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Old 11-06-2006, 06:48 PM posted to alt.garden.pond.chat
Pete Thomas
 
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Default Tadpoles not growing into frogs

Lar wrote:
In article , invalid@reply-via-
site.com says...
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?



In your older pond did you notice frogs the first year it was in or
could the frogs you saw be actually from tadpoles from the previous
year. In mine I have been watching the development of tadpoles into
toads and have been seeing numerous ones with back legs but no front
legs, then one evening looked down and saw a dozen or so tiny toads. So
maybe some are developing and sneaking away. Hmm timely, my daughter
placed a tadpole in a goldfish bowl a few weeks ago and came in here
excitedly she has a tiny toad now.


Today I found a teeny frog under a stone, so they've been sneaking out
really quickly.

Time for newts now.

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