My tadpole is growing sooooo fast....

[Sandye]

it's almost unbelievable!     I don't think I've ever had a critter of any kind that grew as fast as this little guy is.

When four of my grandsons were here March 24, they went down to the farm pond, armed with buckets and old spoons to see what they could find or dig up.  MDBB brought me a little tadpole in some pond water.  It was a normal sized little tadpole, maybe an eighth of an inch across.   He is now 2-2½ inches long and his body is at least 3/4" long and 1/2" wide...he's a little hard to measure since he doesn't hold still.  Since he's obviously a bullfrog tadpole, I'm not sure how big he's going to get before he gets his legs.   

I'm feeding him boiled lettuce, and he puts out so much waste that I have to change his water every two or three days.   

[Teresa]

If he's really a bully tadpole, he won't be getting arms and legs this year . . . . they usually take two seasons.  But if he was that small when the boys got him, he's most likely NOT a bullfrog.  Keep watching him . . . usually takes between 6 and 12 weeks for most of them to turn into frogs and if he starts to show little bitty backlegs at the base of his tail, he'll turn this season . . . .

Also, if he's a bullfrog, he needs protien . . . try smushing some pond snails and tossing those in with him . . .

[Sandye]

Thanks, Teresa, I'll see if I can find some pond snails to "smush."   

I'm not sure if I made it clear...the tadpole was about 1/8" across his little round body...not body and tail combined.  Are bullfrog tadpoles never that small? 

[Teresa]

Most of the ones that I've hatched were at least 1/4" wide when they hatched . . . they come from some good sized eggs . . . .

[Sandye]

Wow!  I didn't realize the bullfrog eggs were that big.  Maybe my little guy will turn out to be a green frog.   I hope he is so that he will morph this season.