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Produce => Wildlife forum => Topic started by: dannylewis on April 17, 2005, 13:25:17

Title: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: dannylewis on April 17, 2005, 13:25:17
Hi there,

I was sown at my lottie before and i have got a few tadpoles in a bucket so i can watch them grow and my mum asked me what do you feed them on and i dont really know, can any of you help answer this question for me please,

What do i feed them on?

Thanks Dannylewis
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: aquilegia on April 18, 2005, 14:49:24
small fish food.

Have a look at my thread in the pond section...
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: Margaret on April 18, 2005, 21:15:54
Hi Danny.It really is not fair to keep them in a bucket as they cannot get the correct nutrition when out of their proper environment.Their needs change as they grow,turning from plant food such as algae,to meat,ie insect life.Unless you can provide a roomy container with mature water from a wildlife pond set up for these creatures you are not allowing them to grow as they should and they may either be stunted or will not thrive at all.Even then you will have to change the water frequently and give them extra food,such as aqualegia suggests,but just the right amount so you don't pollute the water.Also think of their droppings.In a small bucket they too will pollute the water as there are no plants to utilize them.
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: dannylewis on April 19, 2005, 20:45:59
Hi

Thanks for the replies, but margaret i want to reassure you i hsvent got them in a tiny pot they are in like a huge curry bucket, like what you get in tandoori's the massive ones and i have oxygenators in them.

Thanks again

Danny lewis
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: izzy on April 20, 2005, 16:48:28
i have some tads i am raising away from the pond too..  ;D

i feed them regular aquarian goldfish flakes, except break them up into crumbs in my fingers, then sprinkle them in. they really thrive on this, and they look prettty healthy!
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: Doris_Pinks on April 20, 2005, 17:08:50
Mine get fed on crunchy cat food! It is particularly funny if you get the round ones as they all look like they are hanging onto a life raft when they are feeding! ;D
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: BAGGY on April 20, 2005, 17:12:35
We used to feed ours cat biscuits too !
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: sweet-pea on April 22, 2005, 09:53:38
We used to keep tadpoles when I was young, and I remember feeding them on boiled dandelion leaves.  They seemed to do OK and they did grow into little frogs which we released in a nearby pond.
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: supernan on April 22, 2005, 10:00:39
 :) I now know why all my childhood catches of tadpoles died!! Ooops  :(

Best to feed with crushed up fish flakes, crush to a fine powder. All pet shops have them and Tescos. Or if you want to really spoil them you can feed on dried worms, again from the pet shop. I asked my friend Kevin who owns a pet food store!! So hopefully this is good advice.

Do keep a lid on the tank, or the frogs jump out. LOL
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: maz on April 22, 2005, 23:25:56
I gave them tiny pieces of bacon last year. They loved it.
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: cyrilsquirrel on April 28, 2005, 13:25:49
We fed ours on slices of cucumber(cut in half) and pieces of lettuce leaves.
They loved the cucumber and would nibble away all the fleshy part and just leave the rinds!
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: maz on April 28, 2005, 14:50:07
Maybe I got the carnivores and you got the vegetarians cyril  ;D
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: Debs on April 28, 2005, 16:37:26
oops, didn't realise they should be fed !!

At what stage should they be fed?

Advice please...

...we have a small wildlife pond which contains a couple of teeny fish

(hope they don't like taddys :o), and some pond plants.

Debs
Title: Re: feeding tadpoles???
Post by: Mrs Ava on April 29, 2005, 22:45:53
If you have a regular pond Debs, with weed and algae and little bugs and critters in, then there is no need to give the tads extra food, there will be more than enough for them to thrive on already living in your pond.  ;D  If you are raising them in a slightly more sterile state, then I guess you need to suppliment their diet, but in the wilds noone comes along and feeds them, and they get by and become froglets. ;D