A Question About Tadpole Morphing

[dannie]

My boyfriend bought a bulllfrog tadpole( at least I think it's one) recently. It's large and a bright green colour. ANYWAY, I've never seen a metamorphosis start to finish, and I notice the tadpole is looking a little baggy. There's a little hole in the baggy skin near his front, which i'm assumin is where his front legs will come from, but...he doesn't even have back legs yet. Is that normal?

Edit: I found this photo on google
He looks kind of like this just not as pudgey in the belly

[John]

Is the hole on the left hand side of his body? If so, you could be talking about his spiracle. The spiracle is where the water that has been passed over the internal gills is expelled from the body.

[dannie]

Oh! That's a nifty thing to know. I looked again and yes the whole is on the left side of him. Guess I must just be anxious for little feet!

[JimO]

Bullfrog tads can take a year or two to morph out if the water temp is below 70F. Increasing it a few degrees will accerlate the process, but you don't want it to happen too quickly. Higher water temperatures are also linked to spindly leg syndrome - a pretty much fatal malformation of the front limbs.

It's a great looking tad and has good size. The bigger the tad before morphing, the better.

[dannie]

I have a small heater in the tank with him, to keep him warm, and to keep the temperature stable at night. I live in alaska and I didn't want the temperature to drop too harshly at night.I have a few bloodworms and algae wafers to feed him as well as mysis shrimp if he likes those. Tryin' to keep up a variety for him.

[Jace]

Fish flakes are good too-my bullfrog tadpole absolutely loved them when she was a tad. Usually the bacl legs will pop first; it could take several weeks or months for the front legs to show up. You will be able to tell by seeing movement of the limbs under the skin. It's creepy and fascinating at the same time!! Just an FYI: when all the legs are out, they won't eat again until the tail is absorbed. You will want to lower the water level to just barely covering it and give it a place to climb out when it is ready (I used a turtle dock-worked like a charm!). Keep us posted on its development-it truly is fascinating to watch!!

[dannie]

Really? Well lucky enough I have some tropical fish flakes from my boyfriends tetra's. I'm glad I keep a lot of fish, lots of different options to feed the little guy. I'll definately keep you posted! I'm excited to see how he turns out!

[Jace]

I documented Poe's morphing and I like looking back and seeing how far she has come. She had some issues as a tadpole and I feel much better now that she has morphed into a beautiful-if spastic-young froglet. My avatar is her eyeball, which is as beautiful as she is! Enjoy because once it starts, it is over far too quickly!