Tadpole Care

Frog tadpoles have gone onto become favorite pet of all time. A lot of families choose to get tadpoles at home, so that it will be an educational experience for the children and for themselves to see the metamorphosis of a tadpole into a frog. The other reason is that tadpole needs are simple, but it is important to know the right measurements to be taken in terms of tadpole care. Although the needs of a tadpole are simple, it is highly susceptible to chlorine water. There are many other things which you will have to take care of, so that your pet grows well in the confines of your home. Having said that, let's read in detail about tadpole care. Read more on life cycle of a frog.

How to Take Care of a Tadpole

The first step is to procure frog spawn or tadpoles from their natural environment. In some states, it is illegal to collect tadpoles or eggs, hence you will have to check the laws with a wildlife or environment agency. When you decide to get the eggs or tadpoles, it is important to get just a few of them and leave the rest to grow in the natural settings. An alternative is to obtain captive bred eggs or tadpoles. This will give you an idea about the requirements of the species.

Container
Before you choose to get tadpoles at home, you will have to make appropriate arrangement for a container. The size of the container needs to be sufficiently big so that the tadpoles have sufficient space to move around, as is the case with their natural environment. You can make use of an aquarium, wading pool, large plastic tub, garden pond or child's swimming pool. The container with the tadpoles in them should be ideally placed outdoors to mimic natural conditions. It should not be placed under direct sunlight, rather, partially under sunlight, so that they will get sunlight when they need it. At the bottom of the container, you can place some smooth rocks and gravel. Ensure you do not add a lot of water to the container, as tadpoles prefer shallow water.

Water
An important instruction about tadpole care is regarding the water you use to fill the container. It should be a mixture of both fresh and dechlorinated water. Chlorinated water will have to be dechlorinated by adding dechlorinating drops to the water. These drops are easily available at pet shops. If there is no pet shop in the vicinity, you can leave the water in the sunlight for 7 to 8 days, so that the chlorine in water dissipates. Even a little chlorinated water can be harmful for your pets, hence it is recommended to have sufficient quantity of water change to maintain the water quality in the container. To partially change the water, scoop out about 1/3 of the old water and replace it with freshwater. The smaller the container more the number of water changes it will require.

Food
Since most tadpoles are herbivores, you can feed them with lettuce and spinach leaves, which they often love. Before you give the leaves to the tadpoles, ensure you freeze it first and then thaw them. Thawing will make it easier for the tadpoles to eat the leaves. You will have to feed them in small quantities about twice a day. Overfeeding is not recommended as it is not good for the health of the tadpole and it will also pollute the water, which will make it necessary that you clean the container more often.

Metamorphosis
When you have a tadpole for a pet, you will have to be patient, as the metamorphosis from a tadpole to a frog may take anywhere between a few weeks to a few months. It actually depends on the species to which the tadpole belongs to. When you notice that the tadpole is developing hind legs you will have to reduce the water level further, at the same time you will have to provide easy access to land. You can do this by adding sloping rocks or sticks large enough for the tadpoles to climb on. There will be other changes which will also come about in the tadpole. The digestive tract, development of lungs and loss of gills and changes to skin will occur now. The other change which will happen is the resorption of the tail. The tadpole will eat less, when the tail is going through resorption, hence it is not a cause to worry about. When the lungs develop, it is recommended to reduce the quantity of water, so that the tadpoles do not drown. In some cases, if the tadpole belongs to the ground variety, they will have to be removed out of water altogether, as they do not come out of water themselves and may drown in water.

After the metamorphosis, it is time to feed them small crickets, fruit flies, small insects, invertebrate foods, etc. Once the metamorphosis is over, you may want to consider releasing the frogs or toads into water. However, ensure that the species is native to the area and also check the wildlife rules. Releasing them as close as possible to the area from where you had picked them up increases their chances of survival.