P. Terribilis tadpoles: Do the tadpoles eat the dead?

[Carisab]

Hi,

I bought 4 tadpoles at a show and two morphed weeks ago. I had two left, one that was very small and was not growing. The other grew to the size where it should develop legs but has not yet. Yesterday morning they were both alive and swimming around. Today there is only the larger in the container. I do have a top on the container, so it didn't get out. I do regular feeding, so it didn't get eaten because they were starving. There are no signs in the container at all of the second tadpole. If the smaller tadpole died on his own, would the larger tadpole have eaten him? How long can a tadpole take before it morphs and still live? It has been 3 months and it is starting to get flecks of color, but no legs.

I was also wondering about froglet behavior. My two froglets are in a shoebox size bin, but they stay on opposite sides. When the smaller gets anywhere near the larger froglet it hops away. They don't really seem to like each other. I was told that this frog can live well with others of the same species.

Thanks!

[Mentat]

Recommend read this article, it provides a discussion on breeding and egg to froglet development: Frog Forum - Care & Breeding of the Golden Poison Frog, Phyllobates terribilis. If I had tadpoles of different size myself would have separated them. Some things to look at would be the type of water being used; tadpole rearing container; and the food type and feeding schedule.

My P. terribilis juveniles are very nice to each other and mostly hang around is same area and feed from same spot. Not sure why yours are acting that way. Can you please describe their enclosure? Thank you !

[Carisab]

Thanks Carlos. I have read this article many times. I do see in one spot that it says that they turn into froglets in 50-60 day, but in another section it says that they morph in 3 months. When I bought them the seller told me 80-100 days. They were also all the same size. One grew fast and got big. One didn't hardly grow at all. I didn't think he would make it. I have read a few places where people say that happens sometimes and they usually die. The other two grew at the same rate. One got legs and morphed. The other is the lone tad now. I think he had to have eaten the other after it died. I feed DFC dart bites. They are in a deli container with java moss and leaf. I have them in RO water treated with blackwater and let sit to room temp. I have not changed the water, but I have cleaned the bottom and I add when needed. This was what I was told to do when I bought them. I watch them and separate them when they start to get legs.

I have them in a plastic type shoe box. It started out with wet paper towels, but AGB was added when I put in the springtails from NEHERP. I added a few pieces of small cork and a small rock covered with Java Moss. I don't have any plants short enough to go in the container. One hides under the cork and the other under the rock. They are misted 2x a day.

i actually read your post on the froglets you brought home, I was jealous. Yours like each other! Even as a tadpole the large one ran from the others. Do you think if I bought 2 more already as froglets, they might find friends? I read that they should be a few months old before introducing them into the large enclosure. If I buy more now, I would introduce them before putting them in their final home. That way there is no territorial issues. Right now they are 5 and 6 weeks old.

[Mentat]

If you plan to buy more froglets, they should be quarantined for at least 30 days to ensure they are healthy, before mixing with your frogs. More on subject in here: http://www.frogforum.net/general-dis...uarantine.html .

[Carisab]

Thanks for the link. I knew to quarantine, but I didn't know for how long. Thanks.