# Morphlying/Tadpole help



## viciousred (Aug 16, 2011)

So this is a shout out for help to more experienced frog keepers.
So the story goes, my friend emptied her pond found that she had a bunch load of tadpoles and i stupidly offered to take them, turn them into frogs and take em back to her pond, soooo I'm keeping them in water 22c. I'm such a doofus. They are turning into frogs too fast, its still winter. please excuse me while i smash my head repeatedly for my stupidity. I'm Pretty sure they are striped marsh frogs, so far i have one froglet, still with tail, and about 30 with back legs and almost front legs. What the duff am i gonna do...if i turn the temp down will they stop?? I really don't want to be feeding 30+ baby frogs for the next month.. but if i have to i have to. Do they need uv? heating? Was feeling so proud, hadn't lost a single one, then it dawns on me... its still winter!!!
help?...

ps, i'm a sucker, i couldn't let her kill the wittle tadpoles...


----------



## dihsmaj (Aug 16, 2011)

You can still release them... frogs are active during winter.
Wait until they're about 2 - 3 weeks old though.
Just feed them, it's only a short while.


----------



## viciousred (Aug 16, 2011)

Oh ok good, I wasnt sure if it would be to cold. thankyou  that was the overall plan


----------



## Froggiestyle (Aug 18, 2011)

the warmer the water the faster they morph. see people can play really smart in this to make maximium cash and production out of there frogs. i will deffently be doing this. but if you half or quarter your tadpoles in seperate tubs have the 2 with just water and 1 with a heater so they morph then once they past the risk level then you can start on the next tub and so forth.


----------



## viciousred (Aug 18, 2011)

Lol wish i thought of that a while ago. Most of them have big back legs now so will it matter if i take the heating away will they be ok?

At what point should I take the morhplings out of the tadpole tank and put them in a seperate one? There is one that has all legs and looks like a frog accept for the tail, i'm pretty sure he is breathing air, I have a rock and some driftwood for him to get out on but should I take him out? I have another tub ready for the little frogs, Does anyone have experience with the conditions i should keep them in? I've read that a jar lid full of water will surfice to prevent drowning but i'm pretty sure stripped marsh frogs are aquatic so drowning unlikly? Thats not a whole lot of info on the net for careing for young frogs...


----------



## GeckPhotographer (Aug 19, 2011)

Striped Marsh frogs are not aquatic. They do spend a large amount of time in water compared to many species. But are not aquatic. Captive frogs seem able to drown in all kinds of things, but as long as the water is either shallower than them or they can easily get out they shouldn't. Just keep them in a container with a small amount of water, few holes in lid or side to keep humidity up, and a place for them to hide, say a small sheet of bark. They should be fine in this for a couple weeks while you feed them up. Keep in mind that the survival rate in the wild is rather small so if you loose a few don't feel to bad they are already better off than they would have been.


----------



## grimbeny (Aug 19, 2011)

Striped marsh frogs are a bit of a pest species arround sydney anyway


----------



## viciousred (Aug 19, 2011)

Thanks for that geck 

I'll move him out of the tadpole tank today then.

In all my googling i haven't found a single word on them being a pest.....


----------



## Froggiestyle (Aug 19, 2011)

grimbeny said:


> Striped marsh frogs are a bit of a pest species arround sydney anyway



there actualy amphibians, lol everything in sydney are pest's the mina birds are the worst.


----------



## GeckPhotographer (Aug 19, 2011)

there *they're, pest's *pests. 

Was anyone debating their status of being amphibians? 

While I wouldn't count these as pests they are highly numerous in the Sydney area and their loud and raucous calling does annoy some people. Personally I have trouble getting to sleep at night in summer without frog calls but....


----------



## viciousred (Aug 19, 2011)

Considering the way frogs are going I don't think any native frogs would be declared pests.... I must say is probably the first time I've seen or heard frogs in my area, ever.


----------



## eipper (Aug 20, 2011)

Take the set up outside if possible to your friends house, place a few broad logs and similar leading from the waters edge to the backyard and allow them to move off naturally.

This time of year they should still find food and be active (I saw about 30 striped Marsh out and about the other night in Northern NSW).

Cheers,
Scott

Cheers,
Scott


----------



## viciousred (Aug 20, 2011)

Unfortunately thats not possible yet as she hasn't re planted the pond and around it after ripping everything out and her labrador has decided its fun to chase things in the pond (fish) so I'm not exactly sure where these frogs will be going. Hopefull she gets it all done next weekend.


----------



## Reptile_Maniac (Aug 20, 2011)

Reduce feeding and do not heat the water!


----------



## viciousred (Aug 24, 2011)

So my first froggy ate his first cricket today. YAY! there is about 8 others who have all legs but still long tails, when i pick them up the do jump but it still looks like they are breathing with there gills so will give them another day or two before i move them out. 
Some pics of the first froggy and my other tadpoles


----------



## Froggiestyle (Aug 24, 2011)

nice setup but i would make more of a land part in there man. 

they dont need to eat until there tail disolves because they get the nutrience they need from it.


Im actually coming to sydney this weekend, but wouldnt mind some stripped marsh frogs to go with my spotted marsh frogs, but i would need a import license plus you only have one frog :-(


----------



## viciousred (Aug 24, 2011)

Plus there wild sweetie so there going back to the wild  And yeah I'm lowering the water line in the next day or so, there are still about 20 that don't have any legs yet so need to keep plenty of water in there


----------



## TaraLeigh (Aug 24, 2011)

Froggiestyle said:


> Im actually coming to sydney this weekend, but wouldnt mind some stripped marsh frogs to go with my spotted marsh frogs, but i would need a import license plus you only have one frog :-(


Could be wrong, but I've heard the striped marsh will eat other frogs too... so probably not the best idea anyway.


