SazzJ Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Hi Not sure this is the right place Some if the children are very interested in frog spawn (few have it in ponds in gardens etc) we though it would be a good idea to have some in the setting. Can anyone recommend the best environment for it and also what we need to feed it? Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterplay Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Hi we keep it inside in one of those plastic aquariums. once they turn into tadpoles I feed them every couple of days with Tetra blood worms that I get from the pet shop. Not as bad as it sounds as they come in small individual sachets which you just sqeeze in. As they are inside they do develop a lot quicker than outside in a pond. Once they have develop legs I put large stones in for them to get out of the water if they wish. They then get transfered back to my pond. the children absolutely love looking at them and we put lifecycle puzzles/frog books/models/ magnifying glasses etc close by them for the children to explore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacquieL Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Please remember always to return them to the pond they came from, as they have a 'built in' homing instinct, and may die trying to find their birthplace. There are some good guidelines here: http://www.ypte.org.uk/environmental/care-...and-tadpoles/28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 and do ensure you feed them correctly.. or they eat each other .... ours did one year even though they were fed correctly... quick return to the pond which was luckily next to the preschool... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Of the thousands you see, most will eat each other or just die naturally. Only a very small number will make it to adulthood. I would suggest keeping the tank outside when you're not in session, in a sheltered spot free from frost. You don't want the water to overheat as that is not good for them. They like to munch pond weed in the wild if you don't want to buy proper food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 after they have eaten their protective jelly they are vegetarian for a little while and will eat greenery in the pond but very quickly become carnivores. They will go 'mad' for tiny bits of meat or fish - or as you say, they'll eat the weaker members of their family. Don't put too much food in the tank. Once they get their legs you'll need to put a stone in, as already advised, so they can climb out occasionally. But I suggest netting the top of the tank or putting clingfilm over it with holes pierced in or you may arrive one day to find them dead around the worktop! What we generally do is just keep about a dozen tadpoles and return the others to their pond and then there are sufficient to watch. Sadly I can't return ours to exactly the same pond as where the frogs spawn is a ditch which dries up - has already dried up in fact. So they go in my own pond which is very close by - no roads to cross, just some shady trees to negotiate. If I didn't collect the spawn, they'd be already dead, this way at least I'm giving them a chance at life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mundia Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 I would stress, as Jacquie said, you must not move frogspawn around from pond to pond, nor should you take it from the wild. Whenever I took any in, I used my own pond water and then retuned them when they got to the froglet stage. I also added in pond plants from my own pond only. As Suzie said, you should not keep them indoors, it is too warm for them and they develop too quickly and you get all sorts of abnormalities in them. I kept mine safely outside, tucked away in a fish tank under a bush. If you do have to bring them indoors because of your setting, please put them in the coolest place you can find. Tadpoles are partial to boiled lettuce! I never feed mine in the pond, but when I took them to school they used to eat smashed up fish food. Just remember as they grow, that once at the froglet stage they need rocks to climb onto, if they cant get out of the water they drown. But the chidlren will love it, some of mine used to spend ages just watching them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 they also like ants eggs which you can get from most pet shops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mundia Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 they also like ants eggs which you can get from most pet shops or my compost bin if you live near enough!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Ours have always gone for a piece of raw bacon tied on a piece of string! Rachel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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