Quezi

Photo by Benny Mazur - CC-BY

Children love to watch tadpoles emerge from frogspawn, then develop into miniature frogs. If you’re keeping a few tadpoles, you will need to feed them. A small amount each day is best. If they don’t eat it, take it out the next day to avoid it rotting and spoiling the water.

When you collect the tadpoles, also take a small amount of pondweed. It will help to oxygenate the water, and tadpoles will nibble at duckweed. When they are small they’ll eat pond algae, but they’ll need something more substantial as they grow. Some pet shops sell tadpole feed; if not you can use flakes of goldfish food. Boiled lettuce may also be popular. Probably a better option is to freeze pieces of lettuce then crumble them into the water in small pieces. I have heard people say that tadpoles also like very tiny fragments of cooked chicken or egg. If the tadpoles are hungry, don’t be surprised if some of them eat other tadpoles.

As they develop their legs they become carnivorous, and enjoy mashed worm or snail. You could supply them with small live insects such as water fleas, but it’s probably best to release them into the wild at this point.

Here are some more tips for keeping tadpoles:

• Check your local laws. As an example, in the Australian state of Queensland you may keep tadpoles until seven days after metamorphosis. In the state of Victoria, you may only obtain tadpoles from captive breeding stock.
• Change the water regularly, half at a time (and leave the droppings on the bottom, as the tadpoles can eat these).
• Use clean water. If it’s tap water, stand it in a clean non-metallic container for 24 hours to allow for the chlorine to dissipate.
• Avoid any household chemicals getting into the water, even in tiny quantities.
• A large glass mixing bowl makes a good container, because it provides good visibility. To stop new frogs jumping out overnight, put the glass plate from the microwave oven on top of the mixing bowl.
• When the frogs metamorphose, you must have a place for them to climb out. It should touch the edge of the container, because the frogs tend to swim around the edge and might not find an “island”.