# Frogs & Toads > Frogs >  Raising tadpoles

## Heather

So, about a week and a half ago I found 2 large tire ruts with water in them with hundreds of little tadpoles in them. Not the best place to lay eggs because they have since dried up  :Frown: .

I brought home about 50 small (about 3/4" snout to tail) tadpoles. So far, so good. They are currently housed in a small tank with a filter. I put in one dropper (approx. 1cc) of liquid calcium supplement into their water. They eat dried seaweed every 2 to 3 days. They have tiny tiny leg buds started.

The most prevalently found frogs in that area are spring peepers and northern green frogs and American bufo toads. I'm not sure yet what we've got. 

We will raise them until they can eat small insects and release them back to where they came from. There are lots of wild bugs and wild crickets there so they should be fine. 

So far, their rate of growth is slow so I am presuming it'll be about 3 months for them to morph. Just guessing. 

They'll be fed flightless fruitflies and pinhead crickets after their tails have absorbed. 

I'm hoping they do well. I have what I need to convert their rank as they grow. I purchased a large water bowl with an easy access ramp in and out so whether they're terrestrial, arboreal, or semi-aquatic I can adjust the water level accordingly. 

We have done no special treatments as we do not plan to keep them. I wear disposable gloves when caring for them and wash diligently with antibacterial soap before handling my other frogs. They are also in a different room from my others. Just be cautious, of course.

Anyway, I am hoping they all make it. 

Today is water change day so I'll snap a few extra photos.

Can anyone tell what species they are?

Thanks!

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## Heather

Turn off the moving water and they wake right up  :Smile: . Feeding time is fun. There's always the ones that head right to the seaweed and then there's the ones who catch the small pieces that fall to the bottom. Haha! They actually spin the seaweed around sometimes  :Big Grin: .

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## Heather



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## Heather

Feeding frenzy!!! Lol!

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## Heather

So, after a smidge of research I am guessing they might be fowlers toads?

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## Heather

Anyone know what species my tadpoles appear to be?

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## Heather

Updated pic

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## FrogLoving17

There so cute! I am sorry but I don't know what specifies they are

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## Yusil

Those tadpoles look voracious for such little creatures  :Smile: .

They look sort of like a tree frog, but perhaps they are Fowlers Toads? They look similar to the picture of them you posted previously, but I can't tell.

Maybe you should wait to see what they do; i.e Climb/Swim/Stay on the ground and then go from there, so atleast you can search based on that.

Good luck  :Wink:  .

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## Heather

True  :Smile: . Well, they currently hop around and climb the walls. They are so tiny.

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## Yusil

> True . Well, they currently hop around and climb the walls. They are so tiny.


Well, alot of small frogs do that I think, but maybe as they get larger/older, they'll settle into what their natural state is; Arboreal/Terrestrial/Aquatic and then you'd definitely know. But maybe someone who knows these frogs will come along and give you a heads up  :Smile: .

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## Lynn

> True . Well, they currently hop around and climb the walls. They are so tiny.


Oh boy! You have your hands full.
 :Butterfly:

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## Heather

Haha! They are so little. I'd guess to say maybe 3/4cm? So cute  :Smile: . Once they are big enough to fend for themselves and/or hunt well, we will set them free  :Smile: .

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## Heather

We set our babies free today. I hope they make it. We have a few late developers yet. Maybe ten or so. Hopefully they'll catch up soon  :Smile: .

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## Bruce

Yay!  They have you to thank for their great start!

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## Heather

Thanks!  :Smile:  I enjoyed raising them.

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## Heather

The toadlets are growing  :Smile:

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## Bruce

Super cute!

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## Heather

Thanks!

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## Heather

Still growing  :Smile:

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## Karen aka mshine1217

It looks like you could put 6 of them on the quarter!  Babies are sooo darn cute!  They are lucky that you rescued them.  More people should rescue and release.

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## Heather

Lol! They are really little. I still have two lingering runts. Hopefully they'll catch up.

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## Bruce

I'm sure they will with how well you feed them.  If not well you can't release runts, guess you'd have to keep them!  :Smile:

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## Karen aka mshine1217

> I'm sure they will with how well you feed them. If not well you can't release runts, guess you'd have to keep them!



Oh darn!  Wouldn't that be a shame  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Murray of the Deep

it looks like its a common brown toad , cant really identify it till its adult , and also what do you feed to your small toads?, and also how you take care of toads, please tell me because im raising frog tadpoles and also what water can you use??

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## Heather

I'll get back to you later today. Currently at work. Quick reply...I use dechlorinated tap water and a aquarium filter. I feed mine flightless fruit flies and outdoor bugs since the tads were wild caught. I use a smooth coffee cup and scoop the grass. I remove any spiders, red bugs, and anything too big. Mostly feed gnats, aphids, and tiny roley lilies/wood lice/potato bugs. The ff's were too big before. They are getting bigger now  :Smile: .

They're so cute, it's tempting to keep them  :Smile: .

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## Heather

Unfortunately, I lost a runt today. Came home to find he had flipped over and must not have been able to turn back. No other signs of ailment. Poor little guy  :Frown: .

I have one slow runt left. He eats but grows very little. The others are growing like crazy now...

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## Heather

Here is a link to the toad care sheet here...
http://www.frogforum.net/content/toa...pelobates-125/

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## Bruce

:Frown:  I'm sorry you lost one.. That's never a food feeling when you do all you can and still lose some :/

Glad to hear the rest are ok though!

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## Heather

Thanks Bruce! They're so tiny at that size I'm not surprised. Still sad though.

Here is a pic of the seaweed I used to feed my tads...

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## Murray of the Deep

Arent those great plains toad i saw it in your picture search it on internet if it really looks like that

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## Heather

I think they are American toads. There are also fowlers toads here, but as they grow their markings look more like Americans.

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## Heather

I set the babies free today. They are great hunters and are more agile. They even prefer the wild bugs to the bought fruit flies. It was hard letting them go. I want to give them time to adjust to the temperature change. 

We'll miss them!

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## Heather

They ended up being Americanus bufo, just as we had thought  :Smile: . Cute little guys!

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## Pluke

Ahh, that must have been quite the experience. I'm sure they did a LOT better in your care than they would have done in the wild. You did a good thing, even if you lost one you shouldn't feel bad cause there'd be much more casualties in the wild. Even though it still does hurt to lose one when you care for them so much. 

This makes me want to go out and catch, raise some tadpoles next spring.. it'd be cool to find some Gray Tree frog tads, even though toads are quite awesome. They've always been a favorite of mine they have such cool personalities.

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## Heather

It was quite rewarding to see them grow and change. It's a bit tough letting them go though. We really enjoyed raising them  :Smile: .

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## Heather

Gray's are really cute. It's a great experience and a great learning experience for kids. Though my daughter never got to touch them, she learned a bunch about them. It gave her a new appreciation for tadpoles  :Smile: .

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