The Rescues

[Rat The Unloved]

So, about a month ago I got four tadpoles from a local bait store as rescues. I knew they were Ranids, which are not animals I'm particularly interested in having as pets, but they deserved a chance at life.



There they were on day one. About 3" long, ferociously attacking tropical fish flakes. Yes, that's what they've been eating. And they ate 'em with gusto.

Well, after a short vacation I came back to find them all still alive, and developing legs.



My fiancee and I were very proud. We were told tadpoles are really hard to raise, and to expect only one to make it that far. Ha! Look at those fatties!

Over the last few days, one of them had begun hopping up out of the water and asserting his dominance over silly concepts like "containment" ... we knew it was time to get together another tank, and some food. Here's "Bud" being ambulatory, and insisting he's actually a Leopard frog.


So, we set bud up a home. A 5gl tank with about two inches of water and a nice land area. I don't intend to keep these guys forever (Anyone in the Norman OK area interested in a VERY tame frog... or four?) but I think this is enough room to grow them up a bit before they either go (back) out into the wild, or into loving homes.



And here's the newest photo - Bud in his pad, chilling out and giving the stinkeye to the camera.

[Rat The Unloved]

Today Bud has started taking an interest in the small crickets, and generally being more "frog" than "tadpole.



And here's the really odd bit. His siblings ... well... one of them looks very different.


Is it possible the one on the top there is Leucistic? If so, these others are possibly het for it!

[LilyPad]

I don't have the answer for your questions, but thanks for sharing the pictures. It is so cool to see them growing up!

[Rat The Unloved]

Here are the kids - well and truly frogs, in their new "teenager pad". It's a 10gl standard with a 1gl-ish pond. Once this starts to look crowded, I'll begin work on their 29gl "forever home".

[Rat The Unloved]

Has it been seven months since this all began? WOW! Well, the enclosure has had numerous improvements, and I thought I'd post one more time before work begins on the 29gl, permanent, home.



Here is the tank as of today. Last night I moved it onto the larger, longer "Stand" that the 29gl will eventually go on. The pothos on the left came from an potted Home Depot plant that was barely more than a cutting. I now have what you see, plus two other cuttings. The fern on the right has done better than I expected, probably because it's a house plant. Inbetween this mire of plantlife is a small "shoe box" tub that's been cut down to create a small pond. The pond houses Endler-Guppy hybrids that - somehow- aren't eaten.



I started having some "trouble" a few months ago with Mushrooms. They spring up overnight, reach a height of about seven inches, spore-print all over the place, and wither. I hear-tell that this is a sign of a stable vivarium.

In any case, I hope to start on a 29gl soon - It's become very clear from the ringing "BUMP!" sounds of frog hitting glass that they've outgrown this temporary enclosure.

[xofroggyloveox]

Thats so cool! It's awesome that you rescued them

[GrifTheGreat]

This is a great thread. I love how you have taken the time to show each stage of their metamorphosis. They appear to be in great health. Very nice rescue.

[Heatheranne]

Great job!

[Rat The Unloved]

Well, it's been fourteen months. Gads! The "kids" have been in the tank for about half a year and I still haven't gotten any decent photos of it.

Unfortunately, aggression is rearing it's ugly head. The larger of the two frogs consistently bullies the smaller one away from food, which only heightens the size difference problem. I've really had enough of it, and have started removing the larger frog to a plastic bin while I feed the smaller in the tank. I'm unevenly distributing food in favor of the smaller frog, hoping to counter the size difference.

The larger frog consistently makes "Squeaky rubber noises" when it's picked up, so I'm hazarding a guess it's male.

I may add another frog or two to the mix this year seeing as the bait store -still- gets in tadpoles. Maybe having three or four will help alleviate aggression.

[Rat The Unloved]

As if on cue, my dear fiancee brought home a bag of tadpoles. Five more rescues are in a 10gl tank being fed on fish flakes.

What have I learned?
Hands off: Handle rarely. Don't make sudden movements or loud noises. They are terrified of swift movements and dive for cover just like their wild counterparts.
Rough-housing: They are aggressive with each-other, and establish a pecking order. Gotta have more than two, or else one gets beaten into submission too much.
"Wide Open Plains": They love to soak in the water AND hide on the land. Of course, in either case they seem to set perfectly still for days on end.
"Don't need Height": Lies and slander . They CLIMB. I find one of them at the top of the GS back wall routinely. If he didn't beat the snot out of the other frog, I'm sure it would be out and about as well.
Oh and also Styro Over GS: GS is not always watertight. And once it stops being water tight, it'll never be water tight again. Styrofoam may not seem like the ideal substitute, but I think for "dams" that'd be what I chose in the future.

These guys may be raised out and shuffled off to other keepers.

[Rat The Unloved]

Unfortunately, despite my separate-then-feed efforts, "Skinny frog" appears to have wolfed down a rock alongside a cricket at some point. I suppose having free and unfettered access to his crickets got him a little too excited about the process. "Fat frog" is still doing excellently.