----------



## Froggiestyle (Aug 24, 2011)

viciousred said:


> Plus there wild sweetie so there going back to the wild  And yeah I'm lowering the water line in the next day or so, there are still about 20 that don't have any legs yet so need to keep plenty of water in there



Well actually frogs can morph in water as little as 5 litres but thats only about 6 or 7 but if 20 as little as 10 litres. nothing to much. the more water the longer they take to morph also.
and i told you about the heater.



TaraLeigh said:


> Could be wrong, but I've heard the striped marsh will eat other frogs too... so probably not the best idea anyway.



Well any frog will eat other frogs no matter which frog it is. if it fits in there mouth they can eat it. so if you put an adult frog with a morphing of course that's going to happen.
But a striped marsh frog is only a little bit bigger then a spotted marsh, they will be fine in the same enclosure together.


----------



## viciousred (Aug 28, 2011)

The froglet box 

Close up of 2 froglets 

And the morphling box! currently 8 in there, prob 5 more ready to come out of tadpole tanks in the next few days  there pond is on its way to being ready too!


----------



## Froggiestyle (Aug 30, 2011)

Got some nice pictures there man, but i would watch that sphagnum moss that is doesn't sit in water otherwise it will grow bacteria and effect the frogs and kill them.

With no heating for these frogs as they are nocturnal i would watch the moss carefully.


----------



## viciousred (Sep 1, 2011)

What should i use other than the moss? What does the bacteria look like?
And nope no heating
Just read that it inhibits fungal and bacterial growth?


----------



## Froggiestyle (Sep 3, 2011)

yeh you cant see the bacteria that grows on stuff like that.

i use coco peat from bunnings it comes in a brick you have to stick in 7 litres of water, but it tells you to use warm water, warm water for it isn't advisable because the copper from the hot water tap is toxic to frogs and will kill them. soak it in cold water, just takes little longer to break up.

once its broken up grab it out with your hand and give it a squeeze until you get rid of the access water then stick it in your tank. and give it a spray every 3 or 4 days but dont spray it til its soaking wet just enough to have a moist look to it.

works a treat, been doing it for my marshies 4 months now and i clean it out every month.


----------



## viciousred (Sep 4, 2011)

Up too 12 complete little frogs witch are eating an growing, 16 with only half a cm of tail left, and 8 with about a cm, and 30+ still with either all legs and still long tails, or just back legs, and 3 or 4 with no legs. In the whole proccess i've lost only 3, one went down the drain.. woops, and 2 just didnt make it.


----------



## Froggiestyle (Sep 5, 2011)

Need a lot of hiding spots for them, they a ground frog and need to hide somewhere.

I also forgot to mention that the coco peat is digestible for the frogs to so they wont have a problem. I'm also using it for my WLTF's! 

Work fine if any frog, you can also add peat moss to it as well.


----------



## frogface (Sep 10, 2011)

hey, would i be able to buy some of ur little froggys off u i am an experienced amphibian keeper i used to have green tree frogs but old age got em, well please reply 
0451171014

the waters too low need to be put half way with water ager and feed blood worms or gold fish food turns to algae


----------



## Froggiestyle (Sep 10, 2011)

which person you talking to mate???

im selling 6 white lipped tree frogs in about 4 to 6 week once they get little bigger.


----------



## r3ptilian (Sep 10, 2011)

frogface said:


> hey, would i be able to buy some of ur little froggys off u i am an experienced amphibian keeper i used to have green tree frogs but old age got em, well please reply
> 0451171014
> 
> the waters too low need to be put half way with water ager and feed blood worms or gold fish food turns to algae


Read the earlier posts, They are wild caught and will be returned to the wild.


----------



## viciousred (Sep 13, 2011)

Yep there all going back to the wild, there is 52 of them now 

And then there were 70, and about 20 almost frogs... my friend STILL hasn't got the pond done so am looking for somewhere to release them now...


----------



## grimbeny (Sep 15, 2011)

Unfortunately you might be devastating the habitat you release them in. That many frogs are not meant to hatch out of a pond at the one time, many of them should have died.


----------



## viciousred (Sep 15, 2011)

I had thought of that and hadn't planed on releasing them all in the one spot


----------



## Craig2 (Sep 15, 2011)

Froggiestyle said:


> yeh you cant see the bacteria that grows on stuff like that.
> 
> i use coco peat from bunnings it comes in a brick you have to stick in 7 litres of water, but it tells you to use warm water, warm water for it isn't advisable because the copper from the hot water tap is toxic to frogs and will kill them. soak it in cold water, just takes little longer to break up.
> 
> ...



so this means the copper from the cold water tap is ok for them then just not the hot tap
every house ive seen has copper pipes for both hot and cold


----------



## PythonLegs (Sep 15, 2011)

Good for you for doing this. I wouldnt worry about multiple site releases, the higher number of survivors from your spawn will probably not be enough to offset numbers lost locally through feral predation, pollution, etc etc


----------



## shea92 (Sep 15, 2011)

The only problem with doing this is all of these tadpoles have come from the same parents. This means they all are genetically very similar. That is the problem with doing what you are doing here. Most of these frogs should have died because they wouldn't have been able to survive in their wild environment because they were not as suited to their environment. Now all frogs, even the ones that should have died can breed in the wild with other frogs or each other if you release them at the same place. This means their wild genetics in the population have been diluted with the genes and frogs that are not suppose to exist anymore now do. You should have let them go in a creek.


----------

