to climb out on and they did just fine. As a frog they still like to swim and hang out in the water. Mine spend more time in water than on land.