How long does it take........

[aravenschild]

for tadpoles to grow legs and move on?

Last year my darling (if not mischevious ) grandsons brought me some frog eggs from a puddle down the road.......I gave them a plastic tub to put them in, the eggs hatched into tiny little tad poles, then someone (I'm thinking it was the grandkids) decided the tadpoles needed to be in the pond. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind a few tadpoles, I expect to see tadpoles now and then, but they outnumber the goldfish 5 to 1!!

So this year I still have all these tadpoles.......they are about 4 inches long, olive green in color with lots of tiny black spots, and their bodies are about the size of large grapes..... and NONE of them have legs!!!!!!

Do I have some mutant form of tadpoles? Or does it take some more then a year to develope into frogs?

Oh, and I live in southern Missouri.........

Anyone have any ideas when they might grow legs and move on down the road?

Thanks,

Vicky

[Esther]

I have heard that some frogs take two years to morph. My toadpoles take a month or two depending on the temperatures I think. But I don't really don't know much about it all. I just watch.

[Sunbeam56]

http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/tadpoles/index.html

availability of calcium is also a factor.

[Ky Kim]

Sounds like to me you have bullfrog tads.  They take a couple years to morph out and move on.

Kim

[Cedric]

I've had the odd tadpole overwintering in the ponds. If the frogs spawned late and the weather turns cooler after they have become tadpoles they tend to hang around until the following year to become frogs. Yours are huge tadpoles. I would net as many as you can and take them away for identification so you can either release into the wild if native or destroy if exotic. Tadpole traps are useful in this endeavour.

If you don't have many of the important natural predators like snakes and herons for example you could end up with a frog infested pond. Some hop away others stay around, but they will all return in spring to mate in your pond and that means millions more. I think they sound like "bullfrog" tadpoles given the size. Bullfrogs are lovely but eat fish according to some on this forum and do grow enormous.

Another consideration is that if the pond is close to the house you can say good-bye to having a peaceful sleep ever again. You will be up all night with a torch and a shotgun, ducking the cross-fire your neighbours will also be aiming your way.

[Rick]

If they are bullfrog tadpoles good luck

[aravenschild]

so seeing as the pond has a liner, I shouldn't think about gigging the frogs when they are
 older? 
I guess I'll just have to net them and put them in the creek...........

so much for frog legs..................

thank you for all for the advice,

vicky

[Cedric]

No no no no no heavens alive, first find out what they are before you infest the local creek. They could be undesirables.

With only netting you will never get them all so you will have quite few next year. First net, and then set traps. They very easy to make. Just cut the top off a plastic bottle, the top and about ten cm of bottle,like a coke bottle, then invert the top and push it down hard inside the rest of the bottle, there you have trap.
Next put some meat inside or bits of frozen fish fillet and sink in a good place in the pond. They will swim in and not be able to swim out, remove and repeat as often as you need until there are no more left. It's best to leave it over night as tadpoles are wily critters and will only hop in when they are sure of the all clear.

[barb]

I've had four bullfrogs living in my small pond for two years, (and several others that pass through) but they've never laid eggs. I have been fortunate that they are fun to watch and listen to, but haven't been a pest.

[Sandye]

Cedric, since Vicky's tadpoles are 4" long, olive green with black spots, and are apparently going to take two years to morph...they are most likely bullfrogs...which are very native to Missouri (and Kansas, and half the US).  Besides, they came from a puddle down the road.  I think it would be safe to relocate them to a nearby creek. 

Thanks for the tip on how to catch a tadpole, tho.  I've been wanting another one to raise inside like I did last year.  (My grandson caught one in the farm pond.)  It was a fun experience.   

[aravenschild]

thank you for the word of caution Cedric, and I don't think that traveling up the road two blocks makes them an exotic , as for making them a pest ahhhh  the verdic is still out..... 

So anyone up for frog legs this fall ? I understand they are great dipped in egg and flour, then fried

Ok, so I'm not such a nice person , besides my grandchildren would disown me if I did

Cedric, thank you for the advice on catching the frogs, I know you meant well.....
and thank you to everyone else for helping too......

Vicky