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vmckague_gw

Another tadple question

17 years ago

About 5 weeks ago I awoke to find about a zillion small tadpoles in my pond! Now there are zero. I don't see any small frogs so what happened to them. The last time I saw them the numbers had fell to about half and they were just starting to show legs but not big enough to use yet and a few days later they were gone. I don't think my fish ate them as I watched really close for the first few days after they hatched and the goldies wanted nothing to do with them. I looked all around the pond but I never could see the little critters. Could it be when they got big enough to start crawling out of the pond my bull frogs thought DINNER TIME?

vmckague

Comments (10)

  • 17 years ago

    Bullfrogs will eat anything they can fit in their mouths, so I would not be surprised if he got some of them. Others may have simply hopped away.

    I don't have bullfrogs, but I do get toads and tree frogs, and after they leave the pond I may see a few of them hopping around the yard, but most just disappear. Birds may get some of them too. Lots of eager predators out there.

  • 17 years ago

    Bullfrogs will eat other frogs for sure.

    My fish eat tadpoles, none ever survive in my fish pond.

  • 17 years ago

    I have watched my goldfish mosey up to the tadpoles, suck them in and spit them right back out. One tadpole looked like he shot out of a cannonball, bounced off a rock and slid into the pond. He looked dazed. I have so many tadpoles, I am having to haul them to the creek.

  • 17 years ago

    Probably are little tiny toads hopping around in your yard. Toad tadpoles do not taste good and the fish leave them alone. Once they start getting legs it is just a couple days and they are out of there! It takes about 6 weeks from egg to tadpole to toad.
    Frog tadpoles are yummy. At my house only the ones that stay in the stream, above the fish, will survive to become frogs.
    sam

  • 17 years ago

    That would figure. But toads are good too. I have several around my yard in various places. I have even started on a toad village underneath my deck. This is the start of it. Of course, like everything else, it is just the beginning.
    {{gwi:204782}}

  • 17 years ago

    Toads eat slugs and bugs that eat plants. I'd be thrilled to have toads.

  • 17 years ago

    Oh, I'm thrilled. But, having only seen very few frogs, I was thrilled to see a small frog by the pond. I think it was a little bullfrog. Haven't seen him since so I'm not sure. I have a large toad that lives out by the veggie garden, and sometimes I will take him a treat which he gobbles right up.

  • 17 years ago

    100% sure your bullfrogs ate them.

  • 17 years ago

    Great start on your toad village! I have to admit, the toads are my favorites. I have low flower pots on the deck that they love to bury themselves in. They love potting mix because it's easy to dig in. I leave the light on at night so they can catch bugs and there are usually one or 2 on the deck when I put the dogs out.
    I've had a couple lonely toads trilling in my pond the last few weeks and I guess a girl toad finally showed up --- I have little toady tadpoles in the stream!
    My daughter relocated a frog for me today. A very large, male green frog. Once they get big enough to eat my fish, and he was looking very well fed, they get relocated. No matter how many we move, there are always a dozen more to take their places.
    sam

  • 17 years ago

    I have low voltage lights in my front yard. I plan to add some around the perimeter of the pond when rock work is more complete. It does attract the bugs, which in turn attracts the frogs and toads. It is alot of fun, but it is slow going right now, as the temps are in the upper 90's now. Have to work in am and pm when cooler.