Gardening

How to Care for Tadpoles

TadpolesWhat Are Tadpoles

Tadpoles are basically developing frogs during the larval stage. The first three letters in tadpole mean toad and the last 3 letters mean head. The process where tadpoles transform into frogs is known as metamorphosis. Witnessing this metamorphosis process firsthand can be one of the most amazing and fun experiences you can have.

Tadpoles are one of the best and fun pets for anyone to have, especially small children to have. As a matter of fact, some people would say that tadpoles make better pets for kids than goldfishes.

Giving children the opportunity to raise tadpoles as pets can have a huge educational value, as they’ll be learning more about science witnessing the tadpoles transform into frogs. However, in order to witness this amazing transformation you have to provide tadpoles with a lot of care.

Keep reading and learn how to properly care for tadpoles so they’ll be healthy and develop into frogs properly.

Finding the Right Container

The first thing you need to make sure you have for your tadpoles is a good container to keep them. When choosing a container to keep these creatures you have to keep in mind that they will develop into frogs within six to twelve weeks.

Avoid using containers that are tall and narrow, and go for ones that are short and wide. You can go to your local pet store and find some pet tanks that would make a good home for your tiny pets. Plastic buckets and children’s swimming pools also make good homes for tadpoles.

It is best to keep them outside of your house since they will need to get some sunlight, but always keep the container partially shaded. You can place grass with roots in the water so that the tadpoles can feed on them. Place some rocks at the bottom of the water and some leaves that have fallen from a tree. The leaves will allow the tadpoles to have a place to hide and also provide them with algae that they like to eat.

Add various aquatic plants into the water to give them more oxygen, shelter, and food. Also, place a piece of wood that is partially submerged so when the tadpoles evolve into frogs they’ll have a way of getting out of the water.

Using the Right Water

Now that you have a container to keep them it’s time to fill it up with water. However, not just any water will do. You need to make sure you use the right water that is clean and suitable for them.

The worst thing you can do is fill up the container with tap water, as some tap water contain substances like chlorine which can harm the tadpoles. You can make these harmful substances in the tap water disappear by allowing the tap water to sit for 3 to 4 days in an uncovered container that isn’t metal.

You could also make a trip to a nearby aquarium store and pick up some de-chlorinated drops or water conditioner which will help make the water ready for the tadpoles faster. Make sure you prepare plenty tap water for your tadpoles so when it’s time to change the water you have some good tap water ready to use.

Use something soft to carefully remove your tadpoles from the water when doing water changes. Ideally you want to change the water in their container once every week, but how often you change it will ultimately depend on how many tadpoles you’re keeping in one container and the size of the container you’re keeping them in.

You will know it’s time to change the water when you notice that your tadpoles are acting sluggish or if the water starts looking cloudy. To maintain the right pH balance of the water you can just change half of the water instead of all of it.

How To Feed Feed Them

Tadpoles love to eat lettuce and other leafy green vegetables like spinach. Some tadpole pet owners will boil the lettuce or freeze it to make it mushy before feeding it to them.

When you feed them the lettuce make sure it is little small pieces so they can consume the food easily. You can also feed them some flake fish food where you can purchase from your local pet store. When feeding these small creatures the key is to leave them with just enough food in the tank for all of them to feed on without leaving behind any debris in the container that’ll make the water get unclean.

You have to feed your tadpoles at least once a day and do your best to not over feed them. When tadpoles aren’t getting fed they will usually become carnivores and begin eating each other. Make sure you remove any dead tadpoles from the water as soon as possible. You can tell if a tadpole is dead as it will float to the top of the water and have a gray looking color.

There is no doubt that tadpoles are one of the best pets for any person to keep, especially small children who are interested in biology and amphibians. When you are ready to keep your own tadpoles as pets make sure you keep everything mentioned here in mind so you can witness them evolve into healthy frogs.

If you have any questions, please ask below!