I added a string of eggs, which hatched to tadpoles, which grew legs, the
frogs hopped out and sat on the bank, and every one was soon picked off by
jays... Watch out for jays....

"Dribbler" wrote in message
...
"Pete Thomas" wrote in message
...
Hi all, I'm new to this group.

I recently moved and started a wildlife pond. I "borrowed" some
frogspawn,
the tadpoles hatched but it looks like none of them are growing legs. My
previous wildlife pond just down the road in the same locality
(Southampton UK) had plenty of tadpoles turning into frogs and newts
breeding successfully.

This pond is new. I dug it in October last year, about 3ft deep and 6
feet
across (100 gallons or so). I filled it with about half rainwater from a
butt and half tapwater with conditioner which had a few months to
condition before adding the spawn in Feb.

My wife thinks they may be just turning into frogs and sneaking off
before
I see them, but I find this unlikely as I check the pond nearly every
day
and in the past I've always seen the little fellows getting legs
gradually - it takes a few weeks so I'd see them.

I heard somewhere that there is something (or maybe lack of something)
that can cause tadpoles to not mature, can anyone help?
--
Pete Thomas - www.petethomas.co.uk
***********

Hello Pete,
Myself and three other pond owners in Buckinghamshire (UK) have the same
thing you describe. We have plenty of tadpoles and yet only a minority
have
grown very small front legs (or are they gills?). They are a healthy size
but they all seem to have stopped growing and have stayed at the same
size/developmental stage for eight weeks or more.
My extent of my knowledge of tadpoles is from thirty plus years ago in the
classroom tank, but I'm sure they grew quicker than that! Maybe with age
comes impatience....

Dribbler