Tadpole feeding?

[Bob2]

We just cleaned out our old green pool and found a heap of tadpoles in there. We have put them in a fish tank outside. When I was a kid I used to collect heaps of tadpoles from the creek and had to take them back to the creek when they got their back legs 'cause mum was terrified of them, lol. Anyway, this was 20 odd years ago and all I can remember feeding them was breadcrumbs. Any ideas on what I can feed these little fellas til they hop away.

 

[Magpie]

Just about anything.
Fishpellets or flakes are good.
Soft lettuce.
zucchini, very small pieces of meat - will have to go soft before they can eat it

 

[jessb]

Aren't there laws against collecting and keeping tadpoles?

 

[imalizard]

You can feed them algea i think

 

[Magpie]

Probably, so your advice woule be to throw them out on the grass to die?

 

[Frozenmouse]

put some lettuce or watercres in the freezer once it has frozen remove /defrost this is what they feed the tadpoles at the ARK in melbourne anphibian research center.
i think the freezing breaks the cell membrane and makes it easier for them to eat.

 

[kakariki]

My son used algae and wrigglers for his Banjo Frog taddies. We enjoyed watching them eat the wrigglers, some sort of justice. We have thousands of mozzies here usually. Only good thing about it being so dry is we can go outside now without being chased back in by them! I know boiled lettuce is used also.

 

[omg_a_gecko]

Tadpoles & Amphibians license

Check the laws for your area - Im in NSW an NSW National Parks website states you may keep tadpoles for the purpose of observing their metamorphosis into frogs, so when they start hopping let them free in your yard.

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/nature/frogLicenceInfo.pdf

NSW's terms & conditions for what you need and don't need the license for

 

[jessb]

Probably, so your advice woule be to throw them out on the grass to die?

Just thinking of you if you get caught - I'm not the one who will have to pay the fine!!!

 

[SyKeD]

boiled lettuces... they love it.

stick it in the microwave for 3 minutes then put in it.. and in about an hour or 2 its nice and soggy for the tadpoles to eat

 

[Bob2]

They are in a tank with no lid so they will head off whenever they so please. I hardly think that would be classed as keeping them. They are only in there, as magpie suggested, to prevent them from dying on the grass. Most Parks people I've met are fairly sensible and I doubt there would be a problem with that. Thanks for the feeding ideas. I hadn't even thought of the fish food,lol. There's some wrigglers left in the bottom of the pool too so I'll chuck them in too.

 

[missllama]

i had tadpoles and for some reason the petshop person said freeze pieces of lettuce then put it in the water... dont no why but i did that and mine always ate it

 

[imalizard]

Do you know what type of tadpoles they are

 

[Bob2]

Wouldn't have a clue. I doubt they are cane toads as they wouldn't be able to get in the pool to start with and I think toadpoles are fairly dark which these ones aren't. Apart from that I have no idea.

 

[meshe1969]

Tadpole care sheet:

http://frogs.org.au/arc/caresheets.html

If you get some photos of your tadpoles and post them here, you will get a i.d on them:
http://frogs.org.au/community/

 

[rach25portdouglas]

I thought Tadpoles could go darker or lighter depending on there enviroment such as rocks from the creek are dark pools are lighter in colour and so on any way I think its good that you can help them as long as they aren't toads of course...

 

[meshe1969]

Here is a comparison sheet for frog and toad tadpoles:
http://www.fdrproject.org.au/pages/TDpoles.htm


and one on i.d eggs:
http://www.fdrproject.org.au/pages/TDeggs.htm

 

[JasonL]

boiled lettuce and chicken layer pellets

 

[redbellybite]

YOU can boil the lettuce too that way is good for tadpoles dont put the leaf in b4 doing that ...and fish food is good too ........when you know what type of tadpole it is free them at a local creek area if you got a tank full of cane taddies well you know what to do with them rbb

 

[dude_joel]

Aren't there laws against collecting and keeping tadpoles?

there are laws, so you should definetly either put them in a pot and boil them up or tip them on the lawn to die. euthanising is the only way to handle this situation. peoples responses on these forums never seem to surprise me